Sunday, December 4, 2022  

Today’s Scripture Reading
Isaiah 11:1–9

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall 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. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (NRSV)

Reflection

Following the prediction of Isaiah 9:6–7, Isaiah prophesies that a leader will rise to save the Southern Kingdom of Judah from the Assyrian assault and restore it. This and other passages have been used during Advent as foretelling the birth of Christ some 700 years later. What is distinctive is that the “shoot” who will lead does not sound like a powerful battle commander. Rather, he will have a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. Power is included, but the prophet continues with a list of attributes that, even today, or especially today, we would welcome: righteousness in using judgment, justice for the poor (and the wicked), and faithfulness (presumably to God). He goes on to predict that enemies will reconcile and that the innocent and young will have no fear because “the earth” (i.e., everyone) will be “full of the knowledge of the Lord.”

The time was fraught. Things were falling apart. Enemies were ruthless. Remaining monotheistic was probably a challenge, too. The small Southern Kingdom didn’t know whom to trust, but the passage brims with hope. The Spirit of the Lord was still there, waiting to be acknowledged.  

Perhaps a lesson for us in this passage in our fraught times is to work on restoring our hope by looking for signs of wisdom, counsel, righteousness, justice, and faithfulness—not just in a single human leader, but in the humble and quiet folks around us who are “full of the knowledge of the Lord.” And, then, encourage and emulate these people. 

Prayer

Loving God, you know our fears. Help turn that anxiety into “delight in the fear of the Lord,” into trust in your watchfulness and care. Amen.

Written by Rebecca Dixon, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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