When you hear the
prophetic word concerning the shoot from the stump of Jesse, you can easily let
your mind go to an idea of someone like Solomon. What is the stump of Jesse? Jesse is the father of David and the Messiah
was to come from that line. The stump
refers to a line that has seemingly been cut off, dead, and then, as in nature,
a shoot will somehow come forth from it, new life from something dead. This one will have wisdom and understanding
like Solomon, the fear of the Lord will be his delight. Remember that Solomon wrote numerous times that
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The picture is beautiful at the beginning and
then, however, it turns to striking the earth with the rod of his mouth and
killing the wicked with the breath of his lips.
This one is fearsome for those who are not doing righteousness. In the end, however, it is not a Solomonic
ruler we see but one who turns the entire created order on its head, restores
it to its original state of peace and harmony among all creation. No, this is no ordinary king, this is the
Lord Himself come to reign over the earth.
How will the Lord manifest Himself to them but not the
entire world? By dwelling within those who believe and keep His words. He and
the Father will make their home with those keep His word. Love is expressed by keeping the words. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom as it prompts us to do as He says, but, as John writes in his first
epistle, perfect love casts out fear and replaces it. What we may begin to do from fear of judgment
is continued out of love for the one who has taken our judgment on
Himself. Keeping the word is as
important as knowing it and studying it, in fact it is the only legitimate
reason for knowing it, in order to do it.
If He lives within us as He said He does, then we have within us great
wisdom and power. The world should see
in and through us the inbreaking of the kingdom of God that Isaiah sees into
our world.
Paul tells the Corinthians that he came with a simple
message, Jesus' crucifixion for the atonement of their sins. That message, however, was accompanied by
acts of power to authenticate it and the one who gave it. He speaks of a secret and hidden wisdom of
God imparted to the "mature" but that isn't some form of Gnosticism
or wisdom hidden from ordinary believers.
He is clear that it is hidden from rulers who crucified the Lord Jesus,
so it is nothing more than the knowledge of who Jesus is, else they wouldn't
have made that mistake. Where do we get
that secret and hidden wisdom? We don't
get it from teachers, or pastors, we get it directly from the Spirit of
God. It is knowledge about God and
therefore comes directly from the source.
Thanks be to God for Pentecost!
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