‘There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse…’ (Isa. 11:1)
The opening chapter of Matthew’s Gospel traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham and if we look closely at that we find Jesse, the Father of King David. In that knowledge, as we read through Isaiah chapter 11 we clearly see that these verses look forward to the coming Messiah – to Jesus Christ Himself – and that should bring great comfort to us, knowing that in His Son God has fulfilled the promise he made through these prophecies all those years ago. So take time today to give thanks to our Lord for all the promises He has made to us and for all the blessings we have received through them, particularly so in the gift of His One and only Son, some to redeem us and to reconcile us to our Father in Heaven.