More than a Stump

All that was left was a stump, but wait a minute. That's not completely accurate. There was also a promise, a prophecy that, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, a branch from his roots shall bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1) The stump represented what was left of the glorious kingdom God had built through David, Jesse's son. That kingdom had been devastated as a result of sin. But the sin of man cannot negate the promise of God because His love is eternal. "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." (2 Samuel 7:16)  And so it was that a tender shoot was seen sprouting from the stump of Jessie.

I wonder if the exiles thought perhaps Zerubbabel was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy as they were returning to Jerusalem after seventy years in Babylon. After all, he was a descendant of King David. However, they lost heart when they got to Jerusalem and saw the rubble and devastation. What they saw discouraged them. Their enemies mocked their dreams and crippled their resolve. Their lofty dreams were crushed and all that they could see was a stump, just a stump - the thing left over when dreams are crushed. But man's discouragement cannot negate the promise of God because his love is eternal.

God sent His prophets Haggai and Zechariah to pull back the curtains of eternity and show his people a glimpse of his eternal love.  He gave the promise to Zerubbabel that he was chosen and that God's plan was to make him, "like a signet ring."(Haggai 2:23) Ancient kings used signet rings to designate authority, honor, or ownership. With eyes of flesh, Zerubbabel could only see the remnants of broken dreams but by faith he received the grace to believe that the stump would send forth a shoot. What is seen with eyes of flesh cannot negate what God has promised because His love is eternal.

The New Testament begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Tucked into the ancestry of Jesus is a name that is often skimmed over as the reader hastens to get to the meat of the story. Notice that Jesus Christ is a descendant of Zerubbabel. It was by faith in the promises and prophecies of God that Zerubbabel received the grace to fulfill the good works that God had prepared beforehand for him to do. It is only by grace through faith that God opens our spiritual eyes so that we can receive his promises and recognize that his love is eternal.

Lord Jesus, you are the rod of Jessie, you are the branch that was promised to bear fruit, yet still we wait. We wait for the whole prophecy to be fulfilled. We wait now for your second coming when, "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea."(Isaiah 11:9) But as I wait, help me remember what you taught Zerubbabel. Nothing can negate the promises you have made because your love is eternal.