“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse…and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4
It was to Moses that the Lord addessed the question, “What is that in thine hand?” The answer was a very simple one: “…A rod.” (Ex. 3:2) God would take that very simple rod, and cause His authority to be associated with it. When the people of Israel were “trapped” by the Red Sea, with Pharaoh pinning them in from the wilderness side, the Lord told Moses: “Life up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” (Ex. 14:16) God chose to use a rod to be a symbol of His authority and power. It was a very tangible, declared testimony to the glory of God revealed by His authoritative power to drive back the sea by a mighty wind, creating a dry path through the sea for the saving of His people.
The rod of almond tree also has been used to illustrate, not only the power and authority of God to bring about His will, but to distinguish the identity, or calling of an individual. For Jeremiah, with regard to his calling as a prophet of God, what it meant and what would the the task set before him, God would affirm it by the vision of the “rod of an almond tree.” To this vision God would attach the words, “Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten My word to perform it.” (Jer. 1:12) The rod of the almond tree would be a tangible means by which the imminent fulfillment of the calling of Jeremiah would be accomplished, and he would be established as a prophet. In both cases of Moses and Jeremiah, the authority and power of God is associated with a rod, a very simple and normal rod.
When God speaks of, “…a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch, shall grow out of his roots,” He is speaking of the Lord Jesus, one who will wield power and authority to bring about His perfect will on this earth, “…as it is in heaven.” To the disciples of old, communicated to the church, His body on earth, He would commit this same authority and power, in the name of Christ, to be used according to His will for His purposes, and the advancement of His kingdom. How then does this matter apply to the individual believer?
The answer lies in two things, the first of which are Christ’s literal words before His ascension to heaven: “….All authority in heaven and on the earth was given unto Me.” (Matt. 28:18) The second part of the answer lies in the meaning of the day of Pentecost, which was the conferring of Christ’s authority to the church, and to every believer. We see this practically speaking in James’ letter, when he wrote: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Why would the devil flee from a sheep? It is only because of the authority of God which has been conferred to that sheep. The devil is not afraid of the sheep, but of the God of the sheep, in particular, of the Shepherd and Lord of that sheep which had conquered, and overcome him on the cross.
In Matthew’s gospel, we read of a centurion who sought the Lord to heal his servant. The centurion spoke of not being not worthy for the Lord to come under his roof, but said: “… speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” (8:8) This he said because he was a man under authority, to whom authority had been conferred, or given. Jesus would say of this man, who understood the application of this principle of authority, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” (v.10) Faith is submission to Christ’s authority.
Dear Father, Strength us to submit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.,