Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
The Branch
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Isaiah 4:2
The Branch mentioned here is a frequent symbol of Jesus Christ, who is of the God Family but also of the fruit of the earth, meaning He is both Godkind and humankind. Notice that only those chosen and rescued by God benefit from the enhanced production of fruit. Isaiah 11:1 explains the Branch more fully: “And there shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” The Branch descends from the line of Jesse, the father of David. Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15 both refer to “a Branch of righteousness” of Davidic lineage, and in Revelation 22:16 Jesus himself affirms, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David.”
Bill Onisick
The Branch of God's Planting
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Isaiah 60:21
God's people will be a branch that He plants; they will be the work of His own hands. He will ensure their righteousness and their eternal inheritance of the Promised Land, all to His glory. The phrase “the branch of My planting” deserves a closer look. The Hebrew word translated “planting” is mattā' (Strong's Concordance #4302), meaning “an act of planting something.” The underlying root word is nāta' (Strong's #5193), which adds clarity. It means “to establish, to found,” but more fundamentally, “to strike in, fix, and be fastened.” These definitions probably lead us to think of planting seeds, but Isaiah 60:21 states that God is planting a branch. The word's root helps clarify that the “planting” of a branch is what we would call grafting.
Bill Onisick
The Branch of God's Planting
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Romans 11:17
Early farmers likely began with the collection and replanting of self-pollinating seeds like wheat and barley. The discovery of plant cuttings and removing offshoots enabled some cultivation of fruit crops, but it was not until the discovery of grafting that they could consistently cultivate fruit trees. Grafting is the process of joining two plants together so tightly that they grow together into one. The upper branch, called a scion, is tightly bound to the trunk of another plant, the rootstock. The bark is peeled where the two plants join to expose and align the cambium, the thin ribbon of actively dividing cells that produce conductive tissue for the actively growing plant. The two plants' tightly compressed cambiums develop finger-like tissues that grow together into a grafted union. The practice of grafting, which dates back over 4,000 years, has been used to accelerate fruitfulness, improve growth rates, and increase hardiness. Three key factors will result in successful grafting: -
The first factor is compatibility. The closer the two plants are alike, the higher the success rate. One cannot take a palm tree and successfully graft it to a grapevine. -
The second factor is alignment and pressure. The two plants must remain tightly bound, and their cambiums must line up as closely as possible. -
The third factor is proper care of the graft site. The grafter must keep the joint alive, hydrated, and free of disease while the two plants grow together.
Bill Onisick
The Branch of God's Planting
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