2025 Carol Sing Devotional

Well, I want you to imagine coming to a place where once a great tree had stood and then finding it reduced to a stump. I think there's something sobering about that, heavy. It's like a loss that cannot be replaced. I mean, just imagine if you were to show up to church and that big oak out front was gone, nothing but a stump. But even since before this church was even built, that tree has been there filling the landscape. It's hard to imagine even the front of our church without it. Just imagine how jarring it would be to find a stump there instead.

In fact, even in places in scripture, we sometimes hear of geographic locations being identified by trees. One of the first places Abraham comes to in the promised land is somewhere in the region of Shechem, and it's identified as he came to the oak of Morah. Elsewhere, we read of the oak of Zeanonim, the oak of Tabor, the terebinth at Orphra. And the point is, you know, these trees were so old, so conspicuous, that they were like permanent identifying markers of the landscape. I mean, generations could identify places just by the trees that were there.

And so the point I want to drive home is that, you know, to find what was once a great tree reduced to a stump, it's an evocative image, somewhat shocking, somewhat sad, somewhat hopeless. It represents something irreplaceable. It kind of marks the end of an age, so to speak. And this is the image Isaiah uses here to describe the Davidic dynasty. About 300 years before, King David had been anointed from among Jesse's sons, and he had risen to become king of Israel. And his reign had lifted Israel to new heights. Under David, the Philistines were finally subdued. Israel experienced great military success and economic prosperity. Most importantly, David, as king, was also the sweet psalmist of Israel, leading the people to worship the Lord. And even though he faced seasons of great trial and difficulty, in the end, he endured. In the end, his son Solomon was then established on his throne and Israel experienced even greater peace and prosperity. And so like a mighty tree, the Davidic dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Solomon.

But since that point, things began to decline. Solomon's son Rehoboam acted foolishly, causing the ten northern tribes to secede, splitting the kingdom, drastically reducing its size. Many subsequent kings were not faithful to the Lord. And even those who were, were not as faithful as David. So the overall morality and covenant faithfulness of the people declined.

And something like a fatal rot that has infected a tree that just is slowly dying, the eventual downfall of the Davidic dynasty became inevitable. And so by the 700s BC, when Isaiah proclaims his prophecy, he knows that ruin is upon them. And whether the rest of the people could see it yet or not, Isaiah proclaims that the Davidic dynasty will be reduced to a stump. They will all be dragged off into exile. There will no longer even be a throne on which a son of David can sit.

New hope and life

And yet it's into this bleak and hopeless looking situation that Isaiah prophesies,

there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

In fact, we do sometimes see that in nature. It's a pretty amazing phenomenon. You can have this great tree cut down. It looks completely dead and gone. And yet out of the stump, this shoot sprouts forth. Life returns through the roots. And Isaiah is saying here, that's what it's going to be like for the house of David. There shall come forth a shoot from Jesse's stump.

Now, why do you think he uses the word Jesse here instead of David? Why not, a shoot will come from the stump of David? Well, I think it's to emphasize how utterly unexpected this will be. I mean, for a shoot to arise from the stump of David still might be surprising, but not that surprising because we already think of David as someone great. But I think here to say Jesse reminds us of David's own origins. Back when the prophet Samuel was first sent to that obscure little town of Bethlehem, God had told him that he was to anoint one of Jesse's sons to be king. And so Jesse brings seven sons before David, and one by one, they're all rejected. Finally, Samuel's like, well, do you have any more sons? And Jesse says, well, there's one more, the youngest, who's with the sheep. And so David the youngest is brought, David who even his own father didn't expect him to be king. Jesse himself was a nobody, and yet from the youngest son of a nobody from nowhere, God had provided for himself a king.

And so when we read here that from the shoot, that the shoot will arise from the stump of Jesse, it does mean that yes, there's a king who's going to be a descendant of David who's going to come. But I think it emphasizes that he will yet come from the most unexpected of places when all hope seems lost. God will cause this new hope and life to spring from this dead and forgotten stump. And from this seemingly hopeless and unexpected origin. It says this shoot will also grow and bear fruit, right?

A branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And this is hinting at the greatness that will follow. The branch that springs forth isn't destined just to be, you know, a bush that stays small forever, nor is it going to be a tree that grows tall but then gets felled again. No, it will grow and thrive and last and bear fruit. The Davidic dynasty, though reduced to a stump, will yet grow and ascend to heights greater than ever before. That's Isaiah's prophecy. That's what God is promising here. And as I said, this was spoken in the 700s BC. So how have we seen the fulfillment?

From cradle to cross to crown

Well, after Isaiah's day, the nation's dissent did in fact continue. There were some good kings like Hezekiah, but ultimately king after king fails in unfaithfulness. King Jehoiachin is ultimately dragged off as a prisoner to Babylon along with all the treasures from the temple. Then Zedekiah replaces him as king for a time, but ultimately he too is besieged and overtaken by the Babylonians. The last thing Zedekiah saw was his sons being put to death and then his own eyes were gouged out and he was taken to Babylon in chains. And so truly the house of David was reduced to a stump.

And yet then after roughly 600 years of exile, 600 years of oppression, 600 years of even false kings like King Herod, the Christmas story takes place. We read of Joseph and Mary, shepherds watching their fields by night, of a little baby born in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem because there was no room for them in the inn. And so from this seemingly dead, desolate stump, you know, in what seems just overlooked and forgotten, this shoot springs forth right there in Jesse and David's own hometown. This special child is born, descended from the line of David, and God once again provides for himself a king.

And yet this king is not just to be like David, not just to ascend to the heights of David. This is a king so far superior to David that even David himself had prophesied,

the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

He's the one who, as Isaiah 11 continues on, it says,

he will have the spirit of the Lord resting upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

He will be a king whose delight will be in the fear of the Lord, not just most of the time, like David. but always and forever and perfectly as the promised Christ. He will with righteousness judge for the poor of the earth and with equity decide for the meek. He will avenge all wickedness and bring righteousness and peace to the earth.

And that's because though he is descended from David and though he will reign on David's throne, Yet he is more than David ever was. He is the Lord of heaven, the son of God himself. As Isaiah had told us just two chapters before this, in chapter nine, verse six, he said,

for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And then like a great growing tree, listen to how his governance is described just in the very next verse. Isaiah 9, 7, it says

of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

In other words, that little shoot will grow and bear fruit, the fruit of an everlasting and all-expansive kingdom of God on the earth.

And so as we turn to the pages of the New Testament, we read about the coming of this child. And as one author put it,

the coming of Christ from cradle to cross to crown.

We see the Word of God made flesh and dwelling among us. born in a manger, yet worshiped by kings. We see how Jesus of Nazareth was indeed anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, just as Isaiah 11 prophesied, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

We see how he who was so great, he who was from heaven, yet humbled himself, not only by becoming like us in every way, yet without sin, but by humbling himself yet further, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And therefore we see that God highly exalts him, raising him from the dead, rising him up to his own right hand and giving him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, to the glory of God the Father, truly from cradle to cross to crown.

This is the shoot that has grown up out of the stump of Jesse to tower above every other tree and every mountain and every other thing so that Jesus Christ alone might be exalted in the last day. As Ephesians 1 tells us,

God has put all things under his feet.

So that's the prophecy and that's the fulfillment

Salvation is ours in Christ

What does all this mean for you and I tonight? Well, I've got four concluding applications. And the first is this, all this means that salvation is ours in Christ. Especially if you're here tonight and you're not a Christian, maybe you're not very familiar with the Bible, you don't know a lot about what we believe as Christians. What all this means at the end of the day is that you can be saved from your sins. That if you repent of your sins and you trust in Christ, there is a savior. There is a king reigning in heaven who will forgive you and will welcome you into his kingdom.

You see, our sins have separated us from God. They've shut us out from his kingdom and his presence. They've merited his judgment and the sentence of hell. God, in his great love for us, gave his son to come and to die and to rise again. so that our sins can be paid for, the punishment for our sins can be meted out, and we can be forgiven and saved. You see, all of our efforts, just like Israel's, have amounted to a stump in the ground. We are hopeless in and of ourselves in our sin. But the message of the gospel is a message of salvation based entirely on what God has done, of the new hope, the life, the salvation that he gives. through the coming of this shoot of Jesse, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

So first and foremost, let us repent and believe and receive salvation through Christ.

Trust in God's faithfulness

Second application, I think this teaches us to trust in God's faithfulness, to fulfill his promises, and to accomplish his purposes, even and especially when all hope seems lost. I mean, that's the image that should conjure up. We see a stump, we think this is dead. You know, there was this great past and it's been ruined. What hope could come? And yet God is promising that he is the one who will bring about new hope, new life, a new salvation.

And even when, you know, as we think about the Christmas story and we think about how just unlikely, how impossible it all seems, I mean, even today, we just, we marvel at the mystery of it all. And it shows us that God is a God who is utterly faithful, who keeps his word, who fulfills his promises.

And so maybe tonight you're here and something about your future worries you. Maybe you look at your life and you feel like you have suffered loss. It just feels like there's stumps in your life of loss and hopelessness. Be reminded tonight that God's promises are sure and cannot fail. If you are in Christ, God has promised that he's working all things together for your good. He's promised us he will never leave us or forsake us. He's promised to satisfy us with his goodness. He's promised to sanctify us, to finish the good work he's begun in us. He promises to give us the wisdom we need for whatever situation or circumstances we find ourselves in. He promises that He won't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to bear, but will always provide the way of escape.

And maybe you are tempted at times to doubt those promises, to feel like your life, your situation is hopeless. Well, as you think about Advent, as you think about Christ and His coming, think about the faithfulness of God, the God who brings a new shoot out of a stump. And remember that ultimately, no matter what happens in this life, ultimately Christ himself will come again to take us to himself, that we might be with him and with the Father forever. I mean, Christmas and this Advent season is first and foremost a call to hope.

Humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God

Number three, third application. I think this teaches us that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. You know, we ought to ask ourselves, why was the Davidic dynasty reduced to a stump in the first place? And the answer is their own stubbornness and pride. I mean, kings refused to obey. People refused to trust. The nation as a whole sought their own glory more than the Lord's. And because God opposes the proud, we read there at the end of chapter 10, right before our text, that

the Lord God will lop off the boughs with terrifying power. The great in height will be hewn down and the lofty will be brought low.

If you go back to chapter two in Isaiah, it says,

the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up, against all the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan, against all the lofty mountains and every high tower. The haughtiness of man shall be humbled and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

I mean, ultimately, we could say David's dynasty became a stump because of the pride of men. And it shows us the futility and the fruitlessness of us trying to establish a kingdom of our own. As Jesus said,

I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me, you'll bear much fruit. But apart from me, you can do nothing.

And so as we think tonight about the coming of Christ, about the way that it wasn't by any human working or human ingenuity, but by the power and the grace of God alone, let it remind us to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand. That whatever desires you feel, whatever situations you find yourself in, even when you don't get what you want, even when you're in a situation where you face great suffering, trust and obey. I mean, humble yourself under God's mighty hand by trusting him and obeying him because there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. And God in his time will be the one in his way to exalt us.

Hope in the consummation of Christ's kingdom

And then a fourth and a final point of application. I think this text encourages us to hope in the consummation of Christ's kingdom. As we've already seen, the stump has already sprouted, the tree has already grown, Christ has already been exalted to the right hand of the Father. And yet, as we keep reading in Isaiah 11, we see that there is more to come.

For example, look ahead to verses six through nine. Notice that it describes a day when every predator is tamed, when every source of division, evil, and death is no more. It says,

the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, 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. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.

In other words, perfect peace and righteousness will fill the earth. And how will that be?

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Now friends, we don't see that yet, but one day we will. And so tonight, as we remember Christ's first coming, You know, we celebrate Christmas and the advent of His birth. Well, it's also time to look ahead to His return, to remember His second coming, His second advent, to remember that as assuredly as God was faithful to His promise that He would cause that stump to sprout and that God then raised up the root of Jesse, to stand as that great signal for the nations, that the gospel would go forth, that people would come flooding in from all around the earth. God will also be faithful to cause the knowledge of the Lord to fill this earth just as the waters cover the sea.

That's the future that we look forward to. That's the hope we share, even in any trial, any discouragement, every hardship. And therefore, as Christ's people, let us be a people who are hopeful, who are joyful, who are looking forward to what God has promised, even as we remember what God has already done in the coming of Christ this Christmas.

Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you so much that you are the God who has caused that shoot to sprout from the stump of Jesse, a branch to grow that will bear fruit. God, we thank you that in your great love and faithfulness, you have called us and you've given us this wonderful message of the gospel. You've given us this wonderful time to reflect and to remember the coming of Christ and to look forward to his return. Lord, we pray that you would use this Christmas season to refresh our awe, to strengthen our faith, to give us resolve to be a faithful, obedient people that live for your glory. We pray all of this in Jesus' name, amen.