“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.” – Isaiah 11:10

Scripture reading: Isaiah 11:1-11

Jesus was called both the root of Jesse and the shoot from the stump of Jesse. Isaiah predicted: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him” (Isaiah 11:1-2a). In these different ways, God predicted that a descendant of Jesse (and King David) would be the future messianic king. Even though it might seem that the Davidic throne had fallen vacant, a future king would sit on it.

God predicted in Isaiah 11:10 that the nations would rally to the Messiah. The ESV translation speaks of the nations “inquiring” about Jesus. The NKJV has the nations “seeking” Him. The NIV reads that “the nations will rally to him.” Gentiles would inquire about Jesus and wish to meet Him. This prophecy was already fulfilled during Jesus’ ministry. Gentile Greeks sought out the Saviour, saying: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21).

In John’s gospel account, we also have the wonderful story about how many gentile Samaritans rallied to Jesus. The Samaritan woman (whom Jesus met at Jacob’s well) witnessed to her friends in the city. Afterwards, the Samaritans “asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world” (John 4:40b-42).

Suggestions for prayer

Pray that you would be excited about rallying others to Jesus. Ask God to give you grace so that you want to seek Jesus by listening to and meditating on His teachings in the gospel accounts.

Rev. Nathan Brummel is Professor of Systematic Theology and New Testament at Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary, and an associate pastor at Immanuel United Reformed Church in DeMotte, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.