Take a moment to read Isaiah 11. It seems unflattering to compare someone to a shoot, stump, root or branch. The imagery doesn’t depict the celebrity polish we’re
used to, does it?
In the ancient Hebraic perspective, however, the imagery of the shoot, stump, root and branch function as a solid example of what God’s Seed – Jesus – would accomplish as part of God’s Christmas plan. Remember, the Hebraic view of life varies from our Western mindset. (To learn more, visit ancient-hebrew.org.)
To start, Isaiah wrote:
Generations before Jesse, Judah was told by Jacob that a scepter would come from his line. But the Tribe of Judah wasn’t preeminent in Israel until 600 years after Jacob delivered the prophecy, wrote Dr. Henry Morris of the Institute for Creation Research. Lots of ordinary family living happened in those intervening years. Perhaps lots of eyebrows were raised in family situations -- like Jesse’s grandfather Boaz marrying Ruth the Moabite. According to the Bible, Ruth forsook the pagan ways of the Moabites, but maybe some family members never got over her past.
Jesse and his family line may seem like unlikely heroes in the narrative, but even from Jesse’s
name emerges divine purpose. Jesse’s name means “God exists” or “God’s gift.” In Jesse’s name is a reminder for us to acknowledge
even the smallest of God’s interludes in our lives. For in Revelation 5:5 we see the glory that emerged from a seemingly insignificant moment in history:
In the ancient Hebraic perspective, however, the imagery of the shoot, stump, root and branch function as a solid example of what God’s Seed – Jesus – would accomplish as part of God’s Christmas plan. Remember, the Hebraic view of life varies from our Western mindset. (To learn more, visit ancient-hebrew.org.)
To start, Isaiah wrote:
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1).
Then, Isaiah compared the Seed of God to a root and
cemented another prophetic clue about God’s Christmas plan:
“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10).
The “root” imagery may seem ordinary, but Jesus’ fulfillment
of the prophecy added the layer of amazing. As the Son of God, He was with the
Father at the creation of all people and things. As the Son of Man who was destined
to redeem human beings, Jesus was born from the line of Jesse, a descendant of
Judah.
Generations before Jesse, Judah was told by Jacob that a scepter would come from his line. But the Tribe of Judah wasn’t preeminent in Israel until 600 years after Jacob delivered the prophecy, wrote Dr. Henry Morris of the Institute for Creation Research. Lots of ordinary family living happened in those intervening years. Perhaps lots of eyebrows were raised in family situations -- like Jesse’s grandfather Boaz marrying Ruth the Moabite. According to the Bible, Ruth forsook the pagan ways of the Moabites, but maybe some family members never got over her past.
One of the elders said to me, “Don’t cry. Look, the Lion of the tribe of Y’hudah, the Root of David... (Complete Jewish Bible).”
Next: God’s promise that Jesus would come from Bethlehem
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