Isaiah 11:1-9
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
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—
3 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;
4 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.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 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.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 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.
Monday 12th December
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
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—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
Imagine you are out walking and see a dead tree at the side of the road. This is a road you often walk on so you are well used to seeing the tree, which is slowly rotting away. On this occasion, however, you notice something extraordinary – you can see a shoot of new life in the tree. There is a fragile green shoot coming out of the dead wood. What are your thoughts as you see this?
Isaiah was writing at time when Israel’s kings had proven to be worse than useless in their rule of the people, and weak in the face of the predatory Assyrians. The image of the stump suggests the possibility of hope when everything seems lost. Have you ever been in a situation in which there seemed to be no hope at all? Take some time today to give thanks for those occasions in which a hopeless situation was turned around. This image is often used to speak of hope at Christmas: Jesus is the one who brings new life and change. How does it help you in this advent season?
Tuesday 13th December
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
The person with these attributes is the one who is fit to judge the people. His character is in stark contrast to the weak and idolatrous Ahaz, and the grasping and predatory Assyrians. What do you notice about the characteristics given in this verse? God’s anointed one is not taken in by superficialities, and has a special concern for the needy and poor. Isaiah mentions two particular characteristics of this person – he is righteous and faithful. Christians have always seen these verses as referring to Jesus – he is the righteous and faithful one, and his followers are given these gifts from God in order to be able to continue his work in the world. Pray for your church community to be characterised by righteousness and faithfulness as it seeks to bring life to others.
The idea of justice seems straightforward enough- we all want justice in our society. But actually it is a very complex idea. One person’s idea of justice can be quite different from another’s. Have you ever been in a situation in which there have been differences of opinion as to what justice might mean? Or have you ever made a decision which someone else has felt was deeply unfair? We saw in verse 2 that wisdom is one of the attributes of the one who will rule with justice. Take time to pray today for the judiciary and court systems in this country or in another country which concerns you. The prophet seems to think that the Davidic authorities had become superficial and making poor judgements. They had become too easily distracted by things other than God. Pray for a depth of wisdom for those who make decisions of this sort.
Wednesday 14th December
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
These verses continue to speak of a person who will come and bring about God’s rule on the earth. He will be God’s “annointed” (Messiah). He is the prophet par excellence who will speak God’s truth into the world and to those in power. This person will ensure that the laws of the land are just, and as we saw yesterday, ensure that the poor and needy were treated justly. In chapter 10:1-2 Isaiah had written
“Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.”
Think of a country in which you see systemic injustice of the sort described here, and pray for it today. If you know anyone in that country pray for them too. Oppression, exploitation, robbery and extortion, however, are not the prerogative of governments alone. They can take place at all levels of society, within groups and in families, and can be both hidden and open. Pray for those who find themselves embroiled in criminality and oppressive practices – whether as perpetrators or victims.
Thursday 15th December
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.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
We’ve been talking about injustice within countries, societies and groups but these verses are also concerned with oppression from external forces. Israel was in the throes of occupation by Assyria, which was plundering and stealing from them. The Assyrians are setting out to “seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets” (10:6). The Assyrians had no concern for the wellbeing or rights of the country they had invaded: all they wanted was to have power over others and to expand their own territory. Think of a land or group of people who are living under oppression of this sort in our contemporary world and keep it in your prayers today.
These verses speak of what the world will look like when the Messiah comes in his wisdom and strength. To put it simply, it will be unrecognisable. We cannot conceive of such a world and that is why Isaiah adopts such visual, pictorial language. He wants to help us imagine, in fantastical and lavish terms, what such a world might be like. Oppression, invasion, theft, injustice of any sort is a thing of the past. The pattern of violence which is so much a part of our world is completely broken here. Fear is gone, because predators are no longer attacking. Similarly, there is no talk of victory or revenge over the predators, but a change of heart in every creature. Can you imagine such a world? Are there ways in which his church can begin to bring about such a peaceable kingdom like this today?
Friday 16th December
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 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.
This painting is by Edward Hicks from around1833. It is called the “Peaceable Kingdom” and depicts the scene we have described in these verses. Why not take some time today to look at it and pray with it? What do you see in the picture and what does it say to you? How does it help you think about praying for a “peaceable kingdom”?
Yesterday, we noted that this peaceable kingdom would be unrecognisable to us. This is a world without greed and vengeance. It is a world in which the strong do not take advantage of the weak. How can such a world come about? Is there any way that we might catch glimpses of it in our time? The animals in this imaginary scene are acting contrary to their natures. So it seems to me that for change to happen in our world, we need to start with a desire to be changed ourselves. We need to ask God to help us be transformed as individuals and as church communities. Is this something that you are willing to pray for today?
Saturday 17th December
Isaiah 10:20-21
In that day the remnant of Israel,
the survivors of Jacob,
will no longer rely on him
who struck them down
but will truly rely on the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return,[b] a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God.
Sunday 19th December
Isaiah 10:33-34
See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will lop off the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,
the tall ones will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.
Marion Carson
Chaplain
