Isaiah 4:2
In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 4:2-6
I can say without hesitation that the book of Isaiah is very complex. The language he uses throughout the book can take on so many different meanings that it’s very difficult to pin down anything to a particular meaning. Today is one of those days where very smart and educated people have interpreted this passage to mean a variety of things. We are going to focus on Jesus today and take one particular interpretation of this passage. My interpretation is not THE interpretation – it is just one of many.
With that being said, the Branch of the Lord in verse two is Jesus. The Scriptures speak of a “branch” sprouting up in the lineage of David to reign for eternity. Here are just a few:
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” (Isa 11:1).
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jer 23:5).
“‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.” (Jer 33:15).
“Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.’” (Zech 6:12).
So there is no question that the “Branch of the Lord” is Jesus. Verse two then goes on to tell us that Jesus is “beautiful and glorious.” Clearly Jesus is beautiful and glorious to those who know him. He has saved us from our sins and is worthy of our praise. But this language is also in contract to the wicked leaders and people of Judah that Isaiah describes in chapter three. They “parade their sin” and they have “ruined my [God’s] vineyard” (Isa 3:9, 14). They are ugly people and defy God’s glory (Isa 3:8).
The “fruit of the land” in verse two is an interesting study. It could be a symbol of the spiritual fruit that is produced the life of Jesus and by those connected to him. It could be a reference to the literal fruit that is produced in Israel after it is restored from the Babylonian captivity. It could also be the fruit produced spoken about in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22. All of that is true.
But the “fruit of the land” could also be another name for Jesus. His is The Fruit of the Land just as he is The Branch of the Lord. Whereas “The Branch of the Lord” speaks to Jesus’ divinity, “The Fruit of the Land” speaks of his humanity. And as Isaiah says, this “Fruit of the Land will be will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.”
Isaiah later says, “In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people” (Isa 28:5). The Hebrew author tells us, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Heb 9:28).
Jesus will be the pride and glory of those that know him when he comes again. He will bring salvation when he comes again and it will be glorious. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne” (Matt 25:31).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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