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Daily Devotion: Isaiah 11:1

Isaiah 11:1    "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots"

We have seen Isaiah leading up to the revelation of Jesus Christ through the preceding chapters. We read back in chapter 7:14, "... a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Then in chapter 9:6,  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  In today's passage, the Lord is narrowing this identification down to the house of Jesse, which  brings us to the place where we know the Messiah would come from the seed of David.  It was necessary that the Redeemer would come in human flesh because the sin debt had been incurred by a human. God chose to bring His Son as a child through the seed of Abraham and on down through David.

 Paul stated the Gospel "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh." (Romans 1:3) He would go on to say, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one (man - emphasis mine) shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:19) The writer of Hebrews stated it in this manner, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham." (Hebrews 2:14-16)  

 I use more Scripture than usual, but it is important to understand the One named Jesus was (and still is) the planned manner of redemption for God's people. There is no other way than by the blood of Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice in the fact that God's love is so great that His Son was "... delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God..." according to His knowledge of our need. The work of Jesus was not an afterthought nor an event outside the control of God; rather, carefully planned and carried out through the blessed grace of our Lord.

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