Are You Living Up To The Vision?

Many of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the church are of the “all is right with the world” variety. Prophecies of “lions laying with lambs,” “the exile is set free” and “the sun will not beat down on them” are familiar and common.  

Zephaniah adds to this a wonderful vision describing the repentant and converted under the new system. The prophet does not see the establishment of a physical, conquering kingdom, as so many mistakenly read many prophecies. But He sees a grand vision of pure, moral and spiritually minded saints.

READ ZEPHANIAH 3:9-12 and see the what he saw as coming:

“Purified Lips” (vs. 9)  

“Serve Him Shoulder To Shoulder” (vs. 9) 

“Feel No Shame Because of Your Deeds” (vs. 11) 

“Never Again Be Haughty” (vs. 11) 

“They Will Take Refuge In The Name Of The Lord” (vs. 12) 

“Do No Wrong, Tell No Lies” (vs. 13)  

Result: “Secure and Well Pastured” (vs. 13) 

Does this wonderful vision describe you and the Christians you know? If not, why not? It is a predictive prophecy; does prophecy fail? Or are we failing prophecy? Are we really, fully living up to our calling?

The Everlasting Father Of Isaiah 9:6

Isa. 9:6,7  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

    and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

        and his name shall be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

        Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

    Of the increase of his government and of peace

        there will be no end,

    on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

        to establish it and to uphold it

    with justice and with righteousness

        from this time forth and forevermore.

    The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

We often think of Jesus as a son to the Father and as a brother to us, and these are His primary relationships. But these are not the only relationships that Jesus has with us. He is our Lord (1 Pet. 1:3), our priest (Heb. 7:26), our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), a mediator (Heb. 9:15), an advocate (1 Jn. 2:1), and many other things to us. In Isaiah 9, He is also the “Everlasting Father.” We with absolute certainty that Jesus is the subject of this prophecy since He is the one who sits on the throne of David in the kingdom of God.

While a son to the Heavenly Father, He is a father to us. Jesus. A fatherever there, ever living, ever hearing, ever helping, every meditating, every lasting.

Consider Jesus: Everlasting Father

Let us continue to “consider Jesus.” (Heb. 3:1) 

Isa. 9:6,7  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

    and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

        and his name shall be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

        Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

    Of the increase of his government and of peace

        there will be no end,

    on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

        to establish it and to uphold it

    with justice and with righteousness

        from this time forth and forevermore.

    The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

We often think of Jesus as a son to the Father and as a brother to us, and these are His primary relationships. But these are not the only relationships that Jesus has with us. He is our Lord (1 Pet. 1:3), our priest (Heb. 7:26), our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), a mediator (Heb. 9:15), an advocate (1 Jn. 2:1), and many other things to us. In Isaiah 9, He is also the “Everlasting Father.” We with absolute certainty that Jesus is the subject of this prophecy since He is the one who sits on the throne of David in the kingdom of God.

While a son to the Heavenly Father, He is a father to us. Jesus. A fatherever there, ever living, ever hearing, ever helping, every meditating, every lasting.

Consider Jesus: David

Let us continue to “consider Jesus.” (Heb. 3:1) 

Jer. 30:9“But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.”

Ezek. 34:23,24“Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.

24And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

Ezek. 37:24“And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes, and observe them.”

References to the Messiah as the “son of David” are very familiar to every Bible student. Even in Jesus’ time all knew that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. The hurting called out “Son of David have mercy” (Matt. 9:17; 15:22) and the crowds at the triumphal entry cried “Hosanna to the son of David.” (Matt. 21:9) The prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel go so far as to present Jesus coming as David Himself.

Of course Jesus is not a reincarnation of Jesus. When God promised to provide an unsurpassed leader for His people, only David was suitable for comparison. David was the greatest king of Israel – Jesus is the eternal king of spiritual Israel, the King of Kings. David was such a fitting king because he was “a man after God’s own heart, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13:22) Jesus was God’s own heart, who came to do God’s will. (Heb. 10:9) So Jesus is aptly called David.  

Consider Jesus: Chief Corner Stone

Let us continue to “consider Jesus.” (Heb. 3:1) 

Matt. 21:42 “Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?”

We rightly consider the humility and lowliness of Jesus in His earthly life, but we must also consider the great prominence that Jesus attained. The Jews rejected the lowly Messiah, but Jesus said that they were rejecting what God had intended to make the very centerpiece of the coming order. The prophecy of Ps. 118:22 is also directly quoted in Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 2 Pet. 2:6,7 and is alluded to in Eph. 2:20. The very fact that this scripture is so repeatedly used should cause us to consider it carefully.  

Jesus was not what men were looking for, but He is what we needed. He was not recognized by men, but was honored by God. He was not esteemed by many of those around Him, but is the center all of things to those who have gathered around Him.

Consider Jesus: Branch

Let us continue to “consider Jesus.” (Heb. 3:1) 

Isa. 4:2“In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.”

Jer. 23:5“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.”

Jer. 33:15“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.”

Zech. 6:12“Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts,” Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD.

13Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne.  Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.’”

A “branch” literally something that comes from the same root or trunk, and in symbolic usage it means a descendant, or intimately connected follower (like the parable of the vine, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” (Jn. 15:5))  The branches can be both good or evil.  The king of Babylon was a “rejected branch” NASB, NKJV or “abominable branch.” KJV, ASV (Isa. 14:19)

With Jesus we especially want to consider what kind of “branch” He is.  He is “righteous,” “of David,” and “of the Lord.”  Here is the very specially one that Jehovah God is going to raise up.  So we see Jesus as the one who comes from David, is without sin and comes to do the Lord’s will.  We also note the prophecy of Zechariah that says this Branch will both build the temple and reign in it.  He will be both priest and king.  Surely this unique honor belongs only to Jesus.  

Remember the “Branch Davidians” in Waco led by David Koresh?  He claimed to be the Messiah who would build the Temple.  He claimed that he would fulfill these prophecies and borrowed scriptural terms to describe himself.  We know how far short of the prophecies he fell.