Advent Reading - December 8

A Shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him --
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord --
and He will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes,
or decide by what He hears with His ears;
but with righteousness He will judge the needy,
with justice He will give decisions
for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth;
with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be His belt
and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

. . . It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse,
which shall stand for a sign of the people,
the nations shall seek,
and His place of rest will be glorious.
(Isaiah 11:1-5, 10)

AE 175 [6]

It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse,
which shall stand for a sign of the people,
the nations shall seek.
(Isaiah. 11:10).

"The root of Jesse" is the Lord;
"to stand for a sign of the people"
means that it may be seen by those
who are in truths;
 "the nations which shall seek,"
are those who are in the good of love.
It is believed that "nations" here mean
the nations that are to approach
and acknowledge the Lord,
from which is to be the church
that is called the church of the Gentiles;
but these are not meant by "nation"
but all who are
in love to the Lord and faith in Him,
whether within the church or out of it.