Day #340 - The Shoot

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11:1-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Eduardo Mallmann on Unsplash

Have you ever felt like you have been judged unfairly in a competition?

My children compete in a speech and debate league. Their education is centered on being in a speech and debate club and they compete in tournaments throughout the year. The judges determine who wins and loses. They can do their best but if a judge has a unique value system or doesn’t understand the rules, they may get judged in a way that is not fair. No one likes to be judged unfairly.

In Isaiah 11, God is speaking through Isaiah about the coming of Jesus the Messiah. He will be the Shoot that comes from the stump of Jesse. Jesse is the father of David. David was the greatest King of Israel and the prophecies about the Messiah are that He would come from the line of David. But here He comes as the descendent of Jesse, which means He will be like David and superior than David. The stump means that things look bad, the tree has been cut down, but the Shoot will come fourth and from the roots a Branch will bear fruit. Jesus will restore what has been lost and be the perfect King and Judge over humanity.

How is Jesus, the Shoot, better than David as King? He has the sevenfold Spirit of God upon Him: the Spirit of the Lord, of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will not judge according to natural wisdom, what can be seen or what can be heard, He will judge righteously. His kingdom will be known for true justice and righteousness. He will uphold the poor and the needy. He will judge the wicked.

Jesus would come as a little Shoot out of the disappointment of the past kingdoms in His incarnation but He would grow into the Branch bearing fruit. He would be anointed with the Holy Spirit. He came lowly to touch the lowly. He has come and He will come again. When He returns, He will judge the wicked who are proud. His judgement will be perfect. “The Presence” of Jesus came to bring hope and peace as the Son of David. When He comes again He will establish perfect righteousness and justice.

Jesus, You are the Shoot and the Branch and my life is found in You. Upon You is the Spirit of the Lord, of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. When You are present, there is perfect judgment and justice. Help me to treat others like You and not judge on outward appearance. In Your name, amen.