And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. – Zechariah 6:12-13
Look at Him! Look at the man whose name is The BRANCH. This declaration, this commandment, is simple and yet so many see without seeing. The many promises in the prophecies of the Messiah are varied and increasingly direct as the time of Christ grew nearer. As we have seen, Isaiah and Daniel left us definite clues to the appearance and coming of God’s Chosen One, His Anointed.
The prophet’s words in Isaiah 11:1 tell us that “…there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” And in Jeremiah 23:5, we read “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 Branch, a sapling out of the old line of kings, would be raised up by God and flourish.
Added to His status as King, the Branch would also be a priest of the ancient ways of Melchisedec, predating and surpassing the priests of Aaron. As such he would represent all nations as Great High Priest interceding between God and man by first giving His life and then rising to reign at the right hand of God.
When next you see a sapling growing up in the Spring, consider these things. The tree may be cut down and long years may have passed since it provided fruit and shade, buy by the grace of God, it can live again.