In the opening chapters of the book of Genesis we are told about a garden paradise called Eden. In Genesis 2:8-9 Moses tells us, “8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The garden of Eden as it is described in the pages of scripture sounds amazing. It was full of beauty. It had an abundance of delicious food and fresh water. Based on the dress code in the garden of Eden we get the impression a clear sky and bright sun warmed the days, and a soft gentle breeze cooled the nights. The garden of Eden sounds like an amazing place, but the most amazing thing about it were the relationships that existed in the garden. Everything and everyone lived in perfect harmony. There was no such thing as predator and prey, not among the animals and not among men. Adam loved his wife with the kind of love that made her feel valued and appreciated. In return, the love Eve had for her husband made him feel admired and respected. Further, the harmony that existed in the garden of Eden was not limited to the created things, that same harmony existed between the created and the Creator. We get the impression, in the garden of Eden, man was able to walk beside God as He walked in the garden in the cool of the day.
Eden was a garden paradise where all lived together in perfect harmony. A symbol of that harmony was the tree of life that was planted in the center of the garden. That tree expressed God’s desire to live in harmony with His creation for all eternity. But as you are well aware, Eve and Adam had different desires. Which brings us to our lesson for today.
If the garden of Eden was to be represented by the Tree of Life than the kingdom of Israel was a “1… stump”. It had been a long time since a Goliath had been felled in Israel. The throne, where the wisest man who ever lived once sat, was now occupied by fools. Politically the kingdom was a mess. Infighting had split the kingdom into a northern Kingdom called Israel and a southern kingdom called Judah. This divided kingdom was no longer a world power that was to be feared and respected. As a result, the Assyrians and Babylonians circled around the divided kingdom like sharks circling a wounded seal in open water. Spiritually the kingdom was more than a mess. There were atrocities committed among them that would make a satanist blush, but perhaps the thing that caused the most damage, spiritually speaking, was their apparent lack of interest in the Lord their God. The temple still stood among them, though likely not as well attended as it once had been. They still celebrated the festivals and holidays though I suspect the meanings of those festivals and holidays had long been forgotten as they focused more and more on the social aspects of the events. It was not that the Israelites hated God per say, a texting teenager might describe the Israelite’s attitude toward God with the word “meh”.
God had warned them about their spiritual apathy; He warned them again and again. He sent prophet after prophet to call them to repentance. He told them what would happen to any kingdom that failed to love the Lord their God with all their hearts and all their souls and all their strength. Through the prophet Isaiah, He told them, “the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low.”[1] But they would not listen. I suspect they didn’t really think it would happen. I suspect they saw themselves as mighty oak trees that could not be felled. They were after all the chosen ones; theirs was a kingdom established by God Himself. They were the people of promise. What could possibly happen to them?
Well, first the Assyrians invaded and carried them off into exile then the Babylonians came and reduced their cities to rubble, eventually the Romans came and ruled over the ruins where the kingdom of Israel once stood. Today the king’s cedar lined palace that represented the strength of Israel lies buried beneath a pile of stone and the great gilded temple that represented the status of Israel has become a pagan place of prayer. Because of their stubborn refusal to repent, God has reduced the nation of Israel to a stump.
God reduced the nation of Israel; a people He cared so much about that He led them from slavery in Egypt to the promised land and a house whom He was so fond of that God said it’s first king was “a man after His own heart”[2]; God reduced His chosen people, people of promise, people He loved… to a stump. What do you think He ought to do to you? The same pride that existed in the kingdom of Israel exist among us, does it not? It is your pride that convinces you to gratify the desires of your flesh even though your God warns those desires will destroy you. It is your pride that causes you to put your wants before the needs of others though your God warns doing so will damage if not destroy your relationship with your fellow man. It is your pride that causes you to think I am preaching this sermon to someone else. Again, and again God calls you to repentance. Week after week He tells you what happens to those who fail to love the Lord their God with all their heart and all their souls and all their strength. You see what the Lord did to the kingdom of Israel, what do you think He ought to do to you? Do you think your roots run deeper than theirs; do you think your bark thicker; your branches stronger than theirs!? Do you imagine yourself to be an oak too mighty to be felled?
Do not make the same mistake the kingdom of Israel made or else you too may end up a stump. I beg you, rather, repent of your pride and all its sinful manifestations. Pray for humility which causes you to love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength. Do what Israel failed to do before it is too late.
Then, with repentant hearts, look once more upon the stump of Jesse. Look and see “1 a shoot…”, a twig, a sapling, a baby coming up from the stump of Jesse. I say baby because the shoot Isiah imagines coming up from the stump of Jesse is so obviously a picture of Jesus. In Romans 15 saint Paul recognizes the shoot as Jesus. In Revelation 5 saint John recognizes the shoot is Jesus. But the most convincing evidence of all is found in Revelation 22:6 where Jesus Himself says, “I am the root and the Offspring of David…”. The shoot that comes up from the stump of Jesse is Jesus. Jesus is the promised descendant from the family tree of David (the son of Jesse) who will rule over an everlasting kingdom.
However, Jesus, the shoot of Jesse, is not like the kings of men. Isaiah tells us, “2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him (Jesus) — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—” Isaiah here presents us with three couplets to describe Jesus. Isaiah tells us Jesus is full of “wisdom and understanding”. Jesus understands the situation His subjects are in and He knows what needs to be done about it. Isiah tells us Jesus is full of “counsel and power”. Jesus has a plan to solve the problem His subjects face and He has the ability to carry out that plan. Isaiah tells us Jesus is full of “knowledge and fear”. Jesus’ plan to save His subjects from the situation they got themselves into is in perfect harmony with the heavenly Father’s will. Which of course means Jesus’ plan to save His subjects was bound to be and has been proved to be successful.
To understand what that plan was, let’s jump to verse 10. There Isaiah tells us, “10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” Considering the Spirit of the LORD fills Jesus, It would be easy for us to imagine Him as a proud banner waving high above the kingdoms of the earth. But Jesus invites us to behold a different image. Jesus was lifted up all right. Jesus knew the only way for His sinful subjects to be saved was for Him to be lifted up and so Jesus, the shoot of Jesse allowed himself to be lifted up on the cross. There, on that tree, Jesus paid for all the sinful manifestations of our pride.
The banner of the shoot that comes up from the stump of Jesse may have been torn by thorns, pierced with nails, and stained with blood, but it now flies victoriously over a glorious kingdom. In verses 6-8 Isaiah describes this glorious kingdom by presenting us with a list of predators and prey: wolf-lamb, leopard-goat, lion-calf, bear-cow, cobra-child and then in verse 9 Isaiah tells us these predators, “will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain.” Isaiah describes a kingdom where everything and everyone live in perfect harmony. Isaiah describes a new Eden, a place where predators and prey lay down together, a place where all men and all women love and honor each other, a place where the created and the Creator walk side by side once more.
Obviously, we do not yet live in the glorious kingdom Isaiah describes, but the seeds of the new Eden have already been planted. Because of the shoot that has come up from the stump of Jesse the relationship between us and our God has already been restored and there is inside of us a desire to live in harmony with all men and women. Unfortunately, because of pride this earthly kingdom of which we are currently citizens will never resemble the garden of Eden. But one day Jesus who first came as a shoot from the stump of Jesse will come again to lead us to the garden paradise Isaiah describes. Which is why in the season of Advent we look to the shoot that came up from the stump of Jesse and we pray, Come Lord Jesus – Our Hope. Amen.
[1] Isaiah 10:33
[2] Acts 13:22