Moment of Meditation: Root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:10)

"In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious."
(Isaiah 11:10)

Root of Jesse

Isaiah also calls Jesus the Root of Jesse. Basically, this means that Jesus comes from the line of Jesse, who was the father of King David. This continues the long line of prophecies about Jesus and the line of King David. When David desires to build a temple for God, God tells him that his son Solomon will build the Temple. After that, God says, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son. I will not take My steadfast love from him, as I took it from who was before you, but I will confirm him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever" (1 Chronicles 17:12-14).

Unfortunately, the line of David who ruled over Israel ended with their exile to Babylon during Zedekiah's reign. Another king from the line of David never sat on the throne as the king of Israel or Judah again. That line seemed to disappear for a while until the end of the Old Testament. Then a renewed wave of national pride and heritage went through the Jews. Any and every person who had any ancestral relationship to David came forward to remove the oppressing governments, but none succeeded. It was only the one who had also given David his life and his throne who could break the tyranny of oppression--not of earthly governments but the spiritual tyranny of Satan because of our sins.

Jesus came from the family of Jesse, but He was also the one who chose the family of Jesse to send Himself into the world to forgive your sins. Receive that forgiveness of sins today. It is the true Christmas gift. Amen.