She Reads Truth: EmmanuelSample

A rod shall come forth from the stem of Jesse

Reflection

There are a number of agricultural references and analogies to the Kingdom of God throughout the Bible, but among the earliest and most beloved is Isaiah’s prophecy:

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”

Of course it promises glorious and exciting things for David’s great kingdom. The once humble shepherd boy, a son of Jesse, will become a great and mighty king! But more than that, the prophecy is about the Greater David - another “tender shoot” that would come to the world with His roots in Jesse’s own family lineage (Matthew 1). This shoot would grow from dry ground and become our one, true vine.

God indeed inaugurated a great earthly kingdom through David as the prophet promised, but Christ came to rule an incomparably greater Kingdom - one He describes to His disciples in Mark as, “like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32, ESV)

Christ’s kingdom - the Kingdom of God - began small and with all measure of humility. But in and through God’s Word we are promised that this Kingdom will become great - that the humble, lowly baby Jesus in his swaddling cloths will become the King of kings.

“And a little child [the Messiah!] shall lead them.”

Prayer

Father, we have a rich heritage in you alone. Let us find our identity in your Son. Rooted in Him, may we bear the fruit of your presence in our lives.

Advent Action

Find a large tree with expansive roots in your neighborhood today. Wonder at the fact that, just as this mighty tree began from a simple seed, the Kingdom of God came to us through a manger-born baby.

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