To be a Father" Deacon Michael Charway

Isaiah 11 lifts up a day when nothing shall hurt or destroy in God’s holy mountain, because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord like the waters cover the sea. Isaiah also sees the root of Jesse standing as an ensign for the people, and the Gentiles seeking unto that root. The text does not leave the promise locked up inside Israel only. God opens it out to the whole world, because God is not only the God of the Jews, but God of the world.

The name itself carries weight. The Hebrew idea of name, shem, reaches into soul, breath, essence, destiny, and character. A name is not just a label for right now. A name remembers the foundation, the trials, the tribulations, and the victories connected to that life. Jesse’s name carries Ruth, Boaz, Obed, Judah, praise, worship, faith, prayer, and some Moabite blood too. God had already been working in that line when it did not look like anything great was coming out of that house.

The root of Jesse shows that God can work better in little places, because little places still leave room for God to expand Himself. Jesse was not perfect, but God still decided to use Jesse. David was the youngest, but David’s name had already been spoken outside of time. Out of Jesse’s house came the king, and through that line came the Lord appearing in flesh. The power in the name points all the way to the one name above every name, the name of Jesus.

The promise then moves through active soil, active atmosphere, and a change of season. Zechariah says the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give fruit, and the ground shall give increase. Ephesians says the fight is not against flesh and blood, because darkness works through powers and rulers of this world. Psalms and Daniel say God appoints seasons, changes times, removes kings, and sets up kings. So a hard season may be quiet, weary, and lonely, but the name and the promise are still under God’s hand.

Fatherhood stands as another name with power. Genesis shows a man leaving father and mother and cleaving to his wife, and Proverbs says a good wife is favor from the Lord. Fatherhood is not just a title people say with the mouth. Fatherhood is earned by grace through care, provision, protection, guidance, love, and presence. Children honor parents, parents do not provoke children, and the family works together so the goal can be accomplished.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Names carry destiny and character [12:49] A name is more than a sound people answer to. The name carries breath, essence, memory, and the weight of what God has been shaping through generations. A believer’s life is not random when God has already been working before that person ever knew how to speak. [12:49]
• 2. God works through little places [22:35] Jesse’s house did not look like the place where kingship and Messiah would come from. Yet God chose the small place, the overlooked place, the house people could have dismissed. Smallness becomes holy ground when pride gets out of the way and God has room to expand Himself. [22:35]
• 3. The seed shall be prosperous [25:20] Zechariah’s promise speaks of seed, vine, ground, heaven, and increase. Fruitfulness is not only personal ambition, but the soil responding to what God has planted. When God names a thing and blesses a thing, the ground itself must answer to His purpose. [25:20]
• 4. Fatherhood is grace, not title [41:07] A man can be called father physically and still need grace to become father spiritually. True fatherhood shows up as care, provision, correction, guidance, security, and love that does not disappear when life gets hard. The name father becomes honorable when responsibility and grace stand behind it. [41:07]
• 5. Families must work both ways [51:02] Children are called to respect parents, and parents are warned not to provoke children. A household cannot stand on one-sided honor while the other side refuses wisdom. God’s order calls the family into shared responsibility, where love, correction, and example move together.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [09:23] - Opening Prayer and Isaiah 11
• [12:32] - The Power of a Name
• [14:18] - The Root of Jesse Prophecy
• [16:03] - Jesse’s Line and God’s Plan
• [19:37] - Active Soil, Atmosphere, and Seasons
• [25:06] - The Prosperous Seed
• [26:55] - Wrestling Against Spiritual Darkness
• [31:15] - God Changes Times and Seasons
• [32:14] - David’s Name Spoken in Eternity
• [36:23] - A Seed Coming Out Today
• [37:33] - Father’s Day Reflection
• [39:32] - Marriage, Wife, and Favor
• [41:07] - What Makes a Real Father
• [51:02] - Children, Parents, and Working Together

Bible Reading

Isaiah 11:9-10
“They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” [10:29]

Zechariah 8:12
“For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.” [25:18]

Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” [27:09]

Daniel 2:21
“He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;” [31:53]

Observation questions

1. In Isaiah 11:9-10, what two big things are promised about God’s holy mountain and the root of Jesse, and who is included in that promise? [15:17]
2. What details were highlighted about Jesse’s family line, and how do Ruth, Boaz, Obed, and Judah help show the weight carried in that name? [18:49]
3. In Zechariah 8:12, what parts of creation are described as giving something—fruit, produce, and dew—and what does that picture say about increase? [25:18]
4. In the words about family life, what responsibilities are named as part of real fatherhood, and what two-sided instruction is given to children and parents? [42:01]

Interpretation questions

1. Isaiah says the nations will seek the root of Jesse. What does that suggest about God’s heart for people outside one family line, one background, or one nation? [16:45]
2. A name is tied to essence, character, destiny, trials, and victories. How does that change the way a person should think about his or her own life story, especially if that story feels small or overlooked? [20:15]
3. If the real struggle is not against flesh and blood, how should that shape the way believers respond when conflict seems to be coming through people? [27:26]
4. God changes times and seasons and sets up kings. How might that truth help explain a season that feels quiet, weary, or lonely but has not yet shown its full purpose? [33:31]

Application questions

1. Many people carry pain, confusion, or disappointment connected to their family name. Where is there a need to let God rewrite shame with purpose, and to believe that something good can still come out of that line? [23:47]
2. God often works in little places. In what area of life does there need to be a becoming small before God so that He has room to expand His work—home, ministry, attitude, reputation, or plans? [22:47]
3. The seed shall be prosperous, and the ground shall give increase. What “seed” seems to be in the ground right now—prayer, obedience, repentance, patience, parenting, serving—and what would it look like to keep tending that seed without giving up? [36:26]
4. Some battles look personal, but they are deeply spiritual. Is there a relationship or situation right now where there is a need to stop fighting only the person in front of you and start praying against the darkness behind the pressure? [27:09]
5. Seasons can become quiet, weary, and lonely. What season is being walked through right now, and where is there a need to trust that God is still ordering the timing even if the change has not fully appeared yet? [31:53]
6. Fatherhood is more than a title; it is care, provision, guidance, protection, and presence. For the fathers, father figures, and spiritual mentors in the group, which one of those areas needs the most grace right now? For others in the group, who has God called them to honor, support, or pray for in that role? [41:07]
7. Children are told to honor parents, and parents are told not to provoke children. What is one practical change that could help bring more peace, listening, and shared responsibility into the home this week? [51:17]