Isaiah 11:1-5, 10 *
In the name of our Advent King, dear friends:
“Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel” is probably the most familiar Advent hymn in our hymnal. Because of its popularity especially at this time of year, the song is sometimes included in the same category as traditional Christmas songs like “Joy to the World” and “Away in a Manger” and “Silent Night.”
The title immediately brings to mind Isaiah’s prophecy and
later, the angel’s proclamation, “The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel, which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23).
Seven hundred years after Isaiah wrote them down, those words came true. God’s Son was born into the world. We know that. We hear Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth every year. Many of us can recite those verses from memory. As a result, the season of Advent may not seem all that important. It is something we have to go through to get to the good stuff of Christmas.
We may know how the story ends, but that doesn’t have to spoil the entire season for us. The weeks of Advent are precious because they allow us to prepare our hearts for what is to come. We look forward to the birth of Jesus and his return on the Last Day.
Because the focus of the hymn and the focus of the season is one and the same, “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel” is an appropriate theme for our midweek Advent devotions this year. Each week a different verse will provide the framework for our meditation. Today we will consider what we are saying when we sing…
Oh, Come, O Root of Jesse
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms are combined. For example, “deafening silence” is an oxymoron. At first glance, the verse under consideration appears to open with another oxymoron. We are asking a root to come.
When I think of a root, I picture something strong and sturdy. The roots of a tree push down deep into the ground. The roots of a tree keep it from being pushed over by strong winds. And if you have ever tried to pull an old tree or shrub out of the ground, you know that a strong root system makes it almost impossible.
So what kind of root can we expect to come to us just by asking? A very special root. It isn’t connected to a tree. It has never been planted in the ground. The Root of Jesse is a reference to a person, a person who came from Jesse’s family, the same person Isaiah referred to in the lesson for today. The Root in question is none other than the promised Messiah. And it is a good thing that he comes to us because we would be lost without him.
When he does come, what are God’s people asking this Root of
Jesse to do? The verse continues:
“Oh, come, O Root of Jesse, free your own from Satan’s tyranny.” The Israel of Isaiah was nothing like the
Israel Jesse knew. Jesse was the father
of David, the greatest of
The expansive borders that David had established didn’t last forever. When Isaiah came on the scene some three hundred years later (c. 700 A.D.), only two of the original twelve tribes remained. The other ten had been destroyed and/or carried off into captivity by the Assyrians.
The brutality of the Assyrian armies is well documented. As a result, Isaiah’s brothers and sisters in exile didn’t have to imagine what tyrannical rule was like. They didn’t have to imagine it because they lived it.
As bad as the situation was, as hard as life was, physical captivity was only a symptom of a much deeper problem. Even before the Assyrians invaded the Israelites were being held captive, and their master was Satan. Idolatry, greed, lust, hate. God’s people were enslaved by sin, and there was no way to break sin’s chains.
When we use terms like “tyranny” or “tyrant” today, we might picture a person like Saddam Hussein. Tyrants are powerful leaders. Tyrants maintain their power by the use of force, and this force makes people act against their will.
Satan’s brand of tyranny is somewhat different. The devil is very powerful, but he is also extremely clever. When he tempts people to sin, he often convinces them that they are doing what they wanted to do in the first place. He packages slavery to sin as freedom of choice. He makes the Word of God out to be nothing more than a book of rules, and everyone knows that rules were made to be broken.
Tyrants also make use of grand processions and military exercises and sometimes even public executions to show their strength. Why? Power discourages opposition. A show of strength can put down a rebellion before it starts.
Satan is a tyrant, but he doesn’t always follow the tyrant’s playbook. Instead of flexing his muscles, instead of a full frontal attack on our faith, the devil often engages in what might be called subtle tyranny. He desperately wants to control our lives, but he doesn’t necessarily want us to know that he is in control.
For example, instead of getting up in your face and claiming God is dead, he might ask you to consider: “If your God really exists, then why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? Or If God really loves you and cares about you, then why does he allow so much trouble to come into your life?”
During Advent, it probably wouldn’t do Satan a whole lot of good to try to convince Christians that Jesus’ birth isn’t worth celebrating this year. But if he can get you to spend all of your time and energy on things like cards and parties and decorations and gifts so that the “Christ” part of Christmas becomes little more than an afterthought, then you might want to ask yourself: “Who is in control?”
Like the Jews in captivity, we need to be freed us from the tyranny of Satan. Like every other person on the planet, we need to be rescued from our own sin. And as the hymn verse continues, we are reminded just how serious the situation is.
“From depths of hell your people save.” What are the depths of hell like? Better question, do you ever want to find out? We may not be there yet, but hell is more than an abstract thought. Hell is a real place. God warns that eternal death is the eternal destiny of everyone who breaks his law.
Therefore, these words are more than poetry put to music. And these words were not chosen just because they fit the meter and rhythm of the verse. These words are an impassioned plea, the plea of every sinner who recognizes the damning consequences of his sin and need for a Savior: “Dear God, I know what I have done. I know what I deserve. I know that I can’t do anything to make things right. You are my only hope. Please help me.”
The final phrase of the verse assures us that our prayers have been answered: “And give them victory o’er the grave.” Isaiah lived hundreds of years before Jesus was born. He trusted in God’s promise to send a Savior. The Lord even allowed Isaiah to write down some very detailed prophecies about his saving work.
As much as Isaiah knew, we know so much more. Isaiah knew that God had a plan to save the world. We know how God put that plan into action. Isaiah knew that the Savior would be led like a lamb to the slaughter. We know that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Isaiah trusted in God’s promises for the future. So do we, but we are doubly blessed because we also know that God’s prophecies have been fulfilled.
As out of place as it might sound at this time of year, our confidence does not take us back to the place where Jesus was born. During the season of Advent, we look forward to Jesus’ birth. We cherish the images of Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus in the manger. We cherish the fact that God lived among us. We cherish the fact that God’s Son lived as one of us.
But Jesus didn’t come into this world simply to commiserate with us. Jesus was born to die. Jesus was born to die for the sins of the world. Jesus was born to go to the depths of hell and declare his final victory over Satan. Jesus was born to rise from the dead and give us victory over death. Without Advent, there could be no Easter. Without Easter, Advent has no meaning.
That is why it is so comforting for us to know the whole story. The Root of Jesse has come. The Root of Jesse has freed us from the tyranny of Satan. The Root of Jesse has saved us from the depths of hell. The Root of Jesse has given us the victory over the grave.
This is not the time to learn some new and exciting
news. Advent is a time when we prepare
to receive the good news, the same news we heard last year, the same news we
will hear again, Lord wiling, next year, the same news the angel announced to
the shepherds two thousand years ago: “Today in the town of David a Savior
has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
This world changing, life-giving news makes the refrain of
“Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel” more than just the last line of a hymn. It reflects an attitude of peace and joy, and
(with one subtle change) it provides a fitting conclusion for our
devotion: “Rejoice, rejoice,
Emmanuel, has come to you O