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1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORDas the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. (Isaiah 11:1-11 NIV)
Our first home in Houston was an apartment that bordered an empty lot where remnants of concrete steps, and other clues that the original building had fallen to some sort of catastrophe. We would learn later that it was a huge home that burned down to the ground and one of the victims in that fire had been a baby, whose cries we heard on the anniversary night of the fire. But I share this, not to scare you, but to remind you that death was all you could see on this lot. The building was gone, leaving only steps. The overgrowth was of weeds and trees, but death had clearly won. Yes, there were a couple of stumps of where large trees had once had life. A stump is a natural headstone to the life that once was the tree. The once-was is now a goodbye monument. But as the prophet speaks of what is to come; this Advent event, he says that out of that stump will come life; a branch will bear fruit; and not only fruit, this branch will have the Spirit of the Lord resting upon Him; a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of might; a Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord. Advent is the season of waiting for the impossible; a new start after the final goodbye. The Davidic dynasty, which seemed so glorious under David and Solomon, has been reduced to a stump through disobedience, defeat, and exile. The royal family that once ruled from Jerusalem's palace now lives in obscurity in Bethlehem, Jesse's hometown. Everything appears over. But Isaiah prophesies that from this dead-looking stump, a shoot will emerge—tender, green, alive, growing. This is the essence of Advent hope: God specializes in bringing life from death, renewal from ruins, future from failure. The Branch that will bear fruit doesn't come from the tree at its height but from the stump at its lowest point. Christmas celebrates that when God seemed most absent, when His promises seemed most broken, when hope seemed most foolish—that's precisely when He acted. The shoot from Jesse's stump is Jesus, born not in a palace but in a stable, not to earthly power but in humility, fulfilling ancient promises in unexpected ways.
Isaiah then describes what will rest upon this Branch: "The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord." This is the sevenfold Spirit, the fullness of God's presence and power resting permanently on the coming King. Not visiting occasionally or empowering temporarily, but resting—dwelling, remaining, abiding. At Jesus' baptism, the Spirit descends and remains on Him like a dove, confirming Isaiah's prophecy. This King will have wisdom—seeing reality as God sees it; understanding—discerning the heart of matters; counsel—giving perfect guidance; might—possessing the power to accomplish God's purposes; knowledge of the Lord—intimate relationship with the Father; and fear of the Lord—proper reverence and obedience. "And he will delight in the fear of the Lord." Most rulers delight in power, wealth, or acclaim. This King delights in honoring God, in doing the Father's will, in living in reverent submission. During Advent, we prepare to celebrate the arrival of a King unlike any other—one whose greatness comes from His perfect relationship with God, whose power flows from the Spirit's fullness, whose reign is characterized by wisdom rather than force.
The passage then describes how this Spirit-empowered King will rule: "He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth." Human judges can be fooled by appearances, swayed by testimony, corrupted by bribes, or blinded by prejudice. But this King sees with supernatural discernment, judging with perfect righteousness. And notice His priorities: the needy and the poor. Most kings throughout history have served the wealthy and powerful who keep them in office. This King champions those with no voice, no influence, no resources to reward Him. "He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked." His weapon isn't a sword but His word—speaking truth that exposes lies, pronouncing judgments that cannot be appealed, declaring reality that cannot be denied. "Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist." In ancient warfare, the belt held weapons and kept garments secure for battle. This King's weapons are righteousness—always doing what's right—and faithfulness—always keeping His word. These aren't external decorations but the very things that hold His character together and equip Him for His mission.
Then Isaiah paints a vision of the peace this King will establish: "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them." This describes the reversal of the curse in Genesis 3, when violence and predation entered creation. In the King's kingdom, natural enemies dwell in peace. The predator no longer threatens the prey. "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox." Even carnivores become herbivores—violence is transformed at its roots. "The infant will play near the cobra's den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper's nest." The most vulnerable—infants and children—will be safe even among the most dangerous creatures. "They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." This is the ultimate explanation: when the knowledge of the Lord fills the earth as water fills the sea—completely, thoroughly, everywhere—violence ends. Peace comes not through superior weapons or enforced treaties but through universal recognition of God's lordship. The passage concludes: "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious." The shoot from the stump becomes a banner—a rallying point for all nations, not just Israel. This King's kingdom knows no ethnic, geographic, or cultural boundaries. His peace extends to all peoples.
During Advent, we light candles in darkness, singing about peace on earth while watching news of wars and violence. Isaiah's vision reminds us that the peace we long for isn't achieved through human effort or political maneuvering—it comes through the reign of the Spirit-empowered King born in Bethlehem. Jesus' first coming initiated this kingdom; His return will complete it. We live in the "already but not yet"—the kingdom has come in Jesus, but it hasn't yet come in its fullness. We've tasted the peace, witnessed the reconciliation, experienced the transformation, but we still await the day when the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as waters cover the sea. Advent calls us to be people who believe in the shoot from the stump, who trust that God brings life from death, who live as citizens of a coming kingdom of perfect peace, and who rally to the banner of the King who will make all things right.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, shoot from Jesse's stump and Branch that bears fruit, we worship You as the Spirit-empowered King who brings life from death and establishes peace through righteousness—during this Advent season, help us live as people who believe Your kingdom is coming, working for justice and peace now while we wait for the day when the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as waters cover the sea, in Your name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This Advent, choose one area of conflict or division in your life—whether personal, relational, or communal—and take one concrete step toward peace, living as a citizen of the coming kingdom where the wolf dwells with the lamb and enemies become friends under the reign of the Prince of Peace.
I love you and I thank God for you. You matter to God and you matter to me. Be the life people are seeking in your thoughts, words, and actions. You are a blessing of life!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
