Isaiah 11:1-10

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.

4 He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited.

The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.

5 He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.

6 In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.

The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.

7 The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow.

8 The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.

9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.

10 In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world.

The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

This prophecy from Isaiah predicts the return of perfection. God has not given up. He will restore the perfect perfection of the world He originally created. It will again become a reality.

The prophecy centres on an individual. He will be a new shoot from the stump of Jesse. Jesse was King David's father. This individual would be a descendent of Jesse and David.

Note the description of his character. The Holy Spirit would be upon him. He would be a person of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. He would love obeying God and he would judge justly, unswayed by appearance, concerned only with what is right. He would be clothed in righteousness and truth.

And look at His power! The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.

When he comes, the earth will be so very different from what we know. Peace and security are pictured using the images of animals that would normally be enemies, lying down together. Children would put their hands into the nests of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing would hurt or destroy. What an incredible world, yet this is God's promise.

Who is this individual?

He will be a banner of salvation for all the world. Perhaps that means that the promise of salvation will fly high and people will gather to it.

The land where he lives will be a glorious place. We can tell that from this word-picture. What an incredible place!

People will rally to Him. The world will be full of people who know the Lord.

In Isaiah's day the world was still in deep trouble. Indeed, for Israel, it would get very much worse. Nevertheless, God had promised. One day...

For Reflection

1. Do you think the world will every be like this?
2. What do you think is the biggest thing preventing it now?

The Colours Of Christmas

Somehow red, green and gold have become the colours of Christmas. Why? And how has that happened?

In the northern hemisphere, where Christmas occurs in the middle of Winter, evergreen plants are often brought indoors for a bit of colour and as a reminder that Spring is coming. They were therefore remnders of new life after the darkness of winter.

As we mentioned on Day 1, Paradise Plays were performed on Christmas Eve recalling the Garden of Eden. Greenery was part of that and trees had red apples tied to them.

Red is also the colour of holly berries, said to represent the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross.

Gold is the colour of the sun - again quite important in the middle of winter. But gold was also one of the gifts brought to Jesus by the magi and is traditionally used as the colour of the star of Bethlehem.

If you go to a church, does it need volunteers for its Christmas activities and programme? Why don't you offer? It would be appreciated.

Powerful God, we thank You that You have not given up. Your Kingdom will be established and it will be perfect. Lord, help us to trust Your promises. We want to be amongst those who know the Lord and who will enjoy Your Kingdom.

In Jesus name, amen.