Welcome to Week 3 of Good News of Great Joy, our message series for Advent. This time we are considering the first ten verses of Isaiah chapter 11. This prophecy describes a future king and kingdom that is literally a utopia of peace and serenity.
We can get caught up in the chaos of this busy world and if we consider our eternal life with the Messiah at all, it’s just as a “Get Out of Death Free” card in the game of life. Isaiah wants us to see it’s much more than that. The future kingdom will be so peaceful that even natural enemies will lay down next to each other. What a glorious contrast to the world we inhabit now, where it seems like one crisis after another disturbs the peace and divides people.
This remarkable kingdom can only result from a remarkable king and such is certainly the case here. That’s where chapter 11 begins—with a description of the king.
Daily prayer guides by Tracy Lautenschlager.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
The King Has Everything He Needs
Observe
A shoot grows out from the stump of Jesse (David’s father), equipped by the Spirit of the LORD with everything needed to rule.
Isaiah 11:1-2
The Righteous Reign of the Branch
11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Romans 15:12
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
John 8:55
55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
It may be that the reference to Jesse, David’s father, rather than David himself is an indication of just how far removed from the throne the line of David had become. Referring to “the stump” of Jesse is probably a nod to God’s judgment, since the cutting down of its trees was often regarded as judgment against a nation.
The Spirit of the LORD will anoint Messiah, equipping him with three pairs of spiritual attributes. Wisdom discerns the nature of things and Understanding discerns their differences, Counsel adopts right conclusions and Might carries them out with power, Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord relate to his close fellowship with Jehovah. Equipped for both leadership and righteousness, Messiah will be a far cry from leaders around the world today.
- What is the most important attribute of a leader?
- How does Jesus manifest that attribute?
Heavenly Father, The coming of Jesus, new growth from the twisted and dying remnant of the house of David, is like a sigh of relief in your story of redemption. Sorrow is not forever. The prophet here gives me a glimpse of the righteous king, a leader with wisdom and strength. Dear Jesus, as the celebration of your birth approaches help me to say, today, that you are my King. Help me to acknowledge it each day and to live as one who belongs to you. Amen.
Day 2
The Equitable Rule of The King
Observe
The Messiah is not limited by physical senses. He knows the truth and always judges correctly.
Isaiah 11:3-5
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
Proverbs 16:11
11 A just balance and scales are the Lord‘s;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
Romans 2:11
11 For God shows no partiality.
Ephesians 6:9
9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
This king does not judge based on outward appearances, what is seen and heard, but from righteousness. Totally unlike any present world leader, this one will be able to see the truth through any disguise, and judge with a righteousness that will be seen by the nations as fairness. The poor and the meek will enjoy his favor and the wicked will taste his wrath. Those belts in verse 5 refer to foundational elements of Jewish attire in that day. The belts anchored your clothing. Righteousness and faithfulness are foundational to this king.
A Deeper Dive. The word translated delight in the ESV actually means “smell” in a favorable context. In other words, a pleasant aroma, a fragrant smell. That changes the meaning a bit, where delight makes it sound like this king is delighted by fearing the Lord himself, the more accurate rendering would be when those around him fear the Lord, he finds it a pleasing aroma.
- This king’s judgment and decisions will be righteous and equitable. How do you define fairness?
- What is fair about God? When is he not fair?
Lord, I make so many mistakes. Sometimes I hope that you will see my true motives, that I didn’t intend to wound or injure, and sometimes I hope that my heart will be hidden. But nothing is hidden from you Lord. And yet you love me. You look at me and see the righteousness of Jesus, and there is no condemnation. Thank you for the mercy you have extended to me. Teach me to extend that mercy to those around me. Amen.
Day 3
Utopia
Observe
The rule of this king will create a utopian world so peaceful that even traditional enemies will lie down next to each other.
Isaiah 11:6-7
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
2 Peter 2:10-16
10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
Most of us probably have trouble picturing a world as much at peace as this one will be. While it’s entirely natural for wolves to hunt lambs, it will not be so in this new world. Isaiah even says a lion will “eat straw like an ox.” There will be such peace that the natural order of predator and prey will be set aside.
A Deeper Dive. While animal husbandry was with humanity from the very start (in Genesis 4, Abel is described as keeping sheep and he offered the best of his flock to God), it appears that humankind was not given the green light to eat animals until after the flood in Genesis chapter 9. So, will this utopia of God’s future kingdom be a vegetarian one? We’ll find out. In the meantime, it gives us food for thought. (You’re welcome, fans of dad jokes.)
- The examples from the animal kingdom may or may not be literal (a lion would need some modification to eat straw like an ox) but if we were discussing people, what sort of person would you describe as being predatory? Why?
- How will life be different when they are gone?
Dear Jesus, It is so difficult to imagine a world in which all enemies will be reconciled, a world without fear. That a child would lead such a world must have sounded even more foolish when Isaiah issued this prophecy. But this is your promise for your new kingdom: a world characterized by peace and safety and your presence to lead us. Even now, you have promised me peace, and the safety of being your child and the constant presence of your spirit. Thank you Lord. Come quickly! Amen.
Day 4
The Curse is Reversed
Observe
An infant and a toddler are depicted both playing in dangerous locations, yet no harm comes to them.
Isaiah 11:8-9
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 53:3
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Revelation 21:4
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Habakkuk 2:14
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
2 Peter 3:13
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Interesting to consider that in Genesis 3, the serpent is described as the most cunning of all creatures and shows himself to be the enemy of people (whether a literal serpent or a reference to the serpentine habits of Satan is open to discussion). Still, it’s worth pondering how in this future utopian kingdom ruled by the Messiah, even the most helpless human will not be harmed by the most venomous of snakes. Quite a reversal. Revelation 21:4 describes God as wiping away all tears as there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain. In the aftermath of the fall (Genesis 3), God tells the woman and the man they will face pain in their everyday lives, but this kingdom restores what was lost in the Garden.
- Isaiah tells us elsewhere that the Messiah is a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3) When we are grieving and sorrowful, why should it comfort us to know this about God?
- What do you think is meant by “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord?” How does water cover the sea?
Father God, I know that you are ever present, that there is no place where you are unable to move and work, but I long for your presence to spread throughout this world. I long for the restoration of this creation, broken and corrupted by sin. Begin with my heart, Lord. Reverse the curse of sin in me, day by day. Fill my heart with the knowledge of you. Amen.
Day 5
Unified
Observe
This king will unite us, Jews and Gentiles, and everyone will seek him.
Isaiah 11:10
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Revelation 7:9-12
A Great Multitude from Every Nation
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Galatians 3:28
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
“The nations” would of course be any nation NOT named Israel (i.e. the rest of us) shall inquire of him (seek him). There will no longer be divisions of nations or people, just one king over all the earth. It is this that we look forward to and not just avoiding death. It sounds silly almost, to say “avoiding death is not the big deal,” but there’s so much more at stake here. As king, the Messiah will make a world so serenely peaceful that traditional enemies lie down next to each other, there is no danger or harm to be found, and all the people of the earth are unified under his glorious banner. As the whole earth is full of his knowledge, it follows that the peace and safety described covers the earth as well. It is possible therefore that “his resting place” might also reference the entire world, since he would have put everything at rest. Who doesn’t want to live in a world like that?
- What do you imagine it will be like to live in a world where the boundaries of nations and the division of people no longer exist?
- What application can we take from this future and apply to our lives today, in this world?
Dear Lord, Your church is vast and many-faceted. It is made up of such a variety of people who all love and worship you, but I confess that I often view other believers with distrust and pull away when they are different. I am uncomfortable if they dress differently or worship differently. Lord, open my eyes to the beauty in those differences. Help me to greet those differences with joy and to learn more of you through each encounter. Help your church to be known by love. Amen.