Dear Friends,
If you are following the Lent reading plan, you will be reading Isaiah chapter 11 tomorrow. This is one of my favorite chapters so far, and I want to make some comments about the first several verses here. (I'm using the NIV translation.)
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
This sentence speaks of Jesus as both the ancestor, the "root," and the descendant, "the shoot," of Jesse, emphasizing Jesus' pre-existence. Jesus is "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 22:13 NIV). Isaiah says Jesus will emerge from the stump that is left after the tree of Israel has been cut down. The reference to Jesse rather than David is also significant. The Bible often references the line of David. But it doesn't elsewhere reference the line of his father Jesse. Jesus is not just a king descended from David. He is another David, a new, divine David, just as he is a new Adam.
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.
Before Jesus, the Holy Spirit did not rest on people. It came on people only temporarily to accomplish a specific purpose. But the Spirit rested on Jesus and remained with him. The same Spirit now resides within those who are in Jesus.
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.
Jesus is not only savior but judge. He sees right to the heart of things, what is on the inside, not just what is on the outside. And he will ultimately bring justice on behalf of the poor. Just as God the Father spoke, and the universe was created, what Jesus speaks comes into being.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
When Jesus makes everything new, the world will be entirely peaceful like it was in the garden of Eden. There will not even be predation among the animals (Gen. 1:30). And human beings, even the smallest of them, will exercise the kind of leadership they were meant for (Gen. 1:26).
Isaiah goes on to describe the gathering of God's people from the ends of the earth, the end of enmity between Israel and Judah, and their joint conquering of the nations. This is a metaphorical conquering as the good news about Jesus conquers hearts and the earth is "filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Is. 11:9 NIV).
May your heart be encouraged this week as you read these promises about the coming of Jesus. God is in the process of making all things new and right, beginning in your heart and in mine.
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A prayer for today:
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to save me. Thank you for giving your life for mine. Fill me even now with your Spirit, with your wisdom, and with your peace. Amen.
Love in Christ,
Michelle
