Outside the historical books, and one note in Psalm 72:20, Jesse the father of David is mentioned only once – in Isaiah 11:1, 10. this is itself telling, since it indicates that the pruning that Isaiah describes goes back to the roots. It’s not simply that the Lord whittles the Davidic line down to a single branch (as in the crisis surrounding Joash). It’s as if the Davidic line has never existed, as if Yahweh is starting all over again to raise up Davidic kings.
How can a Davidic dynasty arise from Jesse, a dead stump? The same way Isaac can be born from Abraham and Sarah, the same way almond blossoms can spring from a rod, the same way Adam can be made a living soul from the dust, the same way Jesus rises from the grave.
The Branch grows (Heb. parah , is fruitful) from the root of Jesse in the same way that fruit trees and plants first became fruitful from the earth.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
