Messiah: Rod of Jesse, Full of Wisdom and Power

“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

Parable of the Children in the Marketplace

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at Him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:16-19, ESV) [See parable as recorded in Luke 7:31-35.]

One of Jesus’ lesser-known parables is this one about children playing in the marketplace. We must keep in mind that Jesus is using this story to paint a picture of the holier-than-thou Pharisees and religious leaders who made sure the outside of the cup and platter were clean and polished while the inside was ‘full of extortion and excess’ (see Matthew 23:23-28). It was about adults, not children, playing at religion just as children play their pretend games of weddings and funerals in the public streets.

Jesus rebukes those who are pleased with neither John the Baptist nor Himself. Like children at play, they are offended and are nit-picking. Like the children, the Pharisees are only playing at religion in their much-observed ceremonies that must follow the letter of the law. Like children, they are unable to agree. Do they want a very astute and straight-laced person, one who abstains from all worldly pleasure as John the Baptist who chose to minister in the wilderness? Or do they want a people-person like Jesus Christ who was not afraid to associate with ‘publicans and sinners’? Neither John’s ascetic way of life (the music of the dirge) nor Christ’s joyous, full, associations-with-humans life (the music of the flute for a dance) pleased them. Since they are not in earnest themselves, nothing that is true, sincere and non-play-acting can please them.

Today is Sunday. I pray we will study and worship at our respective churches. Are we, like the religious leaders, and like the story of the children in the marketplace, pretending to worship, play-acting our religion before the all-knowing God we serve? Jesus was talking to the Pharisees when He gave the parable of the children in the marketplace. But His Word is relevant to us, too. “Wisdom is justified of her children”—that is, what genuine religion is proven by our lives? What signs are there of piety and truth in our lives? It is time for self-examination. Only we know whether confession and repentance are necessary. Will we stop play-acting and mean business with the Lord?

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, August 29, 2010

Discipline Required in Sundry Relationships

“To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction. The Lord approves of those who are good, but He condemns those who plan wickedness. Wickedness never brings stability; only the godly have deep roots. A worthy wife is her husband’s joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength.” (Proverbs 12:1-4, NLT). [Read Proverbs 12]

As we move through Proverbs, if you’re reading the entire chapter each day as suggested, you will note that we are now in a section (chapters 10 – 22) that contain sage teachings on many subjects. The statements are in the usual Hebrew poetic parallelism (as I have mentioned), and the subjects change almost verse by verse. It is difficult, therefore, to select verses on which to concentrate for a brief devotional, or even to give a subject to the passage being considered. The subject I select day by day is just from my own observation and not necessarily a cover-all for the chapter at hand. But as I read and reread as carefully as possible the exemplary advice in Proverbs 12, it seemed that discipline was involved in all the relationships mentioned. A Christian, of all persons, should lead a disciplined life. Jesus spoke of it when He taught: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, KJV). In this inviting passage, Jesus spoke of His yoke (discipline to help us be “in harness” for Him) as being “easy”. Another way of terming Jesus’s discipline is to say His yoke fits the Christian and does not chafe or cause discomfort while we work with, for and alongside Him. The New Living Translation gives Proverbs 12:1 in rather blunt terms: “it is stupid to hate correction.”

I have, to date, five wonderful great grandchildren. Let me use them as an example of discipline administered to very young children of this generation. I am grateful that their parents (my grandchildren and their spouses) are teamed up to give positive and nurturing discipline. The results I see are little ones who recognize parameters of allowable and non-permitted behavior. Parents are consistent in requirements and make good use of setting rules and requiring “time out” for untoward behavior. Discipline is always important. Without discipline, there is a question of whether children are truly loved. In all of the 28 verses of Proverbs 12, discipline is evidenced in each relationship or action cited. It would take too long to list strong synonyms for discipline; a few are self-control, self-restraint, diligence, correction, training, order, chastisement. The writer of Hebrews, likewise, knew the value of discipline: “My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes those He accepts as his children” (Hebrews 12:5-6, NLV). Discipline is required in all human relationships: marriage, family, child-rearing, learning, work and social interaction. Otherwise, chaos exists.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Saturday, July 10, 2010

God Gives Rest

“Come unto Me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” -Matt. 11:28-30

Last week I studied the book of Philippians. As I came across verses that I had underlined from years past in my much-used and ‘dog-eared” favorite Bible, I wrote something about these verses in “My Daily Devotional Journal.”

This week, as I still deal with my beloved husband’s very serious illness, and draw closer to time of our earthly parting, I am taking much succor from passages in my Bible that have been marked, underlined, sometimes marginal notes telling who preached on the verses, where, when and what the subject and outline was. I thank God for such a rich store of comfort as I relive even sermons my husband himself preached in years past.

I began reading Ruth Graham’s (the daughter of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham) book this week Fear Not Tomorrow, God Is Already There. That motto had hung above Ruth Bell Graham’s desk for as long as the younger Ruth could remember. When daughter Ruth was going through a great crisis in her own life, her mother mailed the motto as a gift to her hurting daughter. Ruth began to reflect on the truth of God being in all of our tomorrows, regardless of where we are in our life journey. She has written a whole book on how God is already ahead of us in the future, preparing what is best for His children. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is as close as breathing, ready to provide rest and help in whatever circumstance. When my body is tired from long hours of caregiving, God gives me uninterrupted sleep and rest. When I need a word of encouragement, someone calls, sends a card, reassures me of their prayers, tells me they love Grover and me. Just like the Scripture promises, “His yoke is easy and His burden is light!”

How grateful I am that the verses from my past Bible studies are now nudging me on a daily basis to re-establish God’s unfailing promises and to give me rest and assurance. How faithful is our Almighty God! In the words of the Laurie Klein chorus, I sing: “I love you Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You, O my soul, rejoice! Take joy, my King, in what You hear: may it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.” Selah!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, January 21, 2010