Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"The Branch of the LORD"
Text: Isaiah 4:2
TWO CONTRASTING SCENARIOS
Isaiah offered two contrasting scenarios. They are starkly different in more ways than one.
“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,
‘We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel;
Only let us be called by your name,
To take away our reproach.’
In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious;
And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing
For those of Israel who have escaped.”
Isaiah 4:1-2
1. The human-solution scenario.
a) This was a post-war scenario.
b) The reality was grim and sad.
i) Men die in battles.
ii) There are not enough men to marry the women who survived the war.
iii) The women offer a rich dowry to the men.
iv) They cannot bear the sadness of being unmarried.
v) They offer to provide for the family with their own resources.
vi) All they seek is be married even if the man is too poor
to afford anything much.
2. The divine-solution scenario.
a) The LORD would provide a “Branch”.
b) This is a reference to the coming of the Messiah.
i) He will come from the line of David.
ii) He will come and rule the nation.
c) His reign described:
i) Beautiful
ii) Glorious
iii) Prosperous for the earth
d) The beneficiaries:
i) Those who have survived the war (escaped).
ii) Their descendants.
e) It would require trust in the LORD and His word to nurture this hope.