Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
Mind
There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: . . . And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Messianic prophecy can be traced throughout the Hebrew Bible (see other examples in Deuteronomy 18:15; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 9:9). Here Isaiah employs the image of a shoot springing from a tree stump to link the promised Savior to the royal house of Jesse’s son David. The branch metaphor appears again in Jeremiah 33:15 as well as Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
Resources cited in this issue
Cit. 6: Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible: The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew, 1955. Revised and updated by Saint Andrew, 2001. Reprinted as The New Daily Study Bible: The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001–04.
Cit. 12: Green, Joel B., et al., eds. The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Common English Bible, 2013.
Cit. 19: Mays, James Luther, et al., eds. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Vol. 39, First and Second Timothy and Titus. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1982–; Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 10, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude, Revelation. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
Copyright
Scriptural quotations marked Christian Standard Bible® are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked New International Reader’s Version™ are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version™, NIrV™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scriptural quotations marked Contemporary English Version are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked The Voice™ are taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Good News Translation are taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition, copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked International Children’s Bible® are taken from the International Children’s Bible®. Copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© 2025 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
