The Branch of Jesse

Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah begins this prophecy by reminding his hearers of the pre-eminence of the family of Jesse. The royal line is already well-known to have been established through David but here it is David’s father Jesse who is identified as the ‘stem’ of the tree from which the shoot and branch will bear incredible fruit (v1).

This branch is described as having ‘the Spirit of the Lord resting on Him’ (v2). So far in Biblical history the Spirit has come upon specific people at specific times for a specific purpose (for example see Judges 6:34 and the story of Gideon). This branch is different from that as the Spirit will rest on Him. The Spirit described is a seven-fold Spirit: He is the Spirit of the Lord, of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord (v2).

The resting of this Spirit on the Branch will result in the establishing of righteousness judgement. He will not judge in the way men judge, i.e. by what they can see and hear, but instead will judge with righteousness and fairness (vv3,4). And the Branch will be dressed with righteousness and faithfulness as His belt (v5).

The result of this righteous judgement will be the ushering in of a new kingdom of peace where the whole of creation will once again live in harmony. The wolf and lamb, leopard and goat, calf and lion will cohabit (vv6,7). There will be no danger to children from deadly snakes (v8) and there will be no hurt or destruction (v9). God’s kingdom will be established with knowledge of Him filling the earth (v9). And nations will stream to the branch of Jesse (v10). He will be the rallying point and bless all nations of the earth.

Further reading:       Revelation 5:1-10

Worship Video:

To think about:
We live in a turbulent world. However we have the Holy Spirit living inside us. How can we offer or demonstrate peace to the world we live in?

Creative response:

Artwork by Esther Sweeney

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The light in the darkness

Isaiah 9:1-7

Zebulun and Naphtali are two of the tribes of Israel which, along with tribe of Issachar, make up the region of Galilee. This is in the northern part of Israel. Israel as a whole nation is conquered and taken into captivity in 722BC. However, a decade prior to this the region of Galilee is captured by the Assyrians (see 2 Kings 15:29) and the rest of the nation doesn’t come to their aid. Thus Isaiah describes Galilee as being ‘treated with contempt’ and being a place of gloom (v1).

But the promise that follows is astounding… The people in this region of Galilee will see a great light (v2). Joy and gladness will increase (v3). Oppression will be ended (v4). The enemy will be defeated and there will be an end to war (vv4,5).

This will all come about because of a child who will be born for them (v6). This child will be special. He will be known by marvellous names:
Wonderful Counsellor - the child will stand in the royal courts and advise and guide

Mighty God - this child is God Himself!

Eternal Father - even though a child, He will represent the Heavenly Father

Prince of Peace - He is heir to the throne

This child will carry the government on His shoulders (v6) and the government He leads will be one of ever increasing influence and peace (v7). He will be the one who will finally establish the throne of David forever and will go on to ensure that it continues with justice and righteousness.

And so Jesus, when He beings His earthly ministry starts things off in Galilee (see Matthew 4:12-17). They are the first to see the Son of God in action. The part of the nation that was treated with contempt will house the eternal throne of David. Truly the light had dawned on them, even though they did not understand it.

Further reading:        Matthew 4:12-17         John 1:1-18

Worship Video:

To think about:
Isaiah describes Galilee as being ‘treated with contempt’ and being a place of gloom (v1). So often we feel that we have been treated with contempt, or we treat ourselves with contempt and feel in a place of gloom. Isaiah was talking to a nation but how can we use this passage in Isaiah to encourage ourselves?

Creative response:

Artwork by Esther Sweeney

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The virgin will be with child

Isaiah 7:10-17

In this passage Jerusalem is under siege by the king of Aram and the king of Israel. The king of Judah, Ahaz, and his people are afraid (see verse 3). God speaks to the king and tells him to ask for a sign. Ahaz refuses to do this. God therefore speaks to him anyway and describes the sign which will indicate His coming salvation:

‘Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel’ (v14).

This is totally unexpected! No-one could have predicted that the sign that God would offer would be a miraculous conception and birth. This sign is against all the odds because it is simply impossible. Well, impossible unless God is involved!

This sign is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus he quotes this verse and helpfully adds that Immanuel means ‘God with us’ (see Matthew 1:23).

The message of the sign is that it has to be something God brings about in His own time. No-one else has the wherewithal to conjure up a virgin birth. But the real message behind this sign is that salvation will come about when God Himself comes amongst His people.

Immanuel! God with us!

Further reading:      Matthew 1:18-25

Worship Video:

To think about:
This passage is about the impossible. When have you seen God do the impossible in your life or someone else’s life?

Is there a way that we can prepare for the impossible?


Creative response:

Journal page by Bernice

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The marriage feast

Song of Songs 2:4

The Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) is a beautiful book, full of the language and description of romantic love between a king and his bride. The whole book is a celebration of love. The story is poetic and describes a period of courtship of lovers as well as the marriage day itself. It tells of the mutual enjoyment, physical attraction and sexual intimacy they share. It tells of the deep emotional connection of couple in love and of their pain when separated.

Part of the story is a description of the wedding feast. The groom comes into view in his splendour:

 ‘Go forth, O daughters of Zion,

And gaze on King Solomon with the crown

With which his mother has crowned him

On the day of his wedding,

And on the day of the gladness of his heart.’ (3:11)

And he is matched by his bride:

‘How beautiful you are, my darling,

How beautiful you are!... 

You are altogether beautiful, my darling,

And there is no blemish in you.’ (4:1,7)

This book is so clearly about the love and attraction a bride and groom have towards each other during courtship and marriage. Yet, as we saw last time, marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. So when we read Song of Songs this aspect also comes into view.

Ultimately a day will come when the Lamb will be married to His bride (see Rev 19:7) who will appear perfect and prepared for her husband (v8). There will then be a party, a feast - the marriage supper of the Lamb (v9) where we will see Song of Songs 2:4 fully fulfilled: ‘He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.’ The book of Revelation goes on to describe the bride of the Lamb in more detail in chapter 21 where she appears as a gloriously perfect city (21:9,10) with walls and streets of gold, foundations of precious stones and gates of pearls (vv15-21).

She will be an awesome sight.

A breath-taking vision.

A bride fit for the eternal King of Kings.

Further reading:        Revelation 19:7-10 & 21:1-21

Worship Video:

To think about:
What aspects of the description of the bride of Christ have caught your attention as you read these passages? How can we prepare ourselves to be the bride of Christ?

Creative response:

Journal page by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

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Marriage

Genesis 2:18-24

In this blog we have been moving through the Old Testament in the order we find in our Bibles. However, this week we are going back to the creation account. As we saw previously in the Creation post, God created the universe and within that he made man and woman in His own image (Genesis 1:26,27). Genesis 2 gives further detail of how God, seeing that Adam needed to have a companion in order for him to be able to carry out the task God had given him to do, created an equal being called ‘Woman’.

When the woman was created (vv21,22) and brought to Adam it is fair to say that he became quite excited (v23). He had never seen anything quite like her before! She was a creation made in God’s image, just like Adam, and they were created for each other.

The author of Genesis then sets up the principle of marriage by saying, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh’ (v24). This picture of marriage involves the leaving of one’s parents in order to form a new family unit where husband and wife are physically joined together in marriage. This provides a context for companionship, mutual support, sexual intimacy and the raising of children.

In Ephesians 5:22-33 Paul writes about marriage. He describes wives submitting to their husbands, just as the church submits to Christ as head of the church. He then describes the love which husbands should have for their wives. A husband should demonstrate love that:

- is self-sacrificial and willing to sacrifice all for his wife (v25),

- desires to see his wife increasingly reflect Jesus (vv26, 27),

- is as equally concerned about his wife as he is about himself (v28), and

- wants to nourish and cherish his wife and seek her well-being and flourishing (vv29,30).

He then quotes Genesis 2:24 which we read earlier before saying, ‘This mystery is great; but I am speaking about Christ and the church’ (v31). Ultimately, then, this bringing together of man and woman in marriage is a picture of Christ and the church.

I find it amazing that so early on in Scripture we see marriage described and within it a clear glimpse of Jesus. We should also continue to see this reflection of Jesus and the church around us every day whenever we see a marriage.

Further reading:           Ephesians 5:22-33

Worship Video:

To think about:
What aspects of marriage reflect the relationship of Christ and the church? How realistic is it to for a husband to love his wife ‘as Christ loved the church’ and what would this look like?

Creative response:

Original photo by Jalene Dort.  Journal page by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

Please share your creative response using the linky below. To use the linky click on 'Click here to enter'. You will need the URL from your own blog or from a photosharing website like Flickr. Alternatively share your response in the Facebook group.