December 8, 2020

Daily Devotionals

december 8, 2020

This is the second week of Advent. Our devotions this week center on the theme of prophecy and fulfillment.

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

Isaiah 11:1-5

This is a prophecy about the Messiah’s coming from the family of David. Since Jesse was David’s father, the root of Jesse refers to the Messiah and His coming from that family line. The tree mentioned is like a genealogical family tree. This new Messiah will sprout up strongly from the good root stock of King David’s line.

The prophecy has so much to say about the character of the Messiah and His occupations. We don’t see that the Messiah will be primarily military or political. Justice and wisdom are what occupy His attention. This judge cannot be bribed or swayed by earthly power or trappings. His clear insight and understanding are foremost in His persona. His judgments are not adversely influenced by someone’s poverty or meekness; He will be fair to all. But He will not be a pushover: “he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” This Messiah is not to be trifled with; the wicked will be wiped out.

Then we have a last image of the Messiah as He dresses for hard work. He will belt up his garments so that He can work for righteousness and faithfulness. This is a Messiah who will get His hands dirty in doing good.

How was this prophecy fulfilled? In the life and saving work of Jesus! We can see that military power and political power were not His aim at all. Instead, He came to bring the mind of God to us, to share God’s wisdom, God’s insight, God’s way of seeing the world home to His listeners and followers. He is still opening the mind of God to us. He came to seek out the poor and lowly, the lost sheep of His Father’s flock. He did not come primarily to engage with the wealthy and powerful. And we can see touches of His righteous indignation and righteous anger against the Pharisees, the money changers in the Temple, and those who injured “little ones,” the poor and needy.

Jesus rolled up His sleeves and lived and worked among us, demonstrating the righteousness and faithfulness of the Father. He who could have been a distant King instead walked and wept and laughed and worked and loved as one of us. He ate and celebrated, prayed and taught, slept and walked down the road of life, our humble King who came to be God with us.

For Reflection

What does it mean to you that Jesus did not come to be political or military, that He mostly avoided the power brokers of His day?

What does it mean to you that Jesus did not favor the rich and powerful but preached to the simple, everyday people of His world?

What does it mean to you that He sought out the poor, lowly, sick, and hurting people?

Prayer

O Jesus our King, we are so thankful You came to be God with us, that You understand our life from the inside. We are so thankful for the kind of King You were and are. Help us to see people with Your mind and eyes. Help our hearts to be moved by the poverty, hurts, and suffering of others, especially those whom we usually ignore. Help us to remember to aim higher than politics or worldly power, to the Spirit-filled power You lend us. Thank You for being our Messiah and our Savior. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Rev. Vicki Franch

Pastor for Pastoral Care

404-842-2571