Isaiah 11:1-9: a reflection

1A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. 2The LORD’s Spirit will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 3His delight will be in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears; 4but he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. 5Righteousness will be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his waist. 6The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. 7The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. 8The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah foretells a coming King, a shoot from the stump of Jesse, on whom the Spirit of the LORD will rest, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And this King will judge differently from earthly rulers: not by outward appearance or hearsay, but with righteousness for the poor and equity for the humble of the earth. And his reign will bring a kingdom of peace, where the wolf lives with the lamb, and nothing hurts or destroys, for the earth is full of the knowledge of the LORD.

Notice two things about this coming King, fulfilled in Christ. First, his justice is for the poor and the humble; he does not judge by appearances or favor the strong, but judges with righteousness for the poor and equity for the lowly. And second, his reign brings a kingdom of deep peace, where the age-old hostilities are healed, where the wolf and the lamb lie down together, where nothing hurts or destroys. This is the King, and the kingdom, that Christ has begun and will complete.

That vision gives us both a King to trust and a hope to hold. The King who judges with righteousness for the poor and the humble is one the lowly can trust, for he does not favor the strong or judge by appearances, but cares for the humble and judges justly. And the kingdom of peace he brings, where nothing hurts or destroys, is a hope to hold in a world still full of hurt and destruction. Trust the King who cares for the poor and the humble, and judges with true righteousness; if you are among the lowly, he is a King you can trust. And hold the hope of his coming kingdom of peace, where the old hostilities are healed and nothing hurts or destroys, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD. The King has come and will come again; trust him, and hope in the peace of his kingdom.

Lord, Isaiah foretold a coming King, a shoot from the stump of Jesse, on whom your Spirit would rest, who would judge not by appearances but with righteousness for the poor and equity for the humble, and whose reign would bring a kingdom of peace where nothing hurts or destroys, for the earth would be full of the knowledge of the LORD. Give me both a King to trust and a hope to hold. The King who judges with righteousness for the poor and the humble is one the lowly can trust, for he does not favor the strong or judge by appearances, but cares for the humble and judges justly. And the kingdom of peace he brings, where nothing hurts or destroys, is a hope to hold in a world still full of hurt and destruction. Help me trust the King who cares for the poor and the humble, and judges with true righteousness; if I am among the lowly, he is a King I can trust. And help me hold the hope of his coming kingdom of peace, where the old hostilities are healed and nothing hurts or destroys. Christ has come and will come again; help me trust him, and hope in the peace of his kingdom, Lord.