A Daily Devotional

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The Branch of the Lord

"In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel." (Isaiah 4:2)

One of the fascinating titles of the promised Messiah is that of "the Branch." Here He is called "the Branch of the Lord," along with "the fruit of the earth." As the first, He is "beautiful and glorious." As the second, He is "excellent and comely." "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem |or 'stump'| of Jesse |that is, the father of King David|, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isaiah 11:1).

In addition to the two references in Isaiah, there are two in Jeremiah and two in Zechariah. In both Jeremiah passages, He is a Branch of David. "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch" (Jeremiah 23:5). See also Jeremiah 33:15.

In Zechariah's prophecy, He is called God's servant and God's man. "For, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH" (Zechariah 3:8 ). "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" (Zechariah 6:12).

This fourfold presentation of the Branch of David, the Branch as a servant, the man who is the Branch, and the Branch of the Lord beautifully corresponds to the fourfold gospel depiction of Christ as King (Matthew), Servant (Mark), Perfect Man (Luke) and Son of God (John).

Just as a branch, when it first begins to shoot forth, appears small and fragile and easily broken, so would the Messiah first appear to be inconspicuous and unattractive. "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground" (Isaiah 53:2). Yet this same fragile branch will one day become a great vine, with innumerable branches (John 15:5) that will spread its excellent fruit throughout all the earth.

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Pray Anyhow

"Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way." (1 Samuel 12:23)

Samuel had served the children of Israel as their faithful judge for many years, and the Lord had blessed them and their land. Nevertheless, they began to want a king and pressed Samuel to get one for them. Finally, Samuel anointed Saul to be their king, but both Samuel and the Lord Himself were displeased with their demands.

Nevertheless, Samuel's great heart, both for the Lord and for His people, is revealed in the promise of our text. Although he was hurt and disappointed, because he had led them successfully and justly his whole life, he would still pray for them and teach them. This is a great example for Christian leaders or workers today who, through no fault of their own, have been replaced by someone else.

Intercessory prayer is not easy, especially if our prayers are not appreciated by those we pray for. Nevertheless, it is a type of prayer ministry that especially pleases the Lord, and that is more important than human gratitude. "I exhort therefore" said Paul (no doubt reflecting God’s own desires), "that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority . . ." (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Paul would even urge prayer for the emperor, Nero, who had imprisoned him and would eventually have him put to death.

Even Jesus had said that we should "pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). The Lord Jesus is the greatest intercessor of all. For when we sin (and all sin is sin against the Lord), He is our "advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:1), and in fact, "he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). Therefore, should we not also be prayer intercessors?

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Be Continually Being Filled

"For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15)

This prophecy of the angel Gabriel, bearing as it does a tremendous testimony to the character of John the Baptist, contains the first reference in the New Testament to the unique Christian doctrine of the filling of the Holy Spirit. John was the first Christian witness, directing his own disciples to Christ (John 1:35-37) and clearly preaching the gospel of salvation through Christ alone (John 3:26-36). It is significant that he was filled with the Holy Spirit all his life. Jesus is also said to have been full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) and was undoubtedly so filled from the time of conception (Psalm 22:10), but the explicit statement is made only of John.

The fullness of the Spirit is available for every believer, of course. In the New Testament, both of John's parents were said to be so filled on a specific occasion (Luke 1:41, 67). The disciples of the Lord were filled with the Spirit many times (Acts 2:4; 4:31; 13:52). Peter was said to be filled with the Holy Spirit on at least one special occasion (Acts 4:8 ), and Paul at least twice (Acts 9:17; 13:9). One of the qualifications sought in the first deacons was that they were to be men full of the Holy Ghost (Acts 6:3), and one of those chosen, Stephen, was specifically so described (Acts 6:5; 7:55). Barnabas was another Spirit-filled Christian believer (Acts 11:24). Undoubtedly there were many others. In fact, every believer is commanded to be "filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18 ). The reference in this key passage is not to a one-time event, but to frequent fillings. "Be continually being filled" is the literal rendering.

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Too Hard or Too Small

"Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." (Jeremiah 32:17)

This mighty declaration of faith in the Creator of heaven and earth was given by Jeremiah in respect to a mundane sort of need--the need of assurance that his real estate investment would be safe, even if he were forced to be away from it for many years. There is nothing too small for the Lord, just as there is nothing too hard for Him, and He delights to "shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Since God created all things, He certainly can control all things. If a person really believes the very first verse of the Bible--the simple declaration that the entire space/mass (energy)/ time universe had been called into existence by God--then he or she will never find it difficult to believe any of the other declarations or promises of His inspired Word.

In response to Jeremiah's great statement of faith, God gave him the assurance he sought: "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27). God, who made the sea, could roll back its waters to enable His people to pass through its very midst unharmed (Exodus 14:29); He who made the earth could cause the earth to cease its rotation, to give His people victory (Joshua 10:12-14). There is nothing too hard for the God of creation!

We can be confident that 21st century problems are no more difficult for God than those of 600 B.C. May our mighty Creator grant us trusting and obedient hearts, in both the great problems and the small problems of life. In this verse, the Hebrew word for "hard" is the same as for "wonderful" (Psalm 107:8 ). God delights in transforming the hard things of life into the wonderful works of God!

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These Things

"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:8 )

In this first chapter of Peter's last epistle, he refers to "these things" (one word in the Greek) no less than six times. That they are extremely important things is evident from our text, but if these things are lacking, one is spiritually blind and has forgotten what Christ did for him in salvation (v. 9). However, if he does "these things," he will never fall (v. 10).

What then are the things which Peter stresses so urgently? Verse 8 makes it obvious that they constitute simply the hierarchical catalog of Christian attributes listed in verses 6 and 7--that is, faith, virtue (strength of character), knowledge, temperance (self control), patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity (unselfish love).

The same word is used in verse 4, where it explains how we are enabled to acquire these traits of Christian character. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these |'by these things'| ye might be partakers of the divine nature."

When these things characterize our lives, we become nothing less than Christlike. He, in His humanity, was all these things as He shared our nature, and we have become partakers of His divine nature when we manifest them.

The wonderful thing is that they are all mediated to us through the gracious promises of the Word of God. God promises, we believe, and then receive! There is an effectual promise for the achievement of each stage in the growth of a Christlike character. Indeed, as Peter had already said by way of introduction, "his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3).

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The Ninth Hour

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)

At the apex of the sufferings of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world, it was fitting that He should utter this desolate cry at the ninth hour, for this was the time of the regular evening sacrifice, as well as the time of evening prayers among the people of ancient Israel.

It was at this hour that Elijah prayed to God against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and God answered by fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:36-39). This was also the hour of Ezra’s great prayer of confession and intercession (Ezra 9:5), followed by a wonderful revival among the backslidden people of Israel. When Daniel uttered his own prayer of confession and intercession "about the time of the evening oblation" (Daniel 9:21), God sent the angel Gabriel to answer his prayer. In the New Testament, "Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour" (Acts 3:1), and the result was the first apostolic miracle. The first Gentile convert to Christ was Cornelius, who was praying "about the ninth hour of the day" (Acts 10:3) when he, like Daniel, received a visit from an angel of God to tell him to send for Peter, who would lead him to Christ.

In all recorded instances of prayer at the ninth hour, at the daily evening sacrifice, God answered the prayer in a marvelous way. But when the Lord Jesus Christ prayed, God did not answer, for He had forsaken His own Son.

"Why?" He cried, but He knew, and now we know that it was simply because He "loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). The measure of His love is the cross and separation from the Father, "that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9). This is why He died!

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The Scars of Sin

"But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house." (Judges 16:21)

The sad end of mighty Samson, who once had been so greatly energized and utilized by the Lord, is also an allegory and a grave warning to every Christian. "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:14-15).

Satan knows our individual weaknesses and tempts us accordingly. Many Christians have fallen into sin through some Delilah, but probably many more have fallen into sin through pride, or covetousness, or compromise, or apathy.

First, sin blinds. We are commanded to grow in Christ, adding to our initial faith the attributes of virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). Otherwise, "he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" (2 Peter 1:9).

Then, sin binds. It may not be with chains, as with Samson, but unconfessed sin quickly enslaves its practitioners. "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage" (2 Peter 2:19).

Finally, sin grinds. Instead of the promised freedom from restraint, a sinful life soon becomes a "grind," tedious and tasteless, like "the dog turned to his own vomit again" (2 Peter 2:22).

Samson did return to God again before his death, but he was still blind, and bound, and grinding. God forgives, but the effects of sin are not easily removed. How much better it would be never to yield to the temptation at all.

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The God/man

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life." (1 John 1:1)

It has been said, quite cogently, that John's gospel assumes the humanity and undertakes to prove the deity of Jesus Christ, whereas John's first epistle assumes His deity, and then seeks to prove His humanity. The Lord Jesus Christ was both fully God and perfect Man.

John, in his gospel, says: "these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31). In his epistle, he says: "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God" (1 John 4:2-3).

His deity had been fully demonstrated by His mighty miracles, by His bodily resurrection. However, there were many who questioned His true humanity in John's day, as they do in ours. Even today, many cultists, as well as liberals, try to make a distinction between the man, Jesus of Nazareth (whose absolute deity they reject), and "the Christ," an ideal spirit, or idea of some sort, who is not actually a living being, but who may come upon or indwell certain people at times.

Such a concept John vehemently rejected, attributing it to the spirit of Antichrist. They had heard Him; they had touched and handled Him. There was no doubt whatever that, both before and after His resurrection, He was a true man--in fact, a perfect man--man as God intended man to be. He could die for our sins, because He was sinless man; He could take away our sins, because He is omnipotent God.

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The Second Man

"The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:47)

Paleoanthropologists, seeking to trace man's supposed evolutionary ancestry, have widely different opinions as to the when and how of it. As one evolutionist lamented: "Paleoanthropologists seem to make up for a lack of fossils with an excess of fury, and this must now be the only science in which it is still possible to become famous just by having an opinion."

There is no need to speculate. The Bible solves the problem when it speaks of "the first man Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45) and says that Eve "was the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20). There were no "pre-Adamite men" (as even some Christians have alleged, hoping thereby to accommodate evolutionary speculations).

Adam alone was "the first man," and he had been formed directly by God "of the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7)--that is, out of the same basic elements as those in the earth (carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, etc.). He was "earthy," like the materials of the earth. But then, how can Jesus Christ, who is "the Lord from heaven," be the "second man?" Adam had millions of male descendants before Jesus was born.

The answer can only be that He was "the second man" in the same way that Adam was "the first man." That is, His human body, like that of Adam, was directly made by God, from earth's elements--not produced by reproduction, like all other men. He was "made flesh" (John 1:14), but only made "in the likeness of sinful flesh," for He must not inherit the sinful flesh of His human parents, if He is to "|condemn| sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). "A body hast thou prepared me," He said (Hebrews 10:5), and as the angel told Mary: "that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

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A Response to Threat

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flieth by day." (Psalm 91:4-5)

On this day we remember the unprovoked attack on America by Muslim terrorists. Despite attempts to make the country more secure, the threat remains scarcely abated today. What should the Christian's response be? In our text above, we see that we have no cause for fear. The physical danger may be real, but our Lord promises protection in tender words likened to a mother bird's care for her young. Our ultimate deliverance is guaranteed by His sure promises. Trust in His power and truth sustains us as surely as would a shield and buckler.

Our hope cannot ultimately rest in mere military might. God does not promise temporal safety to all, for there have been millions who have succumbed to undeserved violence. Our last hope is of a different order, firmly grounded in "the LORD, which is my refuge" (v. 9). He responds to our trust and worship with the promise "With long |better translated as 'eternal'| life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation" (v. 16). Much more interested in our response to troubles than in our deliverance, He desires us to believe and serve Him, all the while trusting Him, even in perilous times.

A New Testament application of this principal can be found in 1 Peter 3:14: "if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled." The remedy? "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).

The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself our example and inspiration. "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds" (Hebrews 12:3). Fixing our eyes upon Him, we have no cause for fear.

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The Two-Fold Call

"And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." (1 Samuel 3:10)

There are a number of other times in Scripture when the Lord repeated a second time the name He was calling, always at a time of great significance and urgency. Once had been to Moses: "God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here I am" (Exodus 3:4).

God then ordained Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. When He called Samuel, it was to lead His people out of the chaos of the period of the judges and to prepare them for the Davidic Kingdom. The first time God had called in this fashion was to Abraham, and then it was to confirm that he had passed God’s final test for the fulfillment of the great promise concerning the blessing on his seed. "And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I" (Genesis 22:11).

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus spoke thus unto all His rebelling nation: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, . . . Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:37-38). Before this, He had spoken both in grief and in encouragement to Peter, who must be prepared to lead the disciples later on. ". . . Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:31-32). Finally, when the Lord was ready to call Paul as His apostle to the Gentiles, He met him on the road to Damascus: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:4).

The last calling in the Bible is not a two-fold call, but four-fold! "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).

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The Mercy of the Lord

"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy." (Psalm 145:

Not one of us deserves God's mercy, for "we have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6), and "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). What we deserve is death and eternal separation from the God who made us. Nevertheless, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not" (Lamentations 3:22). "He hath not dealt with us after our sins. . . . For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him" (Psalm 103:10-11).

It is by His mercy, not our merit, that we are saved. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5). "God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:4-5). It is "according to his abundant mercy" that He has "begotten us again unto a lively hope" (1 Peter 1:3).

In fact, one of the very titles of God is "the Father of mercies" (2 Corinthians 1:3). Over and over the psalmist assures us that "His mercy endureth for ever" (26 times in Psalm 136:1-26; also Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; etc.). His mercy is not only infinite, but eternal.

How can one possibly reject His mercy? "Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering?" (Romans 2:4). Sadly, most do. Instead, the divine challenge is: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:1-2). This is our logical response to God's great mercy!

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Wisdom and Might Are His

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his." (Daniel 2:20)

Men have sought wisdom all through the ages, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). Others have sought great power. But then we read of Alexander weeping because there were no more worlds to conquer, and we see one rich man after another who cannot bring himself to say, "It is enough."

The problem is, of course, that they are searching for wisdom and might in the wrong places, and thus they can never be satisfied. Wisdom and might belong only to God. In the Lord Jesus Christ "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3), and to Him has been given "All power . . . in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). God, revealed in Christ, is both omniscient and omnipotent, and true wisdom and true riches must come only from Him.

Therefore, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him," (James 1:5). If we are in need of strength, we must become weak, for "when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). If we need riches, we must know poverty, for before Christ can commit to us "the true riches," we must be found "faithful in that which is least" (Luke 16:11, 10).

Daniel's testimony, as recorded in this passage, was given to the most powerful monarch on earth, with access to all the wisdom of the most highly educated men of the age. But neither human might nor human wisdom could solve his problem. Only Daniel, drawing on the wisdom and power of the God of creation, could meet his need. God's servants, even today, have the same privilege and responsibility, because our God is "for ever and ever."

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Visible Love

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)

It has become popular for Christian organizations to cite this verse as their mission to help the poor and struggling peoples of the world.

There is no doubt that God's people are to give alms to the poor and represent Christ even with a "cup of cold water" given in His name.

But this passage emphasizes how the believer is to treat another Christian brother or sister, and not about the needy unbeliever.

The continuing message in this small epistle begins with our fellowship "in the light" (1:3-7), producing love that is perfected by keeping God's Word (2:5), which in turn is necessary to abide in the light (2:10-11).

This commandment is as old as the beginning (2:7) but also "new" in the sense that it now includes both Jew and Gentile (2:.

The vivid example of love is clearly displayed by the substitutionary atonement of our Lord Jesus (3:16), whose selfless and sacrificial love demands both sympathy and empathy toward our brothers and sisters in Christ (3:17). It also demands specific action in "deed and truth" (3:18). Our precious Lord did feel for us, but He also did for us.

The external action in addition to the internal attitude is certainly parallel to showing our faith by our works (James 3:18). We must be doers of the Word and not just hearers only (James 1:22).

The emphasis on works by the apostle James is certainly in keeping with the apostle John's insistence that the love for our brother be "in deed" as well as "in truth."

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An Unlikely Testimony

"And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?" (Numbers 22:28)

This tale of a donkey talking has been the object of great ridicule by skeptics. That it is not an allegory or fable, however, but a real historical event, was confirmed in the New Testament by the apostle Peter (2 Peter 2:15-16).

There is no naturalistic explanation for it, of course, but to insist that the event was impossible is simply to deny the power of God. Such miracles of creation are very rare, however, and there must always be a good reason when God intervenes in the laws which normally govern His creation.

One reason in this case, obviously, was to rebuke the prophet Balaam who was resisting God's will simply for monetary gain. Balaam's voice itself would soon also have to be constrained and controlled by God to force him to do God's will (Numbers 22:38; 23:16, 26; 24:13), blessing Israel instead of pronouncing the curse for which he was to have been paid by the Moabites, who were desperately trying to keep God's people out of the Promised Land. The Moabites also needed an unforgettable rebuke. They were apostate descendants of Lot, who had known the true God (Numbers 25:1-3), but they were determined to thwart God's purposes.

There may be another, more universal reason: God is concerned about His animal creation, caring even for every sparrow (Matthew 10:29). The animals have been placed under man's dominion, but they are for his service, his instruction, and his enjoyment--not for his abuse.

Thus Balaam's ass was providentially allowed by God to rebuke not only Balaam but also anyone who would unnecessarily abuse one of His specially and beautifully designed animal subjects. Most Christians need to be much more sensitive to this concern of God.