The peaceful Kingdom – Isaiah 11: 1-9
1-5 A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse’s stump, from his roots a budding Branch.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Fear-of-God will be all his joy and delight.
He won’t judge by appearances, won’t decide on the basis of hearsay.
He’ll judge the needy by what is right, render decisions on earth’s poor with justice.
His words will bring everyone to awed attention. A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked.
Each morning he’ll pull on sturdy work clothes and boots, and build righteousness and faithfulness in the land.
A Living Knowledge of God
6-9 The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid.
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture, their calves and cubs grow up together, and the lion eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens, the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill on my holy mountain.
The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.
Isaiah 11 starts with a Prophecy. A prophecy regarding the Messiah, who will restore the order of Israel. We all know that this prophecy is about Jesus Christ.
Jesus is to be born in the line of David, son of Jesse, and the Spirit is to be with him.
He is recognized as the prince of peace who brings righteousness to this world.
What happens when the righteousness of Jesus is established.
Isaiah 11: 5-9 says, “The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid.
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture, their calves and cubs grow up together, and the lion eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens, the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent. Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill on my holy mountain.
The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.” (v. 5 – 9)
Can you envision this kind of peace and harmony happening?
God says that this is the portrait of God’s Kingdom. It is such a contrast to what we see in this world. In this world, which is driven by fear, we see hatred rather than harmony.
But does it mean that we only have to wait until we enter God’s kingdom, to see such glorious sight?
When Jesus comes to our life, we will see how Jesus uses us to be peacemakers.
For our Thanksgiving dinner, we had people coming from all different backgrounds.
I’ve asked all participants to write something they are thankful to God of… and one person wrote, “Reconciliation.”
This one word expresses so many meanings. But for me, it meant that the glimpse of God’s Kingdom realized in the gathering we had. Where people from different backgrounds can come together as one. Wouldn’t that be a portrait of God’s Kingdom?
As we enter this season of Advent, waiting for the coming of Christ, I pray that the prince of peace will come into our lives and reveal God’s Kingdom among us.
Happy Black Friday~
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