For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
Isaiah 53:2
Desert plants survive in conditions that would kill any plant in the garden. They thrive on less than 10 inches of rain per year, stand up to 110 degrees of direct sunlight and blistering sandstorms with regular frequency. They were designed to grow in these extreme conditions, endowed with such features as needles, scaly leaves, thick waxy skins, and deep woody roots. The plants themselves are usually short to the ground with gnarled limbs and heavy taproots. Ornamentals they are not, but as works of plant engineering they are marvelous.
The children of Israel were certainly familiar with desert shrubs. In the treeless area of the world, they were often chopped up for firewood including the roots which were exposed by the shifting sand. This was not lumber for houses or furniture. It was fuel that was burned and its ash scattered.
Like the desert root, Isaiah tells us that when the Messiah came he had “no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). John tells us that “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11). How sad! Christ was consumed as a sin offering and not appreciated until it was finished.
The good news is that it’s not too late to appreciate the uniqueness of the wonderful Root Out of Dry Ground. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).
May 19
