Advent – Day 4

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 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. … 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.” Isaiah 11: 1-2, 10

I still remember the day I found out Laura Ingalls Wilder was a distant cousin. A family member had done extensive research on my dad’s side of the family, and I was reading through the lengthy document when that revelation popped off the page. Laura’s mom was a distant aunt, which made Laura a distant cousin. It was such a surprising discovery, and I joke that it sheds a bit of revelatory light on why I love writing and a natural, organic lifestyle.

Lineage is important. It gives us a sense of belonging and helps us understand where we’ve come from. It roots us to a bigger story, and it can can even reveal a deeper sense of purpose and place. But no matter how storied our lineage might be, it pales in comparison to the importance of lineage in ancient Israel. Lineage to the ancient Jews was of utmost importance because it determined their identity as part of God’s chosen people and all the blessings that identity promised.

But no lineage was more important than that of the coming Messiah. Tracing the genealogy of Jesus and matching it up to Old Testament prophecy was a crucial aspect of being able to identify the savior when he finally came. And approximately three hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah gives us prophetic foreknowledge of Jesus’ lineage. He writes in Isaiah 11:1, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”

Jesse, the son of Obed, was the father of King David. And approximately one thousand years after the life of David, the promised messiah would arrive through this Davidic lineage. But it’s curious that Isaiah mentioned the shoot coming from the stump of Jesse, rather than from the stump of David. Why not mention King David? 

Some theologians believe Isaiah did this to stress the humble position of Jesus’ lineage. It was a caution that the coming messiah might not arrive the way the people anticipated. The Israelites expected a conquering king who would reign in justice and power. They expected a liberator who would free them from the oppression of Rome. They didn’t anticipate a savior who would willingly die upon a cross to save the souls of man.

But Jesus didn’t come to establish his own position of kingship. He came to save us from our position of depravity. And he didn’t come to save the Jews from the oppression of Rome; he came to save us all from the devastation of hell. 

By mentioning the stump of Jesse, Isaiah presents a savior who is close and personal. In his lowly position, Jesus came unto us … unto our sin and our suffering and our heartache and our hopelessness. And then he turned and promised our deliverance from it all when he rose from the grave three days later. And the stump? There’s a promise there too. A promise of restoration for Israel, and a promise of life after death for us all.

Today, take some time to reflect on the compassion of God and His redemptive plan of salvation through Jesus that has been revealed over time. Dear Lord, we come to you with a grateful heart, and we thank you for the Old Testament prophecies that pointed to Jesus and the way he perfectly fulfilled them. As we celebrate this Advent season, keep our hearts fixed on the One True King who came not to establish an earthly kingdom but to live as a humble servant and to die as our sin sacrifice. 

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