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Jesse Tree Advent: How Abraham Points to Jesus (December 5)
With the advent of Christ, we Gentiles have been grafted into the people of Israel. We now have entered into the glorious fold of eternal blessing and promise. We now by faith, receive the Lord - our exceedingly great reward.
The concept of the Jesse Tree originates from Isaiah 11:1, which prophesies, "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of His roots." The branch, serving as a biblical emblem of renewal amid adversity, becomes a means to discuss the anticipated Messiah. It symbolizes Jesus the Christ, fully God and fully man, full of grace and truth.
These devotions aim to unravel the narrative of God in the Old Testament, linking the Advent Season to God's steadfastness.
"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless...Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."
Genesis 15:1-6 NKJV
In the quiet stillness of the night, Abram found himself alone with his thoughts, pondering the promises of the Lord. The word of God came to him in a vision, a whisper that resonated through the depths of his being, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
Yet, Abram, burdened by the weight of unfulfilled longing, spoke the unspoken ache of his heart to the Lord. "What will You give me, seeing I go childless?" The promise of having all the families of the earth blessed through him seemed distant and elusive.
In a tender response, the Lord led Abram outside, beneath the canvas of the night sky. "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them," the Lord urged. "So shall your descendants be."
In that sacred moment, Abram faced a choice – a choice between doubt and belief, between fear and faith. And in the quiet of the night, Abram believed in the Lord, his trust reaching beyond the boundaries of earthly understanding.
Abraham, the father of faith, points us to a greater promise fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. In Him, all the families of the Earth are blessed. Jesus was the promised reward.
With the advent of Christ, we Gentiles have been grafted into the people of Israel. We now have entered into the glorious fold of eternal blessing and promise. We now by faith, receive the Lord - our exceedingly great reward.
Jesse Tree Advent: How Noah Points to Jesus (December 4)
Just as Noah was saved from the judgment of sin by the wood of the Ark, so shall all who call on the name of Jesus be saved by the wood of the cross soaked in the Savior’s blood.
The concept of the Jesse Tree originates from Isaiah 11:1, which prophesies, "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of His roots." The branch, serving as a biblical emblem of renewal amid adversity, becomes a means to discuss the anticipated Messiah. It symbolizes Jesus the Christ, fully God and fully man, full of grace and truth.
These devotions aim to unravel the narrative of God in the Old Testament, linking the Advent Season to God's steadfastness.
“So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth…And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.”
Genesis 9:1, 12-13
There came a time early in human history when the wickedness of man was so great that God’s heart was deeply grieved. He was sorry to have made man on the earth. The time had come for Him to judge sin. God sent rain and the world flooded, destroying all the people and animals that were not on the ark.
Though sin was judged, it was not yet defeated. God would keep His promise to send His Son to defeat sin and death once and for all.
When the flood waters receded and Noah finally left the Ark, he built an altar to worship the Lord who had saved him (Genesis 8:20). God called this worship “a soothing aroma” (Genesis 8:21.) In response to Noah’s faith, obedience, and worship, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a perpetual reminder that He would never destroy the Earth with a flood again.
The covenant God made with Noah renewed the blessing of fruitfulness despite man's sin.
Noah was a type of the Savior, saving the natural life of all found within the Ark. Little did he know that one day, Jesus would bring supernatural life to all found hidden in Him.
Just as Noah was saved from the judgment of sin by the wood of the Ark, so shall all who call on the name of Jesus be saved by the wood of the cross soaked in the Savior’s blood.
The outpouring of the flood in Noah’s day foreshadowed the new birth to come from the outpouring of blood and water from the Savior’s side.
Jesus, thank You that You love us and keep Your promises. May we, like Noah in the Ark, be found hidden in You. May our only response be worship unto You, Jesus. Thank You for Your marvelous work upon the cross.
Jesse Tree Advent: How The Fall Points to Jesus (December 3)
Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). God had given them everything, yet they listened to the voice of the accuser and believed that God was holding back from them. In eating of the fruit they committed the original sin and the gates of Heaven were closed to all mankind.
Yet, man was not abandoned by God. The Father promised a coming Savior and Redeemer.
The concept of the Jesse Tree originates from Isaiah 11:1, which prophesies, "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of His roots." The branch, serving as a biblical emblem of renewal amid adversity, becomes a means to discuss the anticipated Messiah. It symbolizes Jesus the Christ, fully God and fully man, full of grace and truth.
These devotions aim to unravel the narrative of God in the Old Testament, linking the Advent Season to God's steadfastness.
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”
Genesis 3:1-6
Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). God had given them everything, yet they listened to the voice of the accuser and believed that God was holding back from them. In eating of the fruit they committed the original sin and the gates of Heaven were closed to all mankind.
Yet, man was not abandoned by God. The Father promised a coming Savior and Redeemer.
“So the Lord God said to the serpent…
I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”Genesis 3:14-15
We are told of the "New Adam" who will have victory over sin. He is to be the devil's conqueror. He will crush the head of the wicked serpent. By His blood, He binds the strong man to plunder Hell and populate Heaven (Luke 11:21-22.)
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The slain and risen Lamb has conquered you! Death has been completely destroyed by the Death of Christ!
This victory of Jesus has given us greater blessings than those which sin had taken from us.
Jesus, by Your death we have life. Death has been swallowed up in Your victory. May we die to ourselves and live for You. Thank You, Jesus, O Glorious Redeemer.
Jesse Tree Advent: How Adam Points to Jesus (December 2)
Out of all creation, mankind is the only work that God personally put His hands to; every other creation He spoke into existence. Imagine Adam’s first waking moment. The first time he opens his eyes, he is face-to-face with God breathing life into him. He was made to fellowship with God and worship Him.
The concept of the Jesse Tree originates from Isaiah 11:1, which prophesies, "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of His roots." The branch, serving as a biblical emblem of renewal amid adversity, becomes a means to discuss the anticipated Messiah. It symbolizes Jesus the Christ, fully God and fully man, full of grace and truth.
These devotions aim to unravel the narrative of God in the Old Testament, linking the Advent Season to God's steadfastness.
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Genesis 2:7-9
Out of all creation, mankind is the only work that God personally put His hands to; every other creation He spoke into existence. Imagine Adam’s first waking moment. The first time he opens his eyes, he is face-to-face with God breathing life into him. He was made to fellowship with God and worship Him.
Jesus is called the "last Adam" because He ushered in the new creation through His incarnation, sinless life, sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. He restored all humanity to the grace of fellowship with God.
2 Corinthians 4:6 reads, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Like Adam, we too can behold the face of God in the Person of Jesus Christ. God is restoring Eden in our hearts by undoing the effects of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We now, by faith, eat the fruit of the tree of life - the body of Christ.
Jesus, help us to behold You. Help us to live in the new creation reality. Shine into our hearts and give to us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. Restore Eden in our hearts that we may fellowship with You and worship You.
Jesse Tree Advent: How Creation Points to Jesus (December 1)
God is the creator of all things. By speaking creation into being, God demonstrated His matchless creativity through all that was made. The beauty of our Creator’s gift gives us something to marvel at every day. Yet, in the midst of all creation, something stood far above everything else - God Himself. The greatest gift He has ever given us was Himself.
The concept of the Jesse Tree originates from Isaiah 11:1, which prophesies, "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of His roots." The branch, serving as a biblical emblem of renewal amid adversity, becomes a means to discuss the anticipated Messiah. It symbolizes Jesus the Christ, fully God and fully man, full of grace and truth.
These devotions aim to unravel the narrative of God in the Old Testament, linking the Advent Season to God's steadfastness.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”
Genesis 1:1-3
God is the creator of all things. By speaking creation into being, God demonstrated His matchless creativity through all that was made. The beauty of our Creator’s gift gives us something to marvel at every day. Yet, in the midst of all creation, something stood far above everything else - God Himself. The greatest gift He has ever given us was Himself.
John 1 tells us that Jesus was present at creation with the Father and the Holy Spirit (from the beginning we see the Triune God.) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Before His first advent, He was. He always has been. He always will be.
Let’s slowly read a few Scriptures together in order to prepare our hearts to be ravished by His first advent.
Genesis 1:1-3 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”
John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Jesus, would You shine into the darkness of our hearts? We want the light of life to illuminate the depths and caverns of our souls. In this Advent season may we fall more in love with You. Amen.