ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 09, 2012)

By Grace: From David's Line
Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 33:15

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse.... The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-the Spirit of wisdom... understanding... counsel... power... knowledge and... fear of the LORD."
(Isaiah 11:1-2)
Isaiah speaks again of the coming Messiah. He is to be of the line of Jesse, who, of course, was David's father. Notice that the coming One is both the shoot and the root of Jesse. To be a "shoot" means to be a descendant of Jesse. However, to be a "root" means that Jesse came forth from the Messiah, who is also the Creator - the pre-existent Christ. Notice also that He is to come up from the "stump" of Jesse. Like a felled tree, the line of David is to end with the Baby-lonian captivity of Judah some 100 years yet in the future.
Jeremiah will take up the prophetic office in Judah during that terrible time. He also writes of this "Branch." "'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch , a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land'" (Jeremiah 23:5). The Branch will bear the fruit of righteousness and justice (Psalm 97:1-2). The Spirit of God will rest on Him, endowing the Messiah - the Christ - with a six-fold empowerment (Isaiah 11:2).
INSIGHT
Many believe that Jesus Christ was merely a good teacher. Isaiah begs to differ. Isaiah's Christ is the very incarnation of the eternal God.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Genesis 12-13
Psalm 6
Matthew 10-11
Isaiah 11:1-5;
The Branch From Jesse
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
3 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;
4 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.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Jeremiah 33:15
15 "‘In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.