A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
Isaiah 11:1-5
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Today a bit of Advent history:
The O Antiphons are used at Vespers of the last seven days of Advent in Western Christian traditions. They are referred to as the “O Antiphons” because the title of each one begins with the interjection “O”. Each antiphon is a name of Christ – O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), and O Emmanuel – and also references a prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah.
Wikipedia
The first Antiphon – Christ our Wisdom!
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other,
mightily and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
Isaiah says tells us that the Messiah will have the attributes of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might!
Paul writes to the church at Colossae … “that they and we may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.“
Matthew Henry, in his commentary, points out, “The treasures of wisdom are hidden not from us, but for us, in Christ.” In Christ we have all that we need for life and godliness.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
who mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God draws near:
Rejoice, rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.O come, true Wisdom from on high,
who orders all to mind and eye:
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in her ways to grow.
Rejoice, rejoice!…O come, true Branch of Jesse, free
your children from this tyranny;
from depths of hell your people save
to rise victorious from the grave:
Rejoice, rejoice!…O come, bright Daystar, come and cheer
our spirits by your advent here;
dispel the long night’s lingering gloom
and pierce the shadows of the tomb:
Rejoice, rejoice!…King of the Nations, come, embrace
J.M. Neale 1851
and unify the human race;
command our sad division cease
and be for us the Prince of Peace.
Rejoice, rejoice!…
Our prayer today …
Christ, be my wisdom today.
Quiet me within-
Tune my ear to hear your voice.
Bend my will to yours-
May I delight in you!
Glory to the Newborn King!
