When the Stump of Jesse Becomes the Tree of Life: A Devotional for the 3rd Week of Advent
This Sunday, on the third week of advent, my pastor preached on Isaiah 11: 1-9. His main theme was that because our King in uniquely qualified, joyful, and transformative, we should wait for Him with courage. He turns our worst-case scenarios into the best-case scenarios.
One of the things that stuck me when he was preaching this passage is how much the passage evoked ideas of the Tree of Life and the Garden of Eden.
Isaiah 11: 1-9
“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.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
It All Starts With a Stump
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” ~ Isaiah 11:1
A stump is the leftover remains of a dead tree. As many of you who have had tree stumps in your yard know, as time goes on fungus start appearing to decompose the stump. However, the stump of Jesse only appears to be dead. For it is in fact alive!
The Stump of Jesse
The stump of Jesse refers to the family line of King David as Jesse was David’s dad. It’s a family of kings that was supposed to bring Messiah. However, at the time of Isaiah was prophesying the end of the kingly reign in Judah. If Isaiah’s prophecies came true (and they did), it would seem like there was no hope. Yet here, Isaiah is also saying that there is hope! Jesse’s line will one day return.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, they desired knowledge, and they got it! However, the way they gained that knowledge separated them from the knowledge of (and intimacy with) God. They wanted to define knowledge on their own terms with their limited understanding. They defined good and evil based on what their eyes can see and ears can hear. Yet oftentimes our eyes and ears deceive us.
See my post What If the Fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil Were Chocolate? for a more in-depth explanation of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Branch Brings True Knowledge
This Branch will bear fruit. And what amazing fruit will it be: True wisdom, counsel, might, knowledge and fear of the Lord! The branch will not be deceived by appearances but will judge rightly by the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)
“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;” ~ Isaiah 11:1-3
Life vs Death
Whereas the Tree of Knowledge brought death, the Tree of Life brings everlasting life. This dead tree came to life and now bears fruit. How can it be? How can the law bring life?
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Jesus is the Word—the true law keeper and creator. He defines what is good, and he knows what is good. Because He kept the law for us, we can have intimacy with God and bear fruit. Miraculously through Christ the Tree of Knowledge becomes the Tree of Life (or perhaps always was).
See my post How Many Trees Were in the Garden of Eden? |The Law and Gospel Hidden in the Garden for more information. Be sure to subscribe to my blog to get more posts like these delivered straight to your inbox!
Through Jesus the Curse is Reversed
Those that were adversaries (wolf/lamb, leopard/goat, lion/calf and man/serpent) now lie down peacefully together. Even children do not need to fear the serpent (devil). Why? Because the knowledge of the Lord (the true knowledge) covers the earth. The divorce between the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life is no more. They are one!
The curse is removed! The order of creation is transformed! Mankind who was called to guard and protect the Earth can do so without toil as God has brought peace.
Rejoice
Let us rejoice with Zechariah the Father of John the Baptist as he says in Luke 1: 68-69, 78-79:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David…… because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the [Branch] will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
After all Christ is a God of joy as He “delights” in the fear of the Lord! So, during this 3rd week of advent, rejoice in the Lord for transforming the Tree of Knowledge, our dead stump, into the Tree of Life!
Note from the Forerunner Commentary: There are two ways to translate the word “Dayspring” in verse 78. It is anatole in Greek, meaning “rising up,” and Greek speakers usually use it of the sun and stars rising. It often has the sense of “from the east,” since the sun rises in the east. Its second meaning, though, is “shoot” or “branch”! It is the same word that the Septuagint, the Old Testament in Greek, uses in Jeremiah 23:5 and Zechariah 3:8; 6:12 for “Branch”! At the very least, this is a double entendre, a play on both meanings of the word, to describe the Messiah. This could be translated “the Branch from on High,” which is very similar to Isaiah 4:2, “the Branch of the Lord [YHWH].”
Points to Ponder
- How has God’s grace freed you from the curse of the law? Think of concrete examples. For example, instead of sitting on judgment on myself or others, I can show love and mercy to myself and those around me.
- How can meekness (knowing God’s greatness compared to my smallness) help you find joy?
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