root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock (same word as "stem")

thereof die in the ground' (14:7,8).

The only other occurrence of the word translated 'stem' in Isaiah 11:1

is in Isaiah 40:24, where once more the figure is that of a tree cut down

whose 'stock shall not take root in the earth'.  So, the stock of Jesse was

cut down when the judgment fell upon Coniah, but a sucker came forth from

that cut -down stock, like a branch grown out of its roots; the line from

Solomon ceasing to carry the right to the throne, that dignity reverted to

Nathan and is carried down through Mary to her infant Son.  We have no

specific explanation in the Scriptures for settling the problem of the

appearance of Salathiel and Zerubbabel in both genealogies, but everything

points to a Levirate marriage (Deut. 25:6), and such would clear up many

We do not pretend to have provided a watertight solution to the

problems presented by these genealogies, but believe that there is every

reason to agree that these two genealogies were called for owing to the many

attacks which the Messianic line had suffered from the enemy of all truth,

whose antagonism from the very first was directed against the 'Seed' (Gen.

3:15).  The very fact that the line had been diverted to Nathan's seed, led

to the fulfilment of the promise of the Seed of the Woman, in a way that

would not have been so evident had Joseph still retained full rights to the

throne of David.  The Saviour is presented in these two genealogies as The

Seed of the Woman, the Seed of Abraham, the Seed of David and as Emmanuel,

God with us.

Gift.  One feature above all else that must be stated and accepted with deep

thankfulness is expressed in Romans 11:

'The gifts and calling of God are without repentance' (11:29).

Or as Moffatt words it, 'God never goes back on His gift or His call'.

Two Greek words (apart from Luke 21:5 and Heb. 2:4) are translated 'gift' in

the New Testament.  The one charisma stressing the fact of 'grace' (charis),

the other, various developments of the root word do, which is familiar to the

English speaker in the word donation, 'a gift', and to the French speaker,

donner, 'to give'.  These Greek words are doma, dosis, dorea, dorema and

doron.  Paul sets the 'gift of eternal life' over against 'wages' that are

earned; he uses the word charisma (Rom. 6:23), and leaves us in no doubt as

to the essential character of charis, 'grace', saying:

'And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no

more grace.  But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise

work is no more work' (Rom. 11:6).

This same word charisma is used of the supernatural gifts of 1

Corinthians 12, and of the gifts of God concerning which there can be no

repentance, already noticed.  Two occurrences of charisma are found in Romans

5:

'But not as the offence, so also is the free gift' (5:15).

'The free gift is of many offences unto justification' (5:16).