Good Things Can Come Out of a Stump!

Click Here to LIsten to Or Read the Daily Bible Readings 

Out of the stump of David’s family[e] will grow a shoot—
    yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in obeying the Lord.
    He will not judge by appearance
    nor make a decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the poor
    and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
    and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
5 He will wear righteousness like a belt
    and truth like an undergarment. Isaiah 11:1-6

When I was in high school, I worked in a landscaping business in the summer. I learned how to use a chain saw to cut down trees. But it was one thing to cut down a tree and quite another to remove the stump, especially if the tree had been there a long time. You had to dig down really deep around the stump so that you could chop at all the roots and then pull the stump out with chains hooked to a truck. 

God judged Israel by cutting it down through the powerful Assyrians. Though Israel had received God's wrath because of their disobedience, there was still a remnant he kept so that he could keep the promises he made to His people. There was a stump left that represented David's family from whom the Messiah would come. 

Out of this stump grew a Branch. The Branch we now know as Jesus. He was the Righteous Branch descended from the line of David, the royal line. In the gospel of John, Jesus calls Himself the "Vine". He is the True Vine and we are his branches.  As we remain in Him we will bear much fruit. 

But like Israel, the branches which bore no fruit were cut down and thrown into the fire. But the branches which were connected to and nourished by the Vine bore fruit. As they continued to grow, they were pruned, so they could bear even more fruit. 

As we stay connected to the Vine, Jesus Christ, we will bear fruit. There will be times that God will prune us in order to bear even more fruit. These times might not be pleasant for us, but when we are rooted in Christ, God is faithful to keep His promises to us.  Good things can come out of a stump!