On the fifith day of Christmas, my Bible said to me...Christmas can only be understood in the context of all that Jesus did after his birth - his life, his death, his resurrection, and his glorious return.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Devotional Thoughts
"Peace on earth, good will to men."
Of course, that isn't exactly what the angels said to the shepherds, but it brings a problem to light. Where is the promise of Christ's coming? Jesus came 2000 years ago and there still isn't peace on earth and there is precious little good will. The world is a mess - a big, fat, stinkin' mess. Did Jesus fail?
Of course not. What we sometimes forget is that Christmas is the beginning of a process that will only be fully realized at the last day when Jesus stands uncontested as King of kings and Lord of lords. If you only look at the Jesus of Christmas you will have a twisted and mistaken view of who he is. He's no cute and sweet baby cooing in a manger. He's not even the "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" that he was during his sojourn on earth. Philippians 2 makes it clear that Jesus veiled his glory for those years of earthly ministry and sacrificial death, but Revelation reveals him in his full glory.
Isaiah 11:1-10 prophesies the coming of the Christ from "Jesse" - the descendant of David. It speaks to the fact that he will be a ruler, the fulfillment of all the promises of the Davidic covenant. this passage is about the glories of the millennium when Jesus has set up his kingdom here on earth and the world runs as God intended. The Lord is come and earth has received her king. Joy to the world! There is justice and peace and joy and love throughout the world.
Christmas can never be understood without looking at the totality of Jesus' work. He came and was born in Bethlehem - glory to God in the highest. But that matters because of what came next. He lived a perfect life, never committing a single sin. He then offered his sinless body to bear the full weight of our sins on himself, paying the price for us. He died, was buried, and rose again as Lord of all. He now sits at the right hand of God and will one day return to establish his reign on earth and wrap the world's history up in glory.
Without the whole story, Christmas is just a sentimental and meaningless holiday - like the Hallmark Channel movies that have proliferated. But when we see Christmas as the opening salvo of the Great War of the Ages, we understand it in all of its glory.
Christmas will be truly and fully celebrated in the future when it's promise is fulfilled and "He rules the world with truth and grace."
Thank you, Father, for the hope of the future that comes through Christ who was promised in Isaiah, born in Bethlehem, died on Calvary, rose in glory, and is coming in power.
Think and Pray
Do you keep Christmas in context or do you tend to fall into the trap of seeing it as a holiday only about a baby born in a manger?
Consider the glory of what lies ahead when "He rules the world" and rejoice in the promise of Christmas.
Carol of the Day
Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her king;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders, wonders, of his love.
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