New Year’s Resolution December 31

Isaiah 11:1-4

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

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 of the fear of the LORD;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

This prophecy is about the lineage of Jesus and how God would establish His kingdom. It is such a touching and humbling scripture that describes a rod or a twig coming from the family of Jesse. A family not known for its wealth would be the family that God would use to usher in His Son. However, Jessie had a son named David, who would eventually become king, and the kingdom would become great, and then, like a mighty oak tree, would be cut down to a stump. The stump represents the remnants of this royal family by the time Jesus was born. Joseph and Mary were descendants of this royal lineage, and history reveals that the wealth was gone. Instead of being a king or a prince, Joseph was a carpenter.

If you look at the tree, Jesus was the twig that came out of the roots, and roots are before the tree, representing Jesus was before time—leaving a little shoot of life to a royal dynasty. But the twig has become the rod that will judge the world. By contrast, in this instance, using the word rod gives us another meaning; instead of being a twig, it has now become a strong staff, a scepter for punishing His enemies, coming from His mouth, a strong branch that will never break. Isaiah prophesied that The Holy Spirit would descend upon Him giving Him these qualities:

A Spirit of wisdom and understanding (insight)

A Spirit of counsel and might (Valor)

A Spirit of knowledge (devotion) and fear (reverence) for the Lord.

Fear, in this case, means reverence; if we learn to live in reverence before the Lord, As Jesus did, we should be able to sense the truth! Jesus said: If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Now, that’s a New Year’s Resolution worth keeping.

He is: El Elyon

God Most High

Blessings