“Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.”
Isaiah 11:1
Right before this verse, Isaiah tells about how the mighty will fall. The mighty cedar trees of Lebanon will be cut down which represents the Lord humbling the proud among Judah – His chosen people. All that will be left of the forest will be stumps.
The royal household of David will have been dormant for 600 years. Isaiah 11:1 shares it’s from this fallen and humbled nation the Messiah will come; it’s these stumps that a shoot will spring forth – Jesus, tender like a new green little shoot coming as the Messiah from a seemingly dead stump or nation. The Lord wanted Judah to know that even though the Assyrians and others would come and bring judgment, God would still use them to bring forth life from them.
fun side note:
By using Jesse the Lord emphasized the humble nature of the Messiah. Jesse was much less famous than King David. It’s more humble to say “from Jesse” than to say “from King David.”
advertisement: