From Darkness to Light
God Prepares the Way
John the Baptist
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) Isaiah 11:1-10 New International VersionThe Branch From Jesse11 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[a] 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. 10 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.
For Reflection
Isaiah preaches hope in a time of terror and justice in a time of oppression. His entire message visualizes the result of holding onto faith and trust in God's promises. The Messiah will not judge with the eyes of this world or hear with the ears of current dominators.
He says hold fast, and the Lord will bring about a world where the wolf will live with the lamb, the cow will feed with the bear, and a child will put his hand into the viper's nest.
And how will this image of the relationships of humans to humans to God be established? When the word of God will be fulfilled in the flesh of Jesus Christ and all of us. It is the metaphor of the Gospel when the righteous people reach a critical mass in which the majority of people will belong to the Kingdom of God. Then the whole world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. PrayPray, for peace and hope. Pray so that you see and hear with God's eyes and ears. Preach the hope. Teach a congregation to see and hear with more than eyes and ears. Pray so that you will witness the Gospel. Witness to the hope and peace inherent in the Kingdom of God in the conviction that God calls all the earth to knowledge, discernment, and worship.
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