Stump of Jesse

When we lived in South Dakota, we planted a couple of trees in front of the house. During one of the strong storms that went through, one of the trees blew over, snapping about three feet above the ground. I can’t remember if I didn’t have time at the moment or if the ground was frozen, but I grabbed a saw, cut the fallen part off and left the stump or bottom two feet of the tree. As I was debating whether I wanted to dig it out or see if I could use it there in some decorative way, I noticed a shoot beginning to grow in the center of the stump. I found it interesting, so I decided to let it go. There wasn’t much to it when we left to come serve this church in Wisconsin. I was surprised when I went back out there to visit with friends that the stump was now a tree about six to eight feet high. The last I saw it, it was a beautiful tree again. Who would have thought that there was any hope in a stump. In our first lesson today, Isaiah 11:1-10, we hear of the stump of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, who became the greatest king of Israel, and from his line would come the promised Messiah, that we know today as Jesus. Interestingly, as it talks about a shoot coming from the stump of Jesse, it isn’t speaking of his son David. It is referring, 14 generations later, to Jesus. It basically is saying that Jesse has already passed away, and yet through his lineage comes the life the world has waited for, the Messiah. Then we get some prophetic descriptions of who Jesus would be. In verse 2 we read, The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” As Jesus, He was both God and man, but the Holy Spirit would be upon Him and lead Him. The next section tells us, “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.” Unlike most earthly rulers that lord it over everyone, Jesus will rule in righteousness, not showing favoritism. All who follow Him will have eternal life. Thank You Jesus for coming into the world, bringing hope and renewal to all who follow You. Amen