2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Our Lord never ceases to amaze me with all that He has to say about Himself. We continue to revel in the warm and loving messages in which he demonstrates the contrasts to His dire warnings, which are His promises of deliverance for the faithful. Our God is truly Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness. This name for Him reminds us that any righteousness we have comes from Him. What a gift! Being continually righteous, note I didn’t say self-righteous, leads to the greatest gift of all, eternal life. Jehovah Tsidkenu talks to each of us a lot. And, if we listen, we will know that it’s for no other reason than His great love for us.
I try to pay attention to the use of certain words or metaphors in the Scriptures. Understanding their significance can lead to a deeper faith in God’s word. One such word is “Branch” [or other words meaning the same thing]. It was not a typo that I used a capital “B” here, because there are a number of revealing Scriptures which support doing that. See what I mean as you read through the following ones. IS 11: 1, “The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new King will arise from among David’s descendants.” [GNV] Now look at the same verse from the KJV: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Other versions have referred to Him [Christ] as “a Branch from the stump of Jesse [David’s father].” Looking at this same verse from more than one version of the Scriptures really can add to our understanding of it, so I hope you won’t be afraid to do that.
Isaiah is not the only writer in the Scriptures to use this metaphor. JER 23: 5, “The Lord says, ‘The time is coming when I will choose as King a righteous Descendant of David. That King will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land.” [GNV] Now, look at the same verse in the KJV: “Behold, the days come saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” This is a promise that is so incredibly precious one to each of us. Now look at another OT passage to illuminate the promise of the Messiah to come. ZECH 3: 8, “Listen then, Joshua [son of Jehozadak, the Jewish High Priest in Zechariah’s time] you who are the High Priest; and listen, you fellow priests of his, you that are the sign of a good future: I will reveal My Servant, Who is called The Branch!” [GNV]. And now, the KJV words: “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My Servant the BRANCH.” I typed these exactly the way they appear in each version, so that we could appreciate the emphasis and differences in language for comparison. The message, thanks be to God, is the same. All this conversation from God about Jesus Christ is from the OT, a fact that I fervently wish wasn’t lost on my traditional Jewish family and friends.
The OT is by means not the only place where our precious Branch is discussed. One of the most beautiful and meaningful passages in the Scriptures which uses this metaphor is RO 11: 11-25, which I hope you will read today. This is where Jehovah Tsidkenu has revealed to us through Paul the significance of a Gentile Christian’s relationship to the Jewish people and that membership in the church, the Body of Christ, is based on heart-attitude and not culture of origin. What a great relief it is to me that when one is really living “in Christ,” those horrible barriers which separate people, those man-made barriers, can finally come down! Jehovah Tsidkenu teaches us that the purpose of our service to Him in the Body of Christ is to unify and edify it, not to divide it putting human prejudices and agendas in front of His. Together, we share the hope that God’s Kingdom will be established. In that wonderful place, there will be no need for barriers. Throughout the Scriptures, this promise is repeated over and over again. God does that, so that we will believe it and persist in the face of the challenges to our faith.
David’s last instructions to his son, Solomon, are found in 1 K 2: 4. “If you obey Him, [Jehovah Tsidkenu] the Lord, the Lord will keep the promises He made when He told me that my Descendant will rule Israel as long as they were careful to obey His commands faithfully with all their heart and soul.” Through Nathan, God made this promise to David in 2 SAM 7: 12-13, “When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong. He will be the one to build a temple for Me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever.” The dynasty here is the royal line of David, making this immensely important statement the Davidic Covenant. This promise is reiterated in PS 89: 3-4, “You said, ‘I have made a covenant with the man I chose; I have promised My servant David, a Descendant [Branch] of yours will always be King; I will preserve your dynasty forever.’” We don’t waste our time when we look at how many ways Jehovah Tsidkenu reveals His righteousness, reminds us that we now have the choice to be righteous, will establish His Kingdom, and offers us the hope that the Branch (so precious to each of us) will rule it as Joint-Heir with us [RO 8: 17]. It is the work of the cross that gave us that ability to choose righteousness over sinfulness, and it is Jehovah Tsidkenu, Who sacrificed the Branch to die for us. Now, that, Dear Ones, is a signal part of what makes the Scriptures God’s love letters to us!
PRAYER: O Lord, in everything You do and say, Your righteousness is revealed. You are our Jehovah Tsidkenu, Who warns us not to sin and Who punishes us with fairness and justice when we do. You are also the One Who gives us the greatest promise any person can receive. You have promised us that You will establish Your Kingdom through Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Paul, and others-even Your Son, the Branch, Himself. We know that when You repeat such a promise as the Davidic Covenant is, we should believe that well and heed Your command that we should establish righteousness in our everyday lives. Your own righteousness and that of the Branch is a model for us to follow. You speak to us all the time about it and stand in fervent hope that we will listen to Your direction, trust You, and follow it. We come before You today dedicated to doing this. We share the hope that You have given us that evil will be conquered and Your Kingdom will be established. We are humbled and grateful that You have promised us that we can be joint-heirs to this Kingdom with Him. Each day that we pray, we offer You adoration, worship, loyalty, trust, obedience, honor, glory praise and thanks. These are our genuine responses to Your sovereignty, dearest Jehovah Tsidkenu. They are not offered as empty words. You are our Righteousness and have our hearts. In Christ’s name, amen.
The Lord spurs me on to continue letting Him reveal His righteousness through discussion His Son, the Branch. I will follow His direction in tomorrow’s message. In the meanwhile, please meditate on how blessed we are that He demonstrates His righteousness every day of our lives. God is speaking to us, and we should listen-even if it means changing some attitudes and/or making some lifestyle alterations so that we can. His words are precious words. The Scriptures really are tangible manifestation of His love for us. Actively humble, two-way prayer is the delight of His heart. We can go forth to face the challenges of our lives, knowing that our loving and righteous Abba is with us! Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn