The Promise

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit... Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist." - Isaiah 11:1, 5

When I first started thinking about doing a Christmas series, I knew I wanted to start with God's promise of a Messiah. I assumed the prophecy I'd use would be the traditional verses about the virgin who would conceive a child or the one who would be called "Wonderful Counselor." But that's not where God led me. Instead, He led me to this passage in Isaiah.

Several centuries before God spoke this to Isaiah, He promised David (the son of Jesse) that one of his descendants would rule forever. Later, He would remind His people through Jeremiah that a branch was coming from David who would reign as king.

By the time of Jesus' birth, the people of Israel were an occupied people. The current king had been set in place by the Roman empire. David's dynasty had been cut down centuries before.

Jesus was full of wisdom; at only the age of 12 He amazed the religious leaders with His understanding of Scripture. He was full of power; He was able to heal the sick and raise the dead. He did only what He saw His Father do. When He saw someone with leprosy, He didn't walk away, He saw someone who needed His healing touch. When He heard the disciples say there wasn't enough food for the crowds, He still fed them. Just as Isaiah had prophesied:

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of 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 11:2-4

The people of Israel were looking for their promised king, but they missed Him. They thought the righteous king would be a political and military leader who would come and right the wrongs of the oppressive Romans. A leader who would follow the laws of God instead of exploiting their Roman appointment for personal gain.

They weren't looking for a humble man. One full of God-given power and wisdom but who wouldn't demand obedience. A man who would be your King if you would willingly submit to Him. A King who would make you righteous if you accepted Him.

"In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which He will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'" - Jeremiah 23:6

Sometimes, we're like the Israelites. We hear God's promises and wait expectantly for them. But we miss them because the fulfillment doesn't look the way we thought it would. He promises to provide but we don't get a job; instead, the money we need shows up in the mail. He promises peace, but everything is going wrong around us; somehow our hearts and minds remain calm.

Christ's birth is one of the most important events in history. It is evidence of God's love for us in two ways (and probably more that aren't coming to mind right now). First, that He came at all. Second, that He loves us enough to keep His promises. Always. That is the promise of Christmas.

Join the conversation:

• What promises has God made you?
• How long are you willing to wait for the fulfillment of His promises?
• If the fulfillment of His promise doesn't look the way you expect it to, how will you respond?

For prophecies about Jesus as the branch of Jesse, you can read Isaiah 11, Jeremiah 23, and Jeremiah 33.