In Touch Devotional 19 December 2023 Message by Dr. Charles Stanley
Read In Touch Devotional 19 December 2023 – Tuesday Daily Devotional Message Written by Dr. Charles Stanley.
TOPIC: The Root of Jesse’s Tree
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 11:1
Israel had a long, complicated history with kingship. The people didn’t want a divine ruler and asked for an earthly one (1 Samuel 8:10-22). Just a short while later, Solomon—the nation’s third king—lost his connection with God because of disobedience. And by the time of Isaiah’s prophecy in today’s passage, Israel’s kingly line seemed to be dying. In time, God’s people were conquered and taken into captivity. By Jesus’ day, Herod ruled as Rome’s puppet, and the kingdom seemed dead as a stump.
Isaiah 11:1 says, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit” (NIV). The English translation of the antiphon O Radix Jesse, “O root of Jesse’s tree,” indicates new life can come from that stump. (See page 30 for a definition of antiphon.) That new life was Jesus—“a son … Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). In Him, the stump became new life, not just for the people of Israel but also for the whole world (John 1:4; John 14:16).
Jesus did far more than simply bring life back to the withering stump of Jesse’s line. He reached beyond Israel, grafting all believers into a new branch of the tree—a tree branching in every direction from the same shoot.
Bible in One Year: Hebrews 7-9
Thought for Today: Jesus came to bring genuine life to mankind.
Dr. Charles Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.
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