The Lord Remembers #2124

12 Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; 13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah 6:12–13, NKJV)

God sent Zechariah to the remnant of Israel after their return from the divine judgment of Babylonian captivity (about 520 B.C.). He challenged them to remember their fathers’ sins while assuring them God remembered His covenant and His people (Zech. 1:1-6, 12-17). God told Zechariah to crown Joshua, the high priest (Zech. 6:9-15). That act was symbolic of God’s eventual crowning of His Servant, “the BRANCH” (Zech. 3:8; Isa. 11:1-4; Jer. 23:5-6). The Messiah would build God’s temple, gloriously serving as High Priest and ruling as King on His royal throne (v. 13). This event powerfully depicted Christ’s exaltation at God’s right hand, crowned High Priest over God’s church, the temple Jesus built (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:19-22; Heb. 3:1-6). “We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Heb. 8:1-2). The Branch, Jesus Christ, now reigns as King and serves as High Priest. He has built God’s temple, the church. His gospel of peace calls lost souls out of sin’s darkness and death to receive mercy and be living stones in God’s spiritual house (Rom. 10:15; 1 Pet. 2:4-6). God remembers His people and gives them peace. Do you remember Him?