1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
12 He will raise a signal for the nations
and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,
and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
15 And the Lord will utterly destroy
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the River
with his scorching breath,
and strike it into seven channels,
and he will lead people across in sandals.
16 And there will be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.
Advent Devotional 1
Pastor Josh Gerber
We call the season of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, "Advent". This word comes from the Latin word, "coming." We often think of Advent as the preparation for the first coming of Christ in His birth, and that is true. However, Christians in early days focused on His second coming as the judge of the world. Advent is meant to symbolize the church's situation in these last days. Just as Israel was waiting for relief after the exile, anticipating the fulfillment of God's promise of the serpent head crushing Messiah, so the church is anticipating the return of the King to bring final peace and rest. Just as Israel was looking back and recalling God's faithfulness in times past to sustain them with hope in their present trouble, so the church is remembering God's covenant keeping nature and celebrating His redemptive work.
The first two Sundays in Advent are meant to look forward to Christ's second coming. The last two are meant to look back at His first coming. In our Advent devotionals, we intentionally blend the anticipation of Christ's second coming with a reflective gaze upon His first arrival, and you will see in the Scripture readings a mixture of Old Testament and New Testament passages. You will hear from a variety of men and women in our church, who will be pointing to hope and remembrance of Christ's coming and work. As you read these daily devotionals, our prayer is that you and your family will take time to reflect and celebrate Christ throughout the entire holiday season.
Our first devotional will be from Isaiah 11. Here we read:
1There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
As you read this passage, it’s helpful to remember the context of the chapter. Previously, Isaiah has described God’s judgment against human evil. His readers would be wondering what hope is left for them. God speaks hope to them by explaining that even though it appears his promises have ended, He will revive them from a twig. The dynasty of David, through which God’s Messiah was promised to come, has not been extinguished. This new kingdom and King will grow from what seems to be nothing into the greatest King and kingdom the world has ever known.
This King will bring a peace upon the world that has never been known. He is empowered by God’s Spirit with wisdom, might, and knowledge that no other ruler has ever had. He has both the wisdom to know how to lead, but also the power to be able to lead. This King will not rule and reign in the way all other kings have - by military power or force, but will rule with perfect justice and righteousness. His rule will benefit, protect, serve, and save his people.
The coming Messiah of Isaiah’s day will not rule with human ego or by the value system of the world. He will rule in power - but a power that is gentle, fair, just, and true. No enemy will be able to stop him, for he will fully bring his kingdom and reign to pass. The peace He brings is an everlasting peace, which is also given to God’s people.
Isaiah provides his readers with hope - hope that God’s promises will surely come. Even now, thousands of years later, we have seen God’s promises come to pass. We have seen how his kingdom and reign are here, and have experienced ourselves His faithfulness and righteousness. Even as you wait for the final fulfillment of all of God’s promises, remember that God keeps His word. Resist the urge to look to other political leaders, or things in your life to place your hope.
Have you ever been in a place that seemed hopeless? How did God bring hope to you in it?
How does the character of this King bring encouragement to you?
How is the nature of His rule different from leaders and rulers that you see today?
One day the world will be restored in the way God intended for it to be. What are you looking forward to in the new heavens and earth?
Lord, thank You for the coming of Your promised King. I thank You for keeping Your promises and never failing. Please help me to set my hope on You alone, and to eagerly await Your return. I praise You for Your wisdom and righteousness, and Your perfection in all that You are and do. Amen.
