BEHOLD THE BRANCH

Zechariah 6:9-15

Morning Meditation 11/25/17

"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; 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. And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God."

A SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION

Joshua is here again brought before us in a symbolic fashion. In chapter 3 we have seen him in filthy garments, then forgiven, cleansed, and adorned with a fair mitre, and so equipped for the holy office as high priest. Now he has golden crowns, or a composite crown, put upon his head, bestowing on him kingly honors; by which he becomes a true type of the Coming Christ who should be both Priest and King, after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:6).

A PROPHETIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Verse 12 says, "...Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH;" "The Branch" is one of the most significant of Messiah's Names. A branch bear the fruit and reveals the character of the tree. Christ as Jehovah's Branch, revealed by His words and deeds the true character of His Father. Jesus said, "I am the Vine, ye are the branches," the fruit-bearing part of the Vine. Just as if God should say: "I am the True Vine, and Jesus Christ is the Branch, from which My fruit is found.." All the blessings that hang on this Branch for our present and future life are the outcome of the love of the Eternal Father. As a Son, Christ is a true and fruitful Branch of the Godhead. O the multitudes who have sat under the shadow of the Branch with great delight! Note what is said of the Branch as a Person:

1. He shall grow up out of His place; vs 12. His place was a lowly one: one of humility, sorrow, shame, rejection, and crucifixion, and burial in a borrowed grave. But He grew up. "Up from the grave He arose." He grew up, and up, till he vanished out of sight and reached the Throne of the Heavens (Luke 24:51). His cause shall yet grow up.

2. "He shall build the temple of the Lord" (vs 13). He shall build and see the completion of that great spiritual temple, "The Church of God," which will be a witness in the ages to come to the redemptive power of His on precious Blood (Isa 53:11). Rev. 12:11, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

3. "He shall bear the glory" (vs 13). The glory of the new temple shall be all on Himself. He who bore the burden of our sins, and of the Cross, shall bear the glory that was to follow (Heb. 2:9). The government and the glory shall be upon His shoulder (Isa. 9:6).

4. "He shall sit and rule upon His throne" (vs 13). He had His Cross, and He will His throne. He was cast out by the rulers on earth, but He will yet rule the nations of the earth. His Kingdom shall be the kingdoms of the world (Rev. 11:15). Someone suggested that He was on David's throne reigning today. What is happening today is not my idea of what the Bible says about the Millennial reign of Christ. Besides Jesus is not on His throne today according to Revelation 3:21, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

5. "He shall be a priest upon His throne." What a blessed combination, King and Priest, an Enthroned Priest, a King to govern His people and subdue His enemies; a Priest crowned to bear His people's needs before the Throne of His Almighty Father. The king rules, the Priest intercedes.

6. "And the counsel of peace shall be between them both." What is that which lies between the King and the Priest? Literally, it may be difficult to define, but in a spiritual sense, in connection with the character of our Great High Priest, the meaning is by no means obscure to the spiritually enlightened. Christ, our High Priest offered Himself a Sacrifice for our sins on the Cross. Christ, our Coming King will yet make His redeemed ones kings and priests to reign on the earth (Rev. 5:9-10). The counsel and message of peace and power comes from between, or belonging to both the Cross and the Throne.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White