(March 14, 2025) Angeline Selvakumari reflects on a particular scripture and encourages…

I was reading Isaiah 11, a chapter well-known for its prophecy concerning Jesus’ ministry.

However, I found myself particularly drawn to verse one which, in my Holman Christian Standard Bible, says: ‘Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.’

Five words intrigued me— stump, shoot, branch, bearing fruit!

Stump
A stump represents a life cut short, the abrupt end of a once-thriving existence. It symbolises decline, a remnant of something that once flourished— what remains when prosperity has ceased. It’s a picture of finality: lifeless, left over, and seemingly without a future. A stump marks the end of what was, destined to rot and eventually disappear.

This verse refers to the royal line of David, reduced to a remnant— a stump. Remnants are the survivors, those who have endured trials, faced adversity, and remained steadfast. Isaiah 11:1 is a precious promise of what God intends for His faithful remnant: those who have clung to Him through every storm, standing firm on the foundation of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

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