This chapter, though short, continues the “day of the Lord” theme from chapter 3. It tells us about “the branch of the Lord”, those who remain loyal to Him.
“In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left… will be called holy… when the Lord shall have washed away the filth… and cleansed the bloodstains… ” (v2-4 abr)
Throughout the OT there is a theme of “the remnant”, referred to here as “the branch of the Lord”. These are the people left once God’s judgement has been passed, and all sin has been purged. This remnant are those who have been redeemed from their sin, claim Jesus Christ as their Savior, Lord and King, and vow to serve Him with their remaining time on earth (remain faithful).
According to scripture, there are many who will unfortunately not be part of this remnant – perhaps they never make a decision to follow Jesus, or maybe they don’t remain faithful. This is why I strongly encourage us to not waver in our faith, and do not waste opportunities to be living testimonies of Jesus’ redeeming love.
Let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus today. Let’s praise God, and be a light in this dark world. We are “the branch of the Lord” and Jesus is the vine. He is faithful to us, so when we remain faithful to Him, He will work through us to redeem people for His compassionate cause (produce good fruit). Let’s partner with Jesus to restore and rebuild that which sin destroyed: the (eternal) lives of His children.
Father God, our Glorious and Steadfast Lord, Your love and kindness are generous and abundant. We praise You for the gift of Jesus Christ our King and Savior, who cleansed the sin of this world. May we follow Him, and partner with Your Holy Spirit to be light and salt in this world. Please work in and through us to preserve and guide those we influence, and baptize them into Your family, the branch of the Lord. May we cling to Jesus our vine, drinking the living water He provides, and by extension may we overflow with rivers of that living water to bless those around us. We seek to honor, glorify, obey and praise You, each and every moment of each and every day. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training