Isaiah proclaimed with joy the prophetic promise to God’s people: from the ancestry and lineage of Jesse would come a branch from his roots, one who would be filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and would delight in God’s fear, and judge with justice and fairness. With righteousness he will judge the poor and pronounce an equitable sentence for the meek and vulnerable. God will transform all creation, and the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Jesus is this ruler from David’s line who will reign forever as Lord and King over God’s Kingdom. Let us prepare our hearts for the righteous reign of the Branch, the soon coming King and Kingdom of God revealed at the coming of Jesus Christ.
God’s plan to provide his people with the Messiah began early in the history of his people, confirmed in God’s promise to bring his Champion through the lineage of Jesse, the father of David. According to the apostles’ genealogical record, Jesus of Nazareth descended from David’s lineage, derived from Abraham’s kin.
Dear Savior, you are Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the very offspring of David, the one who is preached in the Gospel. You are the promised Messiah, the very one who descended from King David. We cling to God’s promise; you are our Champion. Amen.
“The theme of worship is far more central and significant in Scripture than many Christians imagine. It is intimately linked with all the major emphases of biblical theology such as creation, sin, covenant, redemption, the people of God and the future hope. Far from being a peripheral subject, it has to do with the fundamental question of how we can be in a right relationship with God and please him in all that we do. One way or another, most of the books from Genesis to Revelation are concerned with this issue.”
~ David G. Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992. pp. 17-18
Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Emmanuel, God with Us, Matthew 1.18-25
Book Reading
Peterson, Engaging with God
