Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year 2016 | Page 31

Monday—December 19th

O Come, Root of Jesse
Isaiah 11:10
If you have ever tried to get rid of a bamboo tree, you know it is hard work. You can remove
every shoot and sapling, but that bamboo will return as long as it has its roots. Once the roots
are in place, bamboo will grow and spread. The roots make bamboo difficult to contain.
God planted a promise in the Garden of Eden. God created humankind to be the crown of his
creation, but they soon spoiled the fruit of his labor. Sin was passed down from generation to
generation. From your own experiences you know sin has been a constant part of your life.
Yet, God doesn’t want people to suffer what their sins deserve, so he promised Adam and Eve
a Savior from their offspring. That Savior would crush Satan’s power and conquer sin’s curse.
As new generations were born, God gave more details about his deeply rooted promise. The
Savior would be a descendant of Jesse, the father of David. David’s family tree is important;
the Savior is attached to it. During the reign of David, his family tree looked healthy and
strong. If you fast forward 500 years, it was a stump. The kingdom of Judah had been
destroyed and no king in the line of David could be found.
But David’s family tree had deep roots. God’s promise never died. This promise’s roots are far
more persistent than bamboo’s. Around 1,000 years after David, David’s Lord was born to
Mary. God kept his promise to send a Savior.
Jesus’ work was successful. He suffered your punishment and pardoned your sin. He rose from
the dead and promises you paradise. He sends his Holy Spirit in God’s Word and grafts new
people into his family tree. The roots run deep. His family tree towers over every other
dynasty. Best of all, Jesus’ family tree includes you. Through faith, he grafted you to be a part
of God’s family, and a part of his glorious victory.
PRAYER:
O, come, O Root of Jesse, free Your own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell your people sa ve, And bring them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel! Amen;
ACTIVITY:
Jesus has roots. So do you. For your activity: 1) Trace your family tree and note your country
of origin. 2) Discover how your ancestry has been grafted into God’s family. What prominent
missionaries first brought Christianity to your culture? Try to find the opportunities and
challenges those missionaries faced. 3) Pray that God would help equip you to assist efforts to
connect the next generation to Jesus’ family tree. Look for opportunities to serve in your
family and church.

31