Isaiah 11:10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples – of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Jesse is not a well known figure in the Bible until 1 Samuel chapter 16 where we find out why he is important. In ancient cultures ancestry is a very big deal. Inheritances were based on the legitimacy of a person’s ancestry. Their livelihood and place in society were set forth by whom were their ancestors. Roman emperors, Egyptian Pharaohs, Kings of Europe and Asia were all determined (in most cases) by family connections. Today, in many cases, we vet our rulers through a meat grinder we call the campaign and election process. In theory this process is designed to weed out undesirable or unqualified candidates and yield up the cream of the crop. One can say that it does not often turn out that way, but it is what it is.
Jesse, as we learn in 1 Samuel 16, is the father of David. David is the one chosen by God to be the King of Israel. David would replace Saul because the Lord had rejected Saul because Saul had rejected the Word of the Lord (1 Samuel 15.) And David would go on to be a wonderful King of Israel. He was human, he had his flaws, but he was chosen by God to lead. And David led to the best of his abilities. Learning along the way, making mistakes, but learning. Matthew Chapter 1 provides us with the ancestry of Jesus. This is very important. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the lineage of Jesse leading to the Christ. And to help prove that Jesus was the bona-fide Christ, his ancestry is laid out for all to see. Our take away from this little bit of history is two-fold. 1) None of us are locked into being just like our parents. Look at Jesse and his son David. We each are on our own path. We have the opportunity to learn from the past, or we can repeat the same mistakes as in the past. We have things in common with one another. We have a loving God the Father, a Holy Spirit, and a Savior Jesus Christ. Our rich inheritance comes not from our parents on earth, rather from the Triune God. Our inheritance, the one that really counts is from God and not from mortal man. And this is one inheritance that cannot be taxed. Check out 1 Peter Chapter 1. And 2) what we share with our children, what we do to guide them to the Word of God and a life in Christ is what really matters. To be sure life skills are important lessons to pass along. But what really matters in their faith. It is so important that we acknowledge its’ importance at their Baptism. Parents, and God-parents, are charged with bringing the child to worship and placing the Word of God in their hands. That is what matters. Not the worldly goods inheritance, but their inheritance of life everlasting in Christ. Focus on that one, please. Leave a lasting legacy with your children.
PRAYER: God of Wonder, God of Light, help us today and everyday to see the light of truth. Help us to keep our focus on the important matters and not to be distracted by the trivial. Help us to see clearly the path You have laid out for us, and for our children to follow. Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. This we ask in the strong name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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