The Pilgrim Path---Isaiah 11: 1—5

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.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and 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 of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

A SHOOT from THE STUMP of JESSE…

The Prophet Isaiah talks about the LORD having to judge his people for their disobedience in many ways. In this segment of his prophecy we find out that the grand Davidic dynasty would not look like a majestic tree for a time---it would be reduced to a stump. Yet, this judgment against Judah would not be the end. The LORD would raise up new life from the Davidic line (Jeremiah 23: 5, 6; Matthew 1: 1). I really appreciate the testimony of the Reformation Study Bible on this passage,

“David inaugurated a great kingdom, but the greater David (Ezek. 34: 23—25; Zech. 12: 7—10), now only a tender plant (Isaiah 53: 2), will rule an incomparably greater kingdom.”

As Alec Motyer used to say, when you contemplate Genesis 3: 15 alongside Isaiah 11: 1—10, you come to realize that the human family is being “kept” because the conquering seed will be born, The Seed Who will ultimately rule the World is Jesus---The Righteous Branch (rising from a stump).

The Father’s ways are marvelous. From seemingly small beginnings---HE brings about incredible ends. From the House of Bread (Bethlehem)---came the Bread of Life, Jesus the LORD. Very few would have thought one placed in a manger was going to shape the world---but that is how--- the LORD shapes the world. The last shall be first---and the first shall be last. And yet, the LORD Jesus did not come to be served---but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. What a Savior---this Christ of Christmas! A carpenter---come to re-make the world by the power of His Gospel. He “pitched His tent” in human form. This God-Man…what a wonder…

Haven’t you seen it? The small, supposedly insignificant---producing past your imagining? The town that my first church was in, was about as humble a domain as you could spot in Central Mississippi. Times were hard for many when we arrived in 1986. Farming was ok---but prices were not what they used to be. We were about 45 minutes from the capitol, thirty minutes from a store you might really prefer. I have often told people that I did not need to read William Faulkner too much---I got to “live” in several of his novels. Wonderful people---like me, characters of every kind and description. Some of the fondest memories of my live are nestled in the five years I spent there---right above the Big Black River. Well, from that tiny place came the General Editor of FORTUNE Magazine---imagine that (I performed his mom’s funeral). One of the gentlemen that helped develop the propulsion seat for fighter aircraft---raised right there. The principal in the “largest” Law firm in the State of Mississippi---and President of the Board of Reformed Theological Seminary for almost 30 years---raised right there. You would have said, “nothing will ever come out of ________.” We must be careful of our attitudes. The LORD within people---HE makes “all” the difference. I often think of the man that preached my ordination sermon: Dr. Douglas Kelly. If you did not know better, you would be thrown off by his Lumberton, North Carolina drawl. Maybe you would consider it time for him to go back to discussing some matters with the County Agent (and there is nothing wrong with that). But you would have “read” him just a little too fast. Ole Douglas got his undergrad at the University of Paris. He went on to Union Seminary for the M. Div.---then, Ph. D. University of Edinburgh (Scotland). He reads six languages--- other than English. He was a student assistant to T. F. Torrance for a while (look him up). Yet, Dr. Kelly is one of the most cordial and humble Gospel servants I have ever known. He did not “sound” conventional---but man, a giant for Jesus and His Church! One LESSON: You do not have to BE anybody else---Be who You are for Jesus Christ---Yielded to Him---That is a fine gift for Him this Christmas!

HYMN

Lo, how a rose e’ er blooming

From tender stem hath sprung!

Of Jesse’s lineage coming

As men of old have sung.

It came, a Flower bright,

Amid the cold of winter,

When half-spent was the night.

Isaiah ‘twas foretold it,

The Rose I have in mind;

With Mary we behold it,

The virgin mother kind.

To show God’s love aright

She bore to men a Savior,

When half-spent was the night.

This flower, whose fragrance tender

With sweetness fills the air,

Dispels with glorious splendor

The darkness everywhere.

True man, yet very God,

From sin and death, He saves us

And lightens every load.

GERMAN CAROL (Sixteenth Century)

Stanzas 1 and 2 translated by Theodore Baker (1851—1934)

Stanza 3 translated by Harriet Krauth Spaeth (1845—1925)

Grace and Peace in Jesus, the Only Redeemer of broken and wretched souls, Pastor Jason