Did you ever stop and consider how many first-generation immigrants are a part of your life? My two neighbors across the street are from Portugal and Brazil. The family up the street who love my dogs are from Ukraine. The crew that put a new roof on my house came from Mexico. Our favorite take-out food is prepared by a family from China. One of my pastors just became a U.S. citizen. He immigrated from England.
The biblical world was a mess when there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).
But then we read about Ruth. She is the Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi, whose life is in shambles after the death of her husband and two sons. When Naomi decides to return to her hometown of Bethlehem, she assumes she’ll be going alone. Ruth won’t stand for that. She is going to be there for Naomi no matter what.
After meeting Ruth in his fields, gleaning barley, Boaz redeems Naomi from homelessness and marries Ruth. Their son is the grandfather of King David. And just like that, God grafts an unlikely immigrant into the family tree of the Messiah, Jesus.
God is skilled at making somebody out of a nobody. When you are feeling insignificant or unnoticed, you can be certain he’s paying attention to your life. When you pray, he listens to you. When you need help, he’s already arranged for assistance. When you spend a moment in his word, he has something to say to you. He created you, he redeemed you, and he takes up residence in your heart. You’re important to God. You are somebody.
Ruth gets an ornament on the Jesse Tree, a walk-on who gets a role in the advent of the Christ.
“Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him” (Genesis 37:3,4).
Joseph’s special robe reminded him of his father’s love and his brothers’ hate. I’ll bet he had mixed feelings every time he put it on.
Many years later soldiers would mock Jesus by putting a purple robe on him. Jesus came into this world as the ultimate expression of God’s love, and yet he was the object of intense hate.
Isaiah rejoiced that the Lord had clothed him in garments of salvation and robes of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Paul writes, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). That outfit is a reminder of God’s steadfast love, but also a magnet for hate in this world. Jesus told his disciples, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Mark 13:13).
Joseph is a type, or a shadow, of who Christ will be. Joseph will not only be hated, but beaten, betrayed, and sold into slavery. Through that, though, he was able to save his family. Second only to the Pharaoh in Egypt, he fed his family and kept the Messianic line alive. Jesus was hated, beaten, betrayed, and crucified. But through it all he saved his people.
The cross declares that we are dearly loved. But that truth will also bring hate. Through it all, we will proclaim Christ in our words and lives. And by the grace of God, more will be saved.
By the grace of God, Joseph’s coat gets an ornament on our Jesse tree.
Sixth, seventh, or eighth on the bench? You’re not a starter. You can wait to sub in to show what you can do on the court.
A substitute teacher? That’s got to be one of the toughest jobs ever. It takes a special person to take on students you don’t know for little pay.
“Playing the part of…” The audience is disappointed that an understudy will be performing. The understudy is thrilled.
When the menu states, “No substitutions,” will you still ask for fruit instead of fries?
“Alexa, what can I substitute for buttermilk?” Answer: milk with vinegar; or sour cream.) Since we’re in the kitchen, you can also substitute granulated sugar and some molasses if you don’t have brown sugar for a recipe.
When God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, Abraham is confident that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering”(Genesis 22:8). When “Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13). Just as promised, God provided a substitute for his son.
That is faith. Abraham has confidence. His obedience demonstrates absolute trust. In this story, God paints a picture of who his son Jesus will be. He’ll be a substitute for us, suffering and dying in our place on the cross, suffering the punishment for sin.
Advent is about the coming of a substitute. You could shoot spitballs at him in an unruly classroom. You can cheer him on when he step onto the court. You can applaud when he finally has a chance to take the stage. You can thank God that there are substitutions in his kingdom. You can worship him as the one who stood in for you and took the wrath of God for your sin.
Two words to sum up the gospel? “Instead of.” Forgiveness instead of punishment. Life instead of death. Joy instead of sadness. Hope instead of despair. Light instead of darkness.
And a ram instead of Isaac. Another image of Jesus. Here’s one for the Jesse Tree:
Pretty soon you don’t enough space for everyone at the table. You don’t have enough chairs. You blinked, and the family got a lot bigger. It began with the two of us. We had three children. Now we have ten grandchildren. We don’t have everyone together very often, but when we do, it’s a houseful. That huge dining room table must have shrunk. There’s always more than one conversation going on at a time, filling the room with voices.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “I will make of you a great nation…and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3).
It’s a powerful promise for a childless couple who have just moved into a new home. But you have to start somewhere, right? Plus, nothing is too hard for the Lord.
A little later, when Abram is wondering how God is going to do this, “[The Lord] brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5).
Not only would Abram father a son named Isaac, but one of his descendants would be Jesus, who came to save his people from their sins. Jesus would be a blessing to all, for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
More importantly, Jesus is a blessing to me. I am one of those innumerable stars Abram saw in the sky. So are you.
So we hang a tent on the Jesse Tree to remind us of Abram (aka Abraham), to whom God made a wonderful Advent promise.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1,2)
Where I live in Florida, winter means cooler temperatures, but certainly nothing like the cold I’ve experienced when I lived further north. The temperature might dip below freezing one or two days in January or February. When it does, all the leaves fall off my Hibiscus, Mandeville, and Bougainville plants.
That’s my cue to get to work. I cut everything down to the ground and fill up bags for the trash guys to haul away on Wednesday.
Within a week, though, small green shoots with leaves will begin to grow from the stumps I left behind. As the weather gets warmer those shoots will grow inches overnight until a new vine is reaching towards the sky. I gather the new vines and use some twine to keep them close to the backyard fence.
It’s not a wintry blast of cold air that freezes God’s people in the Old Testament. It’s the loving discipline of the Lord for his people who have forsaken him to worship idols. Foreign nations and kings destroy and disperse God’s people.
When God decided that someone with a heart like his needed to be on the throne of Israel, he chose David, the son of Jesse. Not only would David be king, but his descendants would always be king over God’s people.
But once a pagan ruler exiles the people to a pagan place far away from Jerusalem, there doesn’t seem to be much hope. All that’s left to hold onto is the promise that “a remnant will return (Isaiah 10:21). And “there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,” a king descended from David infused with the Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1,2).
This is a messianic promise. That shoot would not be just any king. “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32,33).
That’s right, it’s not over till it’s over. God has the final word, and his word becomes flesh to rule and reign over his people. From that dead stump of disobedient and unfaithful people would come the one who would save his people from their sin, overcome death, and defeat the adversary, Satan.
When Jesus is born, a fresh green shoot starts to grow from the stump of Jesse, rooted in the promises of God. All that Jesus comes to be and do results in life, growth, and fruit. And guess what? By grace, you’ve been grafted into his family by faith. This isn’t just his story. It’s yours. You are part of God’s family.
In the song “Made for More,” Josh Baldwin sings, “I know who I am ’cause I know who You are.” Did you ever stop to think what a wonderful Christmas gift it is to know who you are? By grace you’ve been adopted into his family by faith.
If you’ve forgotten your identity, don’t just get out your wallet and look at your ID. Remember the shoot that comes forth from the stump of Jesse!
Since it’s December and Advent, I thought it would be fun to write some devotions for the season. Some decorate a Jesse Tree in the month leading up to Christmas, so I thought it would be interesting to write about the symbols that hang from its branches to remind us that Christ’s coming begins a long time before his birth in Bethlehem. In fact, we know that God had that day on his calendar before creation. “[God the Father] chose us in [Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:4,5).
When I searched online for a list of Jesse Tree symbols, I found many variations. These devotions are based on one list I found from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. You can find more here: mlc-wels.edu/publications/the-jesse-tree.
I really want to up my readership, so please share this post with anyone you think might be (or needs to be) blessed by some Advent devotions!
A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Kings 4 and 5.
Elisha does impressive miracles in 2 Kings.
He brings a child back to life (2 Kings 4:32,35).
He feeds a whole bunch of people with just a little bit of food (4:42-44).
He heals a person from leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14).
Hmm. Who does that remind me of? Jesus? Yep.
I don’t remember who pointed this out to me, but the John the Baptist – Jesus dynamic was foreshadowed by the Elijah – Elisha pairing. It’s a fascinating parallel. Not an exact parallel, but interesting. There is also a similar dynamic with Moses and Joshua (preparation followed by conquest).
Remember when Elisha prayed for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2:9)? Elisha does about twice as many miracles as Elijah. Double, indeed.
The puppies and small grandchildren who run around our house seem to have limitless energy. They run full out until I tuck them into bed. That’s when they crash and immediately fall asleep.
After the fire of the Lord consumes Elijah’s sacrifice and he slaughters the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:38,40), Jezebel threatens his life (1 Kings 19:2).
After a day’s hike in the desert, Elijah prays, “Lord, take away my life” (19:4). I’ve had it. I quit.
He falls asleep and wakes to find an angel encouraging him to eat. After a second nap and meal, he takes a forty-day trip to a mountain called Horeb. Here, God speaks to him in a low whisper instructing him to anoints kings and a successor to be prophet in his place (19:15,16).
I think this is a great example of what we would call “self care.” Of course, it’s God who provides the physical and spiritual restoration. It was a great day on Mount Carmel. But even a prophet crashes when the adrenaline wears off. We weren’t designed to run full throttle forever. We were created needing rest. Without it, we get sick or our bodies break down. So will our souls, unless we take some time to rest.
Never feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Never feel guilty when God sends someone else along to care for you. He knows you need it.
As they put down roots in the promised land, God’s people get into a cycle of unfaithfulness, repentance, and deliverance. They drift into idolatry, God lets enemies torment them, they cry out for help, God sends a judge to deliver them, after which they will drift into idolatry. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. God’s patience seems to be infinite.
The judges God raises up are an interesting bunch. Each is an example of personal Spirit-filled heroism. Many have a memorable quality. Ehud is left-handed, an uncommon trait among fighters of that time (Judges 3:15). Shamgar uses an oxgoad to kill six hundred Philistines (Judges 3:31). Gideon has the fleece (Judges 6:36-40). Samson exhibits superhuman strength (Judges 14:6).
Few people think of themselves as heroes. Most of the time, they’re just doing their job. But when you’re there at the right time in the right place, you might just be someone’s hero.
From Jesus’s point of view, heroes were always the least and the last. His heroes were children, servants who simply did their jobs, and sometimes those who did nothing but listen to him teach.
Every judge reminds us that Jesus is our deliverer, our ultimate hero.
A “through the bible” devotion from Deuteronomy 18.
Not sure how to fix, open, replace, decorate, or operate something? You and I find someone on YouTube who shows you how. I’ve learned how to disassemble my oven door to clean the glass, patch up holes in the wall, build a raised garden, compost, make sourdough bread, and replace a computer battery.
Apparently, the pagan culture of Canaan turned to divination, soothsayers, interpreters of omens, sorcerers, mediums, spiritists, and those who consulted the dead to figure out life (Deuteronomy 18:10,11). In his pre-conquest pep talk, Moses says, “Don’t do those things. God hates that stuff.” Instead, consult the Lord. How?
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen” (Deuteronomy 18:15).
God spoke to his people through Moses who spent time in the presence of the Lord on Sinai and then passed along God’s instructions. Subsequently, God sent people – prophets – to speak for him. Each pointed to the ultimate prophet, Jesus, who physically embodied God’s word.
Many Christians have questions they intend to ask Jesus when they get to see him face-to-face. That’s a good thing. Lately, though, I’ve shared that Jesus may not answer all your questions. In the bible, Jesus answers questions with other questions or a story. I just want you to be ready for that.
Plus, when you finally do get to heaven, it’s going to be so amazing that you’ll forget all your questions. When Jesus asks, “Do you have any questions,” I’ll probably respond, “Never mind. It wasn’t important.”
Waite for it... 