Today I got to give the third talk in our series of Meet Jesus in Isaiah which we will be looking at till mid-January (I have two more in this series after Christmas to give). By the 4pm service, it was the 5th time I had given the talk in various forms over the last two weeks, and so by that time, things might have moved a little. Below is more or less (give or take a few sentences here and there) what I said.
In this talk, there are lots of references to people, and few people have asked where I get them from. My Bible software, Logos, has some sermon illustration books that are easily searchable, so I use them which I always try to cite here. Other sermons and commentaries also give me material that I can then go and look up afterwards. I took the Martin Luther King Jr quote from a sermon Greg Lee gave. Last month for Remembrance Day I prayed the ANZAC Day prayer in our 8am service, so that was on my mind. In some commentaries, they referenced Edward Hicks, who I then looked up. A few years ago for a youth talk, I stumbled across a Mexican artist who made a sculpture of a tractor out of confiscated guns. I couldn't find that exact artwork in my googling, but I did find that other artist below, which served the same purpose. Anyway, I hope that doesn't spoil the magic or anything.
The need for a good leader
Do you think our world is going as it should? It is all going swimmingly? In election season we turn to governments for help, to make things better, but it seems no matter who we elect to rule over our counties, there just never seems to be justice and peace. Especially when we look beyond our own country to the rest of the world. Russia invades Ukraine. Israel is constantly in a mess. Peace just doesn’t seem to ever come.
In the 1860s Gustave Valbert said in the Moscow Gazette between the years 1496 BC and 1861, in 3,358 years there were 227 years of peace, which is about 13 years of war to every year of peace. He also said within the same time frame more than 8,000 treaties of peace, which were meant to remain in force forever, were broken. The average time the peace treaties remained in force was 2 years. (Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (7149 Thirteen-To-One Rate of Peace))
And this was written before World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the two Gulf Wars, etc.
Martin Luther King Jr said about our age: “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
Our countries as well as our own selves need guidance, we need good governance.
And closer to home, you may also have experienced this in your life. Things are not fair. Decisions or situations go against you as if the umpire of life has been paid off by the other team.
Upon accepting an award, the late comedian Jack Benny once remarked, “I really don’t deserve this. But I have arthritis, and I don’t deserve that either.” Life is unjust. (750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers (353: Justice))
In the book of Isaiah, Israel was in a bit of a predicament with who was governing them. In chapter 6 of this book, King Uzziah died. He had ruled for 52 years and was a good king. This type of reign would have given some consistency and stability to the nation. After Uzziah came Jotham and after him came Ahaz who was a terribly wicked king. He started to rule in chapter 7. Ahaz lead Israel astray, and even sacrificed one of his children to a pagan God (). He made alliances with Assyria so they wouldn’t get wiped out.
It seems that this is a recurring cycle of world politics, sometimes there is stability, but then under another leader, there can be trouble, for they seek their own ends. Treaties are broken, and peace doesn’t last long. External factors like other nations invading each other or economic downturns can bring havoc in our world.
It is in this mess that we might find ourselves in today and is the world Isaiah is speaking into. So far in our series, we have seen a few promises about a child who will be born, who will help the nations. In we saw that a child would be born who would be God with us. In there was a son who would be a Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And today we are looking not at a child but a leader, a metaphoric tree who offers us hope as they are said to bring justice and peace, for the whole world.
Justice v1-5
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. (
NIV)
There is this image of a cut down tree, just a stump and out of a seemingly dead tree there is still life and shoot grows from this. This almost dead stump is of Jesse. Jesse was the father of the great King David. What this is saying is that a new King David will come and from this shoot a branch will grow and even bear fruit.
This is not the first tree image in Isaiah, there are a few, but in chapter 4, when talking about judgement on Israel and then what will follow afterwards we read
In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. ( NIV)
This branch is going to restore the land to all its beauty and glory. Jeremiah twice also talks about a righteous Branch, here is the first one
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. ( NIV))
This Branch is from David, who is a king who will reign wisely and carry out justice. Isaiah is saying the same thing. Like awaiting the birth of that promised child, Israel was also awaiting this Branch, who is a king from David.
Isaiah tells us that this new David will have the Spirit of the Lord rest on him. From verse 2
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.
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. ( NIV)
The Lord’s spirit will give this new ruler wisdom and understanding so that they can do their role perfectly. They are going to judge, not by outward appearance, but by what is right. Justice will be given fairly to the needy and the poor. This new ruler will be known for their right decrees. Righteousness will be their dress code.
This new David will be empowered by the Spirit to rule and judge fairly. Justice will be their motto and above all they will delight in knowing and following God. The fear of the Lord will be their knowledge and their delight.
To "fear the Lord" isn’t about being terrified of God, but to be like Abraham who obeyed God. It is to follow God’s ways, it is the way of wisdom, to recognize that God’s instructions are right and not to run away from them, but to follow them. In Acts (10:2, 17:7) those who followed God, were called “God-fearers”, not because they were scared of God, but because they sought to live under God. And we are told this new shoot, will delight in the fear of the Lord. They will enjoy following God.
Peace v6-9
And from this just ruler there will come peace. We are then told poetically what this might look like with a whole series of different animal images.
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.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. ( NIV)
Edward Hicks, a Quaker from Pennsylvania in the early 19th century painted 62 different versions of what this passage might look like... (From all the ones I saw, I like the one shown here as it seems like the lion has eyes from Wallace and Grommet). Hicks was enamoured by the idea of peace and imagined what this might look like. In a few of the paintings, in the background, you can see the American settlers trading or signing peace treaties with the native American Indians.
The wolf and the lamb will live together, the leopard and goat will nap next to each other. Lions and calves will be led by a little child. Children will even play with snakes and no harm will come to them. The passage nearly says, but doesn’t, that the lion and the lamb will lie together.
All of this is showing, in poetical imagery, a world of peace, extended even into the animal kingdom. The predator and the prey will be able to play together. There is no violence and no fear. Not only are the perpetrators now peaceful, but also the victims have no fear, they are comfortable to sleep and eat in the presence of those who would normally harm them. There is no harm and no death. There is no hostility between creatures. There is peace.
This peace is to extend to the whole earth as it is filled with the knowledge of the Lord as much as the waters cover the sea. Which is a lot, like all of the sea is covered with water.
The “Knowledge of the Lord” in verse 9 isn’t just intellectual. It is also like “fearing the Lord”. It is about experience. It is about living out wisdom and knowing, in a personal way, God. Isaiah is looking forward to a time when everything, the whole earth, is experiencing and living correctly under God.
In the prayer book for ANZAC Day, there is a prayer which has the line:
“Make us a people zealous for peace, and hasten the day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither learn war any more.”
This is a huge prayer, imagine a world where we don’t even need to learn warfare.
Some artists have tried to capture this. Pedro Reyes from Mexico works with discarded or confiscated guns and transforms them into other things, like musical instruments. He also has converted 1,527 guns into shovels which have been used for planting trees.
We all yearn for that day when weapons will be forged into farming instruments. This new David branch, this new leader is what we all yearn for.
The shoot and the root
In our final verse, verse 10 it looks like Isaiah has accidentally messed his own metaphor of this shoot from the stump.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. ( NIV)
This person from Jesse is now the root. In verse one they were the shoot. Now did Isaiah not know how parts of the tree work back then? The root causes the shoot. How can this root of Jesse also be the shoot? Is this a mistake, or does it point to something deeper, more profound? (
In the week before Jesus was crucified, Jesus was having a bit of a back-and-forth with people in the temple. After stumping them a few times, Jesus then says
“Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’
David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” ( NIV)
This is Jesus’ gotcha question to the religious rules. He quotes and asks “Who is David calling Lord?”. Lord means King or someone with authority. So Jesus is asking, “if the Messiah comes from David’s line, why does David call him Lord?” See, David is the King, David doesn’t submit to his sons, they submit to Him. How does that work?
When Jesus goes out to be baptized by John and we are told John the Baptist said to Jesus
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ( NIV)
John the Baptist says Jesus, his younger cousin, surpasses him because He was before him. What does John mean by that?
In our Revelation passage, we read Jesus saying:
Jesus says he is the root and the offspring of David. Jesus is the root and the shoot. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (Rev 22:16)
Jesus was born in the city of David, Bethlehem as he was descended of David. Jesus was before all things, He was preexistence and also in the royal line after David. When Jesus was baptized, the spirit did descend on Him, and we see in the Gospels that His whole life was one that was spirit-filled. Jesus came into our world to deal with sin and will come back with final justice and final peace.
But we don’t see this yet. What is going on now? We all want peace, we yearn for it, but the trouble is we don’t want justice now. Well, we might want justice out there, but not for us in here. We want an uneven amount of justice. We want it shown to others, those we don’t like, those who we think deserve it, but not us. Thinking like this of cause isn't fair or just at all.
Jesus comes and offers us justice and peace and in that order. The reason Jesus came the first time at Christmas is to deal with our justice problem. We all have all fallen short of God’s rules, we all deserve justice and a punishment, but Jesus came to take our place and to pay our debt in full for us all. He took our punishment for us, so we can have peace with God.
At the end of history, when Jesus comes again, the whole nature of the world will be overthrown and then there will be worldwide peace. And between now and then, we are to wait and to come. In Revelation, Jesus says Come to the living waters He offers. He will wash away all your sins.
People can look out in the world and cry “it's not fair, what is God doing?” And it can be hard, and we won’t understand all that is going on. But our Revelation passage says, wait. God is not done yet. The final act isn’t finished yet. There is still a little bit of the story to go. God will bring justice and peace to our world and remake it all new. In the meantime, come. Come to the water. Don’t let the justice or injustice in this world be the last word. Let God’s word be final. Listen to the voice at the end of the Bible which says, “Come!”
Jesus says he is coming soon and He will bring justice, and give to each person according to what they have done. But, those who have washed their robes in Him will live in the new city away from all the trouble. They will have peace. Jesus invites all who are tried, all who are thirsty, all who admit they have done wrong, to take the free gift Jesus offered, for you to drink from the water of life.
Nelson Mandela, spent 27 years in prison, fighting against the apartheid regime in South Africa. He said, “It always seems impossible until it's done”. He didn’t give up hope waiting for justice.
We may not feel like justice and peace will come it can seem impossible and it does, until it is done. Nelson Mandela was released, and got a Nobel Peace Prize and became President of South Africa. He got to see justice come and was able to bring about reconciliation to his country. This is good and we can try and do the same, by mirroring Jesus and bringing justice and peace in the world around us. But we may not achieve it. It may not happen as extensively or as evenly as we would like.
But sometimes our timelines for justice needs to be longer, but that does not mean we are to give up waiting. Sometimes we need a longer view, of justice, one that in involves the eternal God.
Anne Frank was a teenage Jewish girl who, with her family were hiding in an attic during World War 2 in Amsterdam. If they were to be found, it was almost certain death. She kept a diary and journaled her time in hiding. What is amazing is the hope this teenage girl has as the world around her was getting shot to pieces. She looked forward with hope for the war to end believing justice will come.
“Every day I feel myself maturing, I feel liberation drawing near, I feel the beauty of nature and the goodness of the people around me. Every day I think what a fascinating and amusing adventure this is! With all that, why should I despair?”
She also said (this is a longer quote):
“It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering, and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold onto my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I'll be able to realize them!”
Anne did not get to see the freedom and justice that she longed for. Her family was found and captured by the Nazis. Her and her sister died a month before the British forces liberated her concentration camp. We too might not see the justice or peace we are yearning for in this life. But do not lose heart. It might seem impossible, but Jesus will make all things right again. Jesus has the spirit of the Lord, He has the power and will and intelligence to act. He is coming. Justice is coming. Peace is coming. So let us wait and hold on to this hope, knowing that peace and tranquillity will return once more, forever.
And...
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. (Isa 11:10)
Martin Luther King Jr said about our age: “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
Anne Frank was a teenage Jewish girl who, with her family were hiding in an attic during World War 2 in Amsterdam. If they were to be found, it was almost certain death. She kept a diary and journaled her time in hiding. What is amazing is the hope this teenage girl has as the world around her was getting shot to pieces. She looked forward with hope for the war to end believing justice will come. 
0 comments:
Post a Comment