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.
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. (Is 11:1-2 &
6)
If you, or someone you love, is living
with the stump of a crushed dream, and a life that is cut off and seems
hopeless, this week’s look to the manger with Isaiah will show you the God who
keeps His promises and brings hope and life where there is none.
If you are struggling in the battle
against sin and experiencing the dryness of defeat, Isaiah’s look at the manger
reminds us that same Spirit that rested upon God’s Messiah dwells in the lives
of believers and produces the same characteristics in us.
If you are
longing for things to be made right, for sin’s devastation to be reversed, for restoration of
strained and broken relationships, the picture of paradise restored that Isaiah
provides gives you hope.
As you prepare for worship this Sunday I
encourage you to prayerfully consider these truths as you read Isaiah 11. As others come to mind as you read pray for
them and invite them to come to church
with you.
Also consider this commentary from Alec
Motyer: “We cannnot read Isaiah 11 without
sensing afresh the wonder of our Bibles: such detailed anticipation and
accurate forecasting on the Coming One.
This is great gain, but even more important it is to take the next step
and be uplifted in wonder, love and praise of the one thus forseen, the Lord
Jesus Christ. If He is really like
Isaiah foresaw – practical, effective wisdom for every day, power over all
power of the enemy, Lord of the beautiful and blessed future he holds in store
for us – what fresh commitments we should make to live close and stay near to
Him.” (Isaiah by the Day, p. 72)
Pray that God will open your eyes to see
in a new way what Isaiah saw in the manger, and that by seeing Him you would
make a fresh commitment to live close and stay near to Him.
Isaiah’s view
of the manger reminds us that this shoot from the stump of Jesse is also the
King who will rule the world in righteousness Himself stand up as a banner for
the peoples, and will be like a giant flagpole around which the nations would
rally and unite in an eternal kingdom characterized by the complete and full
knowledge 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. (Is 11:10)
The Lottie MoonChristmas Offering for International Missions is one primary way you can be a
part of seeing Isaiah’s vision fulfilled.
Please continue to pray about how God will lead you to participate in
this offering.
This new song will be a part of our
worship this week. There Blooms a Rose in
Bethlehem is based on Isaiah 11. You
can hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj-vnCpfizw
There
blooms a rose in Bethlehem,
From tender stem hath sprung;
Of
Jesse’s line this flower grows
as men of old have sung;
Isaiah
told us long ago
about this rose we’d find,
In
virgin arms we shall behold
the Savior of mankind
The
glories of the heavens
surrounded shepherds bright,
The
angels sang, a sign was shown
the Christ was born that night;
What
mystery they came upon
the sign the heralds laud,
In
manger slept the Holy One,
in flesh, the Son of God
This
flower in bloom, a scent so sweet
that greets us in the air,
It has
dispelled with hopefulness
the sting of death’s despair;
Foretold,
this rose was born to die,
but would not see decay,
So
those who place their faith in Him
shall blossom from the grave.
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