Read Isaiah 11.

Tradition says that two verses from our hymn spring from this chapter, verses 1-3 and verse 10:

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free 

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny 

From depths of hell Thy people save 

And give them victory o’er the grave 

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high 

And order all things, far and nigh 

To us the path of knowledge show 

And cause us in her ways to go 

Rejoice! Rejoice!  

Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel. 

All over scripture, God tells us to ask for wisdom. In 11:2, we see that Jesus, the promised Messiah, will have the Spirit of Wisdom. 

• Where do you lack wisdom? Where do you need wisdom? 

• Who are the people or places you go to find wisdom? 

Spend some time praying right now. Pray on your knees if you are able. I find that posture matters a lot in my mindset as I pray. When I get down on my knees, I know immediately that I am in the humble, asking position. I need wisdom. I need guidance. I need help. And I’m seeking it from the Father, from the Spirit. 

Cry out your need. 

Read Isaiah 11.

Today we are going to return to the Know, Be, Do practice. Though it may be heavily focused on the “know”, I love this study tool. 

KNOW (What does the text say about God?) 

BE (What does the text say about us?) 

DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?) 

On a separate piece of paper, take time today to think through those questions from this passage. 

• In your ‘know’ section, that is encouraging to you? 

Read Isaiah 9:2 and Revelation 22:16 

One of the verses in our hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel finds its inspiration in Isaiah 9:2 and Revelation 22:16. It goes like this: 

O come, O bright and morning star, 

and bring us comfort from afar! 

(some versions say: O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer 

Our spirits by Thine advent here) 

Dispel the shadows of night 

And turn our darkness into light. 

Rejoice! Rejoice!  

Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel. 

In Isaiah 9:7, we read that His kingdom will establish righteousness and justice. Justice. Great light. 

• Today, write out on a separate piece of paper all the areas of injustice you see around you. 
• Write also injustice in your own life, ways that you have been wronged. 
• Write out a prayer to the Lord of how you would like to see Him move in these areas and bring justice and righteousness. Really spend some time seeking Him, leaning into His presence. He sees the injustice, He sees you. 

Read Isaiah 9:1-7 

Violence surrounds us in the world. Violence gives birth to more violence. And how, in the midst of that, God gave birth to peace. God offers us peace with the threat of violence all around us. To us a child was given. 

This week as we continue our journey through Isaiah, we will again see the promise given to the Israelites in the midst of incredible hardship, violence, and pain.  We will see God offering us as well as them a promise. 

Imagine Isaiah speaking these verses to a broken people. We are a broken people. Allow these words to wash over you. 

Where do you see the contrast in these verses between light/dark; joy/sadness; now/not yet? 

Are there places in your life right now where you feel burdened and held captive that you want to see the Lord remove that yoke (see verse 4)? 

Of the four descriptors of God in verse 6, which one stands out to you in this season of life?  

 Spend some time praying and reflecting on these character qualities of God. 

Sit quietly and spend some time meditating, reflecting, pondering the verses that spoke to you or popped out to you from this past week. 

Listen to this version of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: 

Ask the Lord to speak to you through all the portions of the service upcoming today. 

Wednesday we looked at the first stanza of our song. We focused the questions on the now of their experience: captivity, loneliness and exile. 

Today we will focus on the command to rejoice! 

The first verse says: 

O come, O come, Emmanuel, 

And ransom captive Israel, 

That mourns in lonely exile here 

Until the Son of God appear. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! 

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 

Think back through the past year- what are the things you are thankful for? 

What has brought you joy and rejoicing? 

Read Isaiah 8 

Write out verse 17. 

What is your heart waiting on the Lord for today? 

How hard has it been to put your trust in Him as you wait? 

Spend some time praying right now: 

Being very specific with Him about what you are waiting for, asking Him to help you grow in trust of Him.