The Jesse Tree Series:
THE STORY OF THE JESSE TREE PART 2:
God did not give up on this people. Even though they had disobeyed, even thought they had forsaken God for other gods, even though they had miserably failed to be His people and to let Him be their God, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob still love them. He had made a commitment to these people that He would not allow to be undone even by their rejection of Him.
He had already told them this through the prophets, but they had not understood then. Jeremiah had promised a day when God would again plant and build.(31:28).Isaiah had spoke of a time when God would cause a new shoot, a new king, to spring from the cut-off stump of the lineage of Jesse, David’s father (11:1). During the exile, suffering under the consequences of sin, they had little reason to suppose that God would do anything new. Still, the old promise echoed across the years, even if they could believe them or even understand them.
In spite of their failures, in spite of the inability to envision a future beyond exile, they came a time when the prophets again announced a new thing, proclaiming ‘good tidings’ to the people “ Here is your God ( Isaiah 40:1-11). The Exile was ended. God would bring back to life a nation that was already dead (Ezekiel 37). Long ago they have been slaves in Egypt, with nothing they could to change their condition, and yet God had chose to deliver.
So now, in the midst of their failure and hopelessness, God had again entered history as Deliverer. They would have another chance to be His people not because they had earned it, not more than they had deserved it the first time, but simply because God in His grace had chosen to forgive.
They returned to the Land. But again across the years, they again struggled to obey and live up to their calling. They would never again slide into the worship of false gods. They had learned that lesson. But the great kingdom that they dreamed of restoring remained only a dream. They had hoped for a new king like David to lead them into a glorious future in which they would rule the world. They hoped to throw off the control of the Greeks and later the Romans and become a great nation. But it did not happen. And they became disillusioned and discouraged.
So they again hoped for God to raise up a new king, a new messiah, to deliver them from the oppression of the world. They longed for peace and deliverance from the tyranny of a sinful world. The prophets again brought the word of God to them, and promised a newness. even though they struggled to understand and believe, they helped onto the hope that the same God who brought slaves out of Egypt, and who brought exiles out of Babylon, could bring Messiah into the world.
We know the rest of the story. God was faithful to that promise and a new King was born in Bethlehem. So we can exclaim with the Simeon “ My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before all people, a light of revelation to the nations, and for the glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).
We also know that the world is still with us. Even though we can have Peace and joy through presence of Jesus Christ, we still long for deliverance from the oppression of sin in the world. We long for the full reign of the King, and the Kingdom of Peace that He will bring. So while we celebrate the birth of the Branch, the new shoot from the stump of Jesse, we still anticipate with hope the Second Advent, and await the completion of the promise.
Above all the Jesse tree helps us retell the story, and express this hope.
He had already told them this through the prophets, but they had not understood then. Jeremiah had promised a day when God would again plant and build.(31:28).Isaiah had spoke of a time when God would cause a new shoot, a new king, to spring from the cut-off stump of the lineage of Jesse, David’s father (11:1). During the exile, suffering under the consequences of sin, they had little reason to suppose that God would do anything new. Still, the old promise echoed across the years, even if they could believe them or even understand them.
In spite of their failures, in spite of the inability to envision a future beyond exile, they came a time when the prophets again announced a new thing, proclaiming ‘good tidings’ to the people “ Here is your God ( Isaiah 40:1-11). The Exile was ended. God would bring back to life a nation that was already dead (Ezekiel 37). Long ago they have been slaves in Egypt, with nothing they could to change their condition, and yet God had chose to deliver.
So now, in the midst of their failure and hopelessness, God had again entered history as Deliverer. They would have another chance to be His people not because they had earned it, not more than they had deserved it the first time, but simply because God in His grace had chosen to forgive.
They returned to the Land. But again across the years, they again struggled to obey and live up to their calling. They would never again slide into the worship of false gods. They had learned that lesson. But the great kingdom that they dreamed of restoring remained only a dream. They had hoped for a new king like David to lead them into a glorious future in which they would rule the world. They hoped to throw off the control of the Greeks and later the Romans and become a great nation. But it did not happen. And they became disillusioned and discouraged.
So they again hoped for God to raise up a new king, a new messiah, to deliver them from the oppression of the world. They longed for peace and deliverance from the tyranny of a sinful world. The prophets again brought the word of God to them, and promised a newness. even though they struggled to understand and believe, they helped onto the hope that the same God who brought slaves out of Egypt, and who brought exiles out of Babylon, could bring Messiah into the world.
We know the rest of the story. God was faithful to that promise and a new King was born in Bethlehem. So we can exclaim with the Simeon “ My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before all people, a light of revelation to the nations, and for the glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).
We also know that the world is still with us. Even though we can have Peace and joy through presence of Jesus Christ, we still long for deliverance from the oppression of sin in the world. We long for the full reign of the King, and the Kingdom of Peace that He will bring. So while we celebrate the birth of the Branch, the new shoot from the stump of Jesse, we still anticipate with hope the Second Advent, and await the completion of the promise.
Above all the Jesse tree helps us retell the story, and express this hope.
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