EmmDev 2024-11-29 [Advent 2024] A shoot from a Stump

A shoot from a Stump

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 of 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, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 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 waist. (Isaiah11:1-5)

Imagine a forest of trees that has been hacked down to the ground...
Once it was a quiet and serene haven: cool and calm with magnificent trees, beautiful greenery highlighted by mottled sunlight, the sound of birds and the wind rustling through the foliage - a place to sooth the soul.

Now it is a hot dry graveyard of stumps.
As one stands in the midst of the destruction, one feels alone, helpless, exposed and defeated.

The time is about 700BC, the place is Palestine and the author-poet-singer, the prophet Isaiah, contemplates the chaos and destruction wrought by Assyria which is the current dominant world power. They have destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and repeatedly besieged the Southern Kingdom. Nations have struggled against them. There have been alliances, betrayals and intrigue. This war of attrition has meant that trust, faith and hope have been destroyed.

Isaiah has prophesied that even mighty Assyria will fall.
He imagines a mighty forest cut down to the ground.
The felled forest is the ultimate image of the legacy of war and violence.
It represents the human condition.

But there is hope!
Out of the pain and destruction, a shoot will grow out of one of stumps.
A mighty tree will grow - the Messiah will come.

Jesus fulfills this prophecy:

• He is a descendant of David, the son of Jesse.
• He was specifically filled with the Spirit at His baptism
• In His earthly ministry He manifested the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
• He saw beyond externals and right down to the heart
• He demonstrated His understanding of God and of humanity
• He even demonstrated moments of righteous judgement and power

As you read this prophecy made 700 years before Christ and contemplate its beautiful fulfilment, I invite you to let your heart be set on fire with hope - for Advent isn't only about the first coming of Christ, but also how He comes into our world through His Spirit in us, and also that He will come again.

Are you surrounded by stumps?
Jesus is the shoot who springs from the stump.
We can put our trust in Him!

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EmmDev 2024-11-28 [Advent 2024] The Lion

The Lion

"Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. (Genesis49:8-12)

Yesterday our Advent Promise portrayed Jesus as the Lamb.

Today's promise portrays Him as a Lion.

The scene is Jacob (now called Israel - the Father of nations) blessing his twelve sons. Each blessing is connected with the character and nature of the son he is blessing, but at a much deeper level the blessing has prophetic implications for the tribes emerging from each of the sons. There is, in the blessing of Judah, a very distinct messianic aspect which is highlighted in today's passage...

In the earlier part of the blessing on Judah, he is described as a lion and a conqueror. From history we know that the Kings of Israel came from the tribe of Judah and that the line of monarchy narrowed down even more to the line of David who was from the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah was the dominant ruling tribe in Israel's history.

The sceptre mentioned in the passage can also be translated as the commander's staff and the promise was that Judah's tribe would be supreme and the commander's staff will "remain in the family" until it came to whom it belongs. Although Jesus came as a lowly king and as the Lamb of God, He is also the Lion of Judah. Through His obedience to the Father (even unto death) and through His resounding victory over the grave, He is victorious and is enthroned at the right hand of the Father as Lord of the Church. Paul says:
"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place.
And gave Him the name that is above every name." (Philippians 2:9)

When He comes again, it will be as Lord of all, and then what Paul wrote will be fulfilled:
"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11)

And in Revelation John portrays Him as a Lion: "Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.'"

We make a serious mistake if we see Him only as the Lamb!

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EmmDev 2024-11-27 [Advent 2024] The Lamb

The Lamb

Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." ... 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."... 17 [The Lord declared] "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore... and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me." (Genesis22:8018)

Today's fulfilled advent promise comes from the account of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Many people struggle with this passage. Why would God ask Abraham to do such a difficult thing? I think there are two significant reasons:

1. The surrounding nations practised child-sacrifice. This is evident in the fact that Abraham was not surprised by the request and goes through all the steps to carry out the command. The incredible outcome of the story is that Abraham, knife in hand, discovers that the God of Israel does not require this.
2. Abraham's journey prefigures what God would do for us. Abraham and Isaac found a ram caught by its horns but centuries later God would provide a Lamb. John identifies Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John1:29)
   Paul reminds us that "He did not spare His only Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Rom8:32)

In verses 17 and 18 God talks about Abraham's descendants (plural) then He speaks about Abraham's seed or offspring (singular) Through the coming of the Lamb all nations are blessed.

Some would argue that God is then guilty of child-sacrifice, but the Scriptures are clear: Jesus chose to do the Father's will. He was not a helpless victim but a willing sacrifice.

Abraham's story plunges us directly into the reality of human brokenness - we think that our guilt can be cancelled by our sacrifices. Other religious systems demanded child sacrifices. Child sacrifice was a macabre cycle of darkness and violence that cheapened life and those who participated in it were sucked into a spiral of cheapened life and devalued humanity.

God's emphatic answer is: "No more killing! I will pay the price" and in the gift of His one and only Son, God the Father pays the price that we were not required to pay. What the story of Abraham illustrates is just how much it cost the Father and what the obedience of Abraham and the Lamb achieved.

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Watch Michael Card's beautiful song: "God will provide a Lamb"

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EmmDev 2024-11-26 [Advent 2024] Protoevangelium

Protoevangelium

I apologise for a longer than expected gap in devotions. We had a wonderful camping trip stopping at Potch, Christiana, Kuruman, Augrabies, Riemvasmaak, Barkly West and RietspruitDam (near Ventersdorp). Things were very hectic when we came back and so it has taken me a bit longer to get going on EmmDevs.

For the next three weeks I'm hoping (D.V.) to revisit some of the Advent Prophecies. We'll explore some of the iconic prophecies and pictures of the coming Messiah and fill our hearts with hope and worship as we consider that God came to us in Jesus.
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And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head and you will strike His heel. (Genesis3:15)

In the movie, the Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson portrays Jesus praying in the Garden - and Satan, in the form of a serpent, is trying to talk Him out of going to the cross. The scene culminates in Jesus praying "Not my will, but Yours be done." As Jesus gets up to meet Judas and the soldiers coming to arrest Him, He stomps His heel on the head of the serpent who is tempting Him.

This scene points back to another garden, the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent, they ate the fruit, and they hid from God when He came to fellowship with them in the Garden. Having ascertained that the serpent was the instigator of the trouble, God pronounces the start of a war and the final outcome. The prophecy speaks of a battle and an outcome.

Human beings are generally revolted by snakes. This is symbolic of the struggle between human beings and the powers of darkness. One should not read too much into the symbolism because in reality snakes do not dislike people as much as what the Satan is opposed to humanity. There is a struggle between good and evil that has begun in the garden and it is a struggle in which evil often catches us by surprise just as a snake in the grass catches us by surprise.

Scholars see this passage as a "protoevangelium" (a first gospel) because it points to the crucifixion (strike at the heel) of Jesus, and His resurrection, ascension, and second coming (the crushing of the serpent's head.)

The exciting thing about this first prophecy of Jesus is that it is not simply pious hopefulness. It is starkly rooted in the reality of the struggle of life. There is a battle on the go and it is a battle in which humankind faces a bitter enemy. With New Testament eyes we know that there is a certain Offspring of Eve who was struck by the serpent but who crushed its head.

This victory will be passed on to us and so Romans 16:20 says "And the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet."

What is also significant is that this prophecy comes in the midst of God's discovery of their sin. God is not caught by surprise. There is no sense of Him saying: "Oh dear! What do I do now?" He knew what the implications of their disobedience would be - and He had a plan.

This Protoevangelium is our hope and peace.
Christmas reminds us that Eve's Offspring, Mary's Son, is our Serpent Defeater.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head and you will strike His heel. (Genesis3:15)

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