Advent Devotion / Jesse Tree Day 16 - Prophecies Fulfillled

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace," Isaiah 9:6

Tuesday: Jesus - prophecy

Bible Reading: Isaiah 9:6-7 

Jesse Tree symbol - scroll (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 
and select the symbol for "Third Wednesday of Advent" 
but cut off words when you use it)

Prophecies about Jesus fill the Bible. Isaiah, especially, speaks much of the coming Messiah. Today's devotion will highlight some of the prophecies concerning his birth and their fulfillment in the life of Jesus.

What is a prophecy? 

A prophecy is the future told in advance, by God, through a prophet.

 "I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. For I knew how stubborn you were; the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze. Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, `My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'"  Isaiah 48:2-5

Prophecy, according to God Himself, is not just a guess or luck or coincidence.

"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21

The Old Testament contains about 425 prophecies about the Messiah. Here are some of the prophecies that deal with the birth of Christ: 

GOD WOULD COME TO EARTH AND BE BORN AS A HUMAN MALE

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever."

Isaiah 9:6-7  All of Isaiah's prophecies were given around 700 B.C.

BORN OF A VIRGIN
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14  

FROM THE HOUSE OF JUDAH
"Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above."  

Isaiah 37:31 

FROM THE ROOT AND STUMP OF JESSE
"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious." Isaiah 11:10 "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."  Isaiah 11:1-5 

FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID
"In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it--one from the house of David--one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness."  Isaiah 16:5 

BORN IN BETHLEHEM EPHRATHAH
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." 

Micah 5:2 

BE FROM NAZARETH OF GALILEE
"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan -- The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."  Isaiah 9:1-2 

HIS BIRTH WOULD TRIGGER A MASSACRE OF INFANT BOYS
"This is what the LORD says: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.'"  

Jeremiah 31:15  This prophecy was given around 625 B.C.

Jesus fulfilled many other prophecies during His lifetime. May these truths encourage us as we place our hope in Jesus this Christmas.

The above commentary on the Old Testament is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Advent Devotion / Jesse Tree Day 15 - Being Zealous for God's Name

"Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 'O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.

"It is true, O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands.

They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men's hands. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.'" 2 Kings 19:14-19

Sunday: Hezekiah

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 18-19

Jesse Tree Symbol: An Empty Tent (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 2) 

In the time of Hezekiah, king of Judah (after Judah and Israel had split into two nations), the king of Assyria (the most powerful empire at that time) had captured Israel and "deported Israel to Assyria...This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated His covenant," 2 Kings 18:11-12. 

The Assyrian king was now knocking on Judah's door, insulting God's name and telling the people that they would be defeated. "'Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, "Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them,'" 2 Kings 19:10-12

When Hezekiah heard this, he was troubled. But, instead of panicking, he took the letter, went to God's temple, spread it out before the Lord and prayed. Interestingly, the first words out of his mouth are not "Save us!" Instead, he speaks of God's majesty and power and of the insult that Assyria is committing against God. "Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God." 2 Kings 19:16

The Jewish race had been chosen by God to show the nations of the world God's power and majesty. Hezekiah realized this. His first concern was that God's name was being insulted and mocked. God's reputation was being attacked and Hezekiah was jealous for God's name and reputation. Why? Because Hezekiah loved God. He stood in awe of Him and desired that all nations would hear of the Lord and follow Him. 

God, too, wants His name to be praised and honored. One reason is that He knows that we are created to love and praise Him. For more on this, read Why Does God Want Our Praise?  God also knows that the only way to eternity with Him is by believing in the name that is above every name. 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Ezekiel 33:11

One thing Sennacherib did not realize is that "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." Proverbs 21:1 God caused Sennacherib to suddenly fear another attack on his kingdom. In addition, "that night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there," 2 Kings 19:35-36. When those in Judah looked out on the morning scene before them, all they saw were the bodies of their enemies and empty tents. Those empty tents represented the emptiness of Sennacherib's threats towards the only true God. 

God desires that His name be known and worshipped. He chose Israel to carry out this calling but they were not always committed to this. To ensure that the people of the world would know His name, God Himself came to earth. Not with any royal fanfare but in gentleness and love. 

Jesus' greatest desire while on earth was to glorify the Lord...to make His name and His character known so that all people would turn to God and be saved. "Jesus...looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you,'" John 17:1

That is what our mission on earth, as Christians, involves. We are to glorify God. To shine the light on Him so that others will want to know Him and follow Him. At Christmas time we have a wonderful opportunity to share with our family and neighbors the story of God come to earth and why it is that we love Him so much. 

The above commentary on 2 Kings is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Advent Devotion / Jesse Tree Day 14 - Third Sunday in Advent, Seeing Through God's Eyes

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7

"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." Isaiah 53:2

Saturday: David

Bible Reading: 1 Sam 16:1-23

Jesse Tree Symbol: Shepherd's Crook w/sheep in background (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 2) 

In our humanness, we are quick to look at someone and pass judgment on them based on what they look like. We do it all the time even though we, as Christians, know we shouldn't. Even Samuel, a man who heard audibly from God, did the same thing.

God had called him to anoint another king for Israel since Saul had disobeyed the Lord and lost His blessing and His support. Samuel went to the family of Jesse (where the name of our Jesse Tree comes from) and was sure He knew whom God had chosen when he saw Jesse's tall, handsome, oldest son. But that was not God's choice. Neither were the next six sons. It wasn't until Jesse called his youngest son, a  shepherd named David, that God finally said, yes, he is the one.

In this time of choosing, God told Samuel something about His character: The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7

This is a lesson we need to teach our children and ourselves regularly. We are naturally drawn to attractive people, to people who look like us, to the strong, the athletic, the talented. We need to fight against this tendency and instead, ask God to help us see people with His eyes.

When we see people with His eyes, we will look at a child with Downs Syndrome and recognize the precious spirit within that child...a child made in God's image. When we look at someone who is scarred by some sort of tragedy, we will see the beautiful person they are on the inside. When we see someone from a different race, we will see a potential brother or sister in Christ...someone who we may spend eternity with in Heaven.

And when we look at Christmas, we will see past Santa, the presents, the trees, the lights, the food and parties, and instead will see God, in human flesh, come down to help us see people with His eyes. To help us love the outcast, the sinner, the not-so-beautiful...maybe even ourselves. For each of us has a precious spirit within us that God loves so much that He was willing to shed all of His glory to win back to Himself.

As we see with God's eyes, we will see Jesus.

"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:2-5

The above commentary on Judges is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Advent Devotion / Jesse Tree Day 13 - He Understands Our Fears

"During that night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp." Judges 7:9-11

Friday: Gideon

Bible Reading: Judges 7

Jesse Tree Symbol - Ram's horn trumpet (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 2 

Israel, once again, had fallen under the persecution of another people, the Midians. God chose a man, Gideon, to lead them out of slavery. But who was Gideon" He, like Moses, was a man who immediately questioned God's choice of him as a leader: "My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."Judges 6:15

He then went on to test God, not once but twice, with the wet and dry fleece. When God, through His loving patience, showed Gideon that indeed, He was truly calling him and would be with him, Gideon obeyed.

But Gideon is human and thankfully, God recognizes that. After God had reduced his army from 32,000 men to only 300, "in order that Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength had saved her," Judges 7:2; He knew that Gideon would be fearful. How could an army of only 300 defeat an enemy who "had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore?" Judges 7:12

God can do anything, but we humans often need to see His miracles more than once for us to believe Him. So "during that night the LORD said to Gideon, 'Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.'" Judges 7:9-11

What a wonderful God we serve! He knows that sometimes the things He asks us to do seem so impossible. We want to simply "trust and obey," but fear gnaws at us and uncertainty clouds our vision. It is at those exact times that God will often step in and encourage us, showing us, through various means, that He is God and He is still on His throne and that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Even Jesus, at the Garden of Gethsemane, needed the Lord's encouragement in the trial He was about to face. "He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him." Luke 22:41-43

If we will step out in obedience, like Gideon and Jesus Christ, we will find that God is patient with our fears and will encourage us in the journey. We serve a loving, patient and understanding God!

The above commentary on Judges is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Advent Devotion / Jesse Tree Day 12 - Is He Safe?

"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." Exodus 20:18-19

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. 

Matthew 19:13

Thursday: God at Mt. Sinai

Bible Reading: Exodus 19:1-20:20

Jesse Tree Symbol: Ten Commandments (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 2 and look for Ten Commandments)

Today, do we really understand the fear of the Lord? Do our children? God is God...the creator of the Universe, our creator. He is holy, awesome, mighty, without equal and He is to be feared.

Often times, when I have read about the "fear of the Lord" to my children, I have explained it as "great respect." But, if you read through the Word, the fear of God by those who encounter Him in the Old Testament is true fear.

"Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.  The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them." Exodus 19:17-22

There was great fear at the thought of meeting God at Mount Sinai or anytime He appeared. Even the appearance of angels struck fear in the hearts of humans who saw them. Almost every time a person saw an angel, they fell back in fear and the angel's first words were always: "Do not fear."

I believe C. S. Lewis, in his timeless tale, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, portrays this fear of God well in his portrayal of Christ as Aslan, the great lion. Aslan is the King of the Beasts, and the real ruler of Narnia. When the children, Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy, are talking to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, trying to find out information about the land of Narnia which they have stumbled upon, Susan asks the beavers, "Is he (Aslan) safe?"

Mrs. Beaver says, "If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly."

Lucy asks, "Then he isn’t safe?"

And Mr. Beaver says this famous line about Aslan: "’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you."

Yet, this great and powerful and mighty God, a God to be feared and greatly respected, who deserves all the praise, worship and honor of all people throughout all time, shed His awesome appearance, His commanding presence, and came to earth as the most helpless of all God's creation - a tiny baby.

When Jesus walked the earth, He showed us the tenderness and gentleness of God. He did not thunder from a mountain and reign down awesome and terrible judgment on those who were doing wrong...as many of the religious leaders and some of His own followers asked Him to. Instead, He reached out and touched the leper and the prostitute, He asked for the little children to be brought to Him, He cared about  lack of wine at a wedding and hungry people on a hillside. His loving touched raised a daughter and a son to life and ultimately, His willingness to shed all His majesty and royalty and die on a torturous cross, raised each of us from death to life.

Yes, God is not safe. He is to be feared. But He is oh so good.

"You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."  Hebrew 12:18-24

The above commentary on Exodus is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog.