Advent: A Calendar of Devotions

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Reading: Isaiah 11

“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. he 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 asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, the hostility of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be hostile towards Ephraim. But they shall swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west, together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt; and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching wind; and will split it into seven channels, and make a way to cross on foot; so there shall be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that is left of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.”

This week the word we use during Advent is HOPE! We are in HOPE for the Christ child to be born and the Second coming of Christ to take His children home, home to the Kingdom He has prepared for all believers. My prayer for all of us journeying this Advent season is that in the midst of waiting in anticipation for the baby to be born fulfilling the prophecies and promised foretold in the Old Testament but yo also not lose sight of the Second coming of Christ also promised in the Old Testament and preached by the Disciples of the New Testament. What a glorious coming to all believers. Keep your HOPE active and alive in the present along with seeking it in the future. My the HOPE of Jesus shine in you, through you and around you this beautiful season.

Prayer:

Prince of Peace, we await your return. In our waiting, let our preparations for your return be favorable in your eyes. May our witness to your love and grace invite others to join the kigdom-building work you have invited us to be a part of. ~Amen.

~ Peace & Hope~

References:

https://artandtheology.org/tag/isaiah-11/

https://www.biblegateway.com/