COME BIBLE STUDY WITH ME (ISAIAH CHAPTER 4)

Welcome back! I'm truly enjoying this study in Isaiah.  Although this poetic book is not the easiest to understand, it is relevant to our time. This week, we are zooming in on Isaiah 4. Keep in mind that our theme for the year is "wholeness," which can only be realized in Christ Jesus. 


These scriptures in chapter 4 prophesy about the Messiah (who is the Christ). He is known as the "Branch of the LORD" in Isaiah 4:2 and in other places in the Old Testament. There are times during Bible study when our focus is drawn to one small phrase. This is the one that caught my attention. Therefore, we will only focus on this for this study. See the reference below:

Isaiah 4:2 - "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. 

Now, as you know, the previous chapters remind us that the LORD will judge sin and rebellion because we are His creation, and the earth belongs to Him. However, Prophet Isaiah pauses in chapter 4 and shifts in this short chapter to remind the audience that there is HOPE, which is what we have included in our previous three studies. God allowed him to see a vision of the coming Christ, the redeemer. This was a time in the future of course. In addition, "in that day" points to the time of the end. 

 For the previous 3 chapters, we began by summarizing the chapter but for this one we will do something a little different to look more closely at "The Branch of the LORD." The LORD uses my brain in unique ways. I'm always amazed by Him. He led me to use the letters in BRANCH to help us see Christ's purpose and work, not just for Israel, but for us all.

In Isaiah 4:2, we see the branch shall be beautiful and glorious, which sounds like when He comes to reign in the future. Let's checkout some other places where "The Branch of the LORD" is mentioned: 

Jer. 23:5; 33:15-16 - "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’"


Zech. 3:8 - "Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch."


Isa. 11:1-5 "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
​
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins."


These scriptures are powerful to say the least! As I read over them, I could see the power and authority of the Christ that would come, and the power of the Spirit would be upon Him. What a blessing to be able to see Him prior to His coming. God is amazing. 

Isaiah 4:2 speaks of a remnant (possibly: the survivors of the Exile) who would return to Israel in the land. It and the other scriptures noted above also reference Christ as the fulfillment of "the Branch" of the LORD (using the pronoun "he" in Jer. 23:5) who came from the line of David, had the Spirit of the LORD upon Him, had the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, and would judge the earth with righteousness. 

Side note: Early in my walk with Christ, I remember reading the book of Isaiah for the first time. Honestly, I understand it much more now than I did back then. I was so confused I assumed he lived during the time of Christ because he was so specific in his prophecies. Now, I understand that God in a greater way. He has the ability to show us what He chooses, in the distant future or the present. That's what makes it so amazing to know that He is the truth. 

Back to the study. Now that we have taken a closer look at "the Branch" we now know as Lord and savior, let's use those letters to summarize His work in the earth and our lives: 


Christ is the B.R.A.N.C.H. of the LORD: 

 He is the…
B - is the righteous branch sent from God, sprung up from the root of Jesse 
R - was sent to redeem the souls of man from the sin we once walked in and to make us righteous as we place our trust in Him
A - is the anointed one, appointed to bring restoration Israel and the earth
N - draws souls from the nations and teaches them God's way
C - cares for justice and his wisdom is evident
H - holds the wicked accountable into eternity


As  I reflect on the words above, I am thankful for finding the truth in Christ. There are so many ways you and I could have gone, but the power of God led us in His direction, and we must help others to turn towards Him as well. Only the true and living God can bring such an amazing gift to us, to save and redeem. No matter how the world turns, remain in Christ and keep telling others about Him. He wins and will be glorified in the end. 

Now, let's dive deeper: 
This time, our questions will be focused on Christ, not Israel. We will take a few minutes to answer the 4 questions below. You can use your Bible or a journal. Once you're done, return here for the next part. 

1. What lies does our world today believe about Christ?
​Some believe the prophecies are made up.
Some believe He never existed. 
Some believe He was just a prophet. 
​Some believe there is more than one way to God. 

2. What truth about Christ do they question? 
He is the Son of God. 
All things were made through Him. 
He has all power in His hands. 
He is the way, the truth, and the life. 
He died on the cross and rose again with all power in His hands. 

3.  How do the lies they believe distort their identity? 
This causes them to seek other ways to God. 
​This causes some to live life not knowing who they are. They then take on false identities. 

4. What do they believe their purpose is in that distorted identity? 

​Some believe their purpose is to live by their own "truth" and do whatever feels right to them.

They would chase after their identity in things. 

 But Christ is our HOPE...

Now use my HOPE acronym and journal how Christ (the righteous branch) became our HOPE. Use the questions below to assist you. Feel free to change or add your own questions as well. Also, look up cross reference scriptures to help you answer in detail. 

H (Spiritual Healing) - How does Christ heal us spiritually? 
O - (Overcoming) - How does He cause us to overcome the lies we might find ourselves believing about Him?
P - (Purpose) - How is our purpose fulfilled in Christ?
E - (Eternal Perspective) - How does the renewing of our mind in Christ give us an eternal perspective? 


Instead of answer application questions, grab your journal and write your own summary about "the righteous Branch" of the LORD using the letters from the word.

Extra Journaling idea: 
Dig deeper into the metaphor. What is the purpose of a physical branch? How does its purpose relate to Christ and what He came to do for humanity? 

​Feel free to leave a comment or a question on the blog. Also, share your answers to the questions. 


Be Blessed & Keep Studying with "HOPE in CHRIST” 

Denise M. Walker
Founder of Hope in Christ Ministries