Lessons from the Lineage

                                                          Lessons from the Lineage

Jesse: Isaiah 11:10

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples.”  Isaiah 11:1,10A

As the father of arguably the greatest king in Jewish and biblical history, we really know quite little of Jesse. We do know he’s from Bethlehem and his family tree already contains some pretty powerful roots of redemption. We see he was given the privilege of seeing the least, the youngest, of his sons become a great king. We see God choosing the lowly, the least expected. 

Slip your feet into Jesse’s sandals a moment and watch the unfolding of the life of your youngest:the making of a king. Amid such an amazing display of God’s favor you still really have no idea of the magnanimity of God in using your future generations to participate in the coming of THE KING. 

God takes a humble shepherd of sheep and transforms him into a king of men. Many years later the King of Heaven humbles himself in order to be a Shepherd of Men. Oh, the wonder of our God!

As scripture reveals, the throne of David eventually crumbles. There is a felling of trees, so to say. For hundreds of years the royal authority of the house of David lies dormant, seemingly dead: a stump of what once was.   

Even then, when hopelessness seemingly spanned generations, God was still working. He is always working. 

From this supposed dead stump God brought forth a tender shoot, green and full of life. This shoot was full of the Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). This Branch stands as a banner to all people: a banner of Peace, Salvation, Wisdom, and Righteousness. While David’s banner of victory waved for a season, this banner waves victoriously for all time. While the authority of king David’s reign lasted for years, the authority of King Jesus, this Branch of Jesse, reigns for all eternity. 

The God who brought forth life from the dead stump of a royal line, is the same God who brought forth life from a dead body, a body in a tomb. His is the banner of victory over death! From the whisper of a humble birth by an obscure young girl with hints of royal blood to the heavenly hosts proclaiming praises before an audience of shepherds this Branch emerged fruitful and righteous. As the cries of a newborn babe pierced the air with life’s first breath the King was born! 

With this royal cry came power: the power to breathe life into seemingly dead hearts and hopes. What once was dead is now alive! Jesse’s roots of redemption flourished into the beautiful Redeemer.