“1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Isaiah 11:1-7.
Isaiah 11 begins with the claim that new life will spring forth from an injured stump: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” It is quite possible that this image of a “stump” imagines a new beginning for Judah’s (the Jewish) monarchy. In this hopeful future YHWH’s Spirit will come upon the ruler, resulting in justice for the poor and lowly of the land (verse 4) and a fundamental reordering of creation’s priorities (verses 6-9). Life emerges from death. This is the way of Israel’s God.
The concrete expression of this new future is a ruler on whom the Spirit of God will rest (verse 2). Promise comes to Israel in the form of a person — a human king who embodies the best of Israel’s traditions: He is wise and understanding (verse 2), powerful and effective in war (verses 2 & 4), able to judge for the benefit of the poor (verses 3-4), and obedient to God (verses 2 & 5). This king rules the world in such a way that the poor are treated righteously, the meek are given a fair hearing, and the wicked are killed. So glorious is this reign that he is literally clothed in righteousness and faithfulness (verse 5).
The king’s righteous reign reorders creation in profound ways:
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid,the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox (verses 6-7).
This vision of a reordered creation is remarkable, and nit challenges me to consider in what ways God is telling me to reorder my life in the days leading up to the remembrance and reliving of His birth! Today, in your prayer, consider the ways God is calling you to reorder your life. Remember you cannot do this on your own volition, but only through the grace of God. pray for the grace today to reorder your life.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:22-24.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, you are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9.
“23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift” Matthew 5:23-24.
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