“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 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 of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears…Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.” (Isaiah 11:1-3, 5. NKJV) [Read Isaiah 11:1-10]. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:34-36, NKJV)
Continuing the idea of the Righteous Branch from the ‘stem of Jesse,’ King David’s father, Isaiah writes a dynamic prophecy of the coming Messiah and describes His kingdom, full of wisdom and power. How we thrill to the reading of the beautiful Messianic poem in Isaiah 11 when the wolf and the lamb dwell together, unafraid, and all the wild animals are tamed and under control. Of course we realize that this is a symbolic and metaphorical rendering of the reign of Christ, and it goes beyond the earthly time of the Messiah’s life to the everlasting kingdom which is yet to be fulfilled. Isaiah pictures the future Divine Ruler in three aspects: perfect in intellectual endowment (wisdom and understanding), perfect in practical qualities (counsel and might), and perfect in religious spirit (knowledge and the fear of the Lord) which crowns all the other gifts of wisdom and power. The girdle about His loins indicates that He is ever ready to bring about righteousness and faithfulness. In John’s affirmation of the Messiah, he declares Jesus as sent from God, full of righteousness and power, able to save, and God “has given all things into His hand” (John 3:35).
I am reading a Christian classic book entitled Abiding in Christ by the Rev. Andrew Murray, born in 1828 in South Africa and for many years a pastor and missionary there. The thesis of his book is that we readily accept the invitation Christ extends, “Come to Me” (Matthew 11:28). But we sorely neglect His second invitation which allows us to tap into His wonderful resources of wisdom and power. That invitation is “Abide in Me” (John 15:4). Jesus desires that we come to Him, and especially that we abide in Him. Murray writes: “Who would be content, after seeking the King’s palace, to stand in the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King’s presence, and share with Him in all the glory of His royal life? Let us enter in and abide, and enjoy fully all the rich supply His wondrous love has prepared for us!” (p. 15-16). How can we more closely ‘abide in Him’? First, cast off the shackles that prevent abiding: unfaithfulness to Him with no time set aside for regular Bible study and prayer; busyness that prevents our taking time to seek the Lord and abide in His presence; failure to recognize that abiding in Him is a priority for the Christian life. Then, after determining that we must take time to “abide in Him,” Murray gives strong suggestions for how we can do that: “Come, fellow believers, and let us day by day place ourselves at His feet, and meditate on this Word of His with an eye fixed on Him alone. Let us set ourselves in quiet trust before Him, waiting to hear His holy voice—the still, small voice that is mightier than the storm that breaks the rocks—breathing its life-giving spirit within us as he speaks, ‘Abide in Me.’ (p. 17).
A new year is about to dawn. Can we make a resolution (and keep it!) to more closely ‘Abide in Him’ the coming year, and learn more of His wisdom and power that He wants to bestow upon us? Murray declares: “The soul that hears Jesus himself speak the Word receives with the Word the power to accept and to hold the blessing He offers” (p. 17). May we draw close to Him, abide in Him. It’s the only safe place to be in the perilous times in which we live.
c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, December 10, 2010
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