Day 1: Waiting for the Messiah

Today’s scripture: Isaiah 11:1-5 (NIV) 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 power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the 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; 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 waste.

In viticulture and arborist terms, branches that are dead don’t produce any fruit – until you prune the dead branches. Water and minerals from the root system is stopped from reaching the end of the branches. Then, in just a few weeks, new life starts budding off the newly trimmed branches. The Bible uses this reference several times in terms of our own faith, especially in John 15.

Old Testament prophecies foretold of a coming Messiah. The Jews were waiting more than 400 years for the Messiah to arrive. This prophecy says that the roots of the Messiah would come from a dead stump, meaning a new branch would grow out of nothing. Jeremiah 23:5 has a similar ring to it, calling the Messiah a “righteous branch” that will rule over Judah and Israel. These prophecies also indicate that the house of David was corrupt and in need of a new transfusion of righteousness, which the coming Messiah would provide.

But the Jews were looking for a physical power that would conquer Rome, its oppressive ruler, even though this passage warned that the coming Messiah would “judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor.” Yet he would see with his own eyes all that was around him, hinting of a human form. There are more subtle warnings in prophecy. The Messiah’s power would not be from his might, but with his mouth, teaching about repentance, forgiveness and an eternal relationship with His Father.

God’s word would ring true only in his own chosen oracles. God’s prophecies are always accurate (Deut. 13:1-3). Yet, for 400 years, God was silent. Malachi was the last prophet listed in the Old Testament, in 430 B.C. The book of Malachi formed a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. His last prophecy was the foretelling of a prophet of the stature of Elijah. That prophet would be John the Baptist, who told of the coming of the Christ (Matt. 17:10 and Luke 1:17). John urged sinners to repent, a message that was repeated later in the person of Jesus Christ in his adult ministry some 30 years later.

Did you know: The song says, "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, A Partridge in a Pear Tree ..." which signifies Jesus Christ.

To view a link to Handel’s Messiah’s “Halleluiah Chorus,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abcgpn2UTV8