There seemed to be a paradox with the Christ Child. How could a Baby also be a King? This daily devotional looks at prophecies by Isaiah and David.
Nuggets
- One of Jesse’s descendants was going to be the Messiah.
- Christ’s kingdom is in us.
- God will install His King — His Son — on Zion — Jerusalem, the place of worship.
- The Christ Child will have the title of King of kings and Lord of lords.
Devotions in the Prophecy of the Christ Child series
The Jews wanted a military savior. They got a Baby.
They got a Baby, but they also got a King.
Huh? How did that happen?
Well, that is what was prophesied. Let’s take a look.
Programming note: This devotion was an odd length. I did end up cutting it in two. We’ll leave the connections and application for the next devotion.
Let's Put It into Context #1
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines prophecy as “reception and declaration of a word from the Lord through a direct prompting of the Holy Spirit and the human instrument thereof.”
Resource
Prophecy is a divine revelation to mankind through the Holy Spirit of a future event. This was God telling us that we would be delivered.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Israel was hung up on a king. “They said to him [Samuel], ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have’” (I Sam. 8: 5 CSB). That could have been a contributing factor in them looking for a military Messiah.
But it was more than that. Davies explained, “At the very centre of the Jewish religion was the belief in kingship — a Divine kingdom or a theocracy.”
Resource
The question for them — and all of us — was whether they were going to make God their King.
The Jews got that for which they asked. They just didn’t recognize it when they got it. The manger and the cross threw them.
It didn’t matter what their — and our — response to Jesus. He was, is, and always will be King.
The Christ Child as King Prophesied by Isaiah
“Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, he will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears” (Isa. 11: 1-3 CSB)
Most of this passage was familiar to me. One of Jesse’s descendants was going to be the Messiah. God would be with Him, providing Him with an unlimited supply of the characteristics of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord means awe, reverence and love, not terror. The New Testament term is godliness, an attitude of reverence that is promoted by walking in His Spirit.
We’re going to leave the eyes and the ears to another devotion next year.
The Expository Times reported something I didn’t know. They said that the word branch, coming from the root word meaning verdant, characterized the area around Nazareth.
Resource
The listing of characteristics is helpful to us. They aid us in imitating the Christ Child. Smith called this the “… geography of a royal mind …” It helps us to know what we are supposed to be, know, and do.
Resource
The Christ Child has need of wisdom. He must impart that wisdom and knowledge of Who God is, His character, and His laws and commandments to us. He has to have the understanding before we can.
We just talked about the Christ Child being a wonderful counselor. We are going to talk about His strength and meekness.
I love what Hambleton said about fear of the Lord. He wrote that fear of the Lord is “… also one of the highest attainments of wisdom, and one of the best effects of the Holy Spirit on the heart.”
Resource
Packard made a strong statement. He said that, if the kingdom of God was not in the world, Christ would not be in the world.
Christ’s kingdom is in us. Packard wrote, “When men are holy, through His indwelling among them, that is Christ’s reign.”
The Christ Child as King Prophesied by David
‘“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’ I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’ Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession” (Ps. 2: 6-8 CSB)
The prophecy in Psalms might be a little confusing. Let’s do some translating.
God will install His King — His Son — on Zion — Jerusalem, the place of worship. The Messiah is very clear that there is a family connection.
But God isn’t just making the Christ Child king over the Jews. Every nation to the furthest corner of the earth will be His — if He asks.
Don’t worry. He asked.
Let’s dig in.
This is the only anointment made to an overall Ruler. Yeah, God anointed Saul and David — and a slew of David’s descendants.
They, however, were only anointed king over the nation of Israel. They didn’t have a world-wide kingdom.
The Christ Child does. Erskine said it was His because if His nature.
Resource
The Christ Child will have the title of King of kings and Lord of lords. “On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords” (Rev. 19: 16 NLT).
Think of the power and authority associated with that title!
The Christ Child is King in Zion. Remember, Zion is nestled in the mountains, so it is a safe place.
It is also a place of worship. We need to worship the King and submit to Him.
Patterson brought up an interesting point. He said that the Christ Child is King because of inheritance.
Father God. You understand the importance of the Savior in our lives. To make sure we were watching for His arrival, You explained His coming. Now that He has come, we can see how He fulfilled every one of your predictions. Lord, He is coming again. It is our prayer that He find us watching for His return. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: The Prophecy of a Meek Savior – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Recognizing the Suffering Savior – Seeking God with Elaine