Isaiah 11:1-12:1 "All Is Not Lost"

I would like to thank the pastors for this opportunity to preach the Word today. If we believe what Hebrews 4:12 tells us, that the Word of God is living and active, and is like a sword that is able to cut through our defences and pretensions and convict us deeply, then let us pray together for both Word and Spirit to bring illumination, instruction and invigoration into our lives today.

Pray

Recap: a string of judgements, and a bleak outlook, yet at the end of chapter 10 there is promise of relief for God’s remnant people, and this theme is then continued in chapter 11.

In our scripture passage today you will see a lot of contrasts, a lot of opposites, and I want us to pay careful attention to these words because if we dig deep enough we will begin to uncover meaning that would have escaped us with only a casual glance, meaning that the Holy Spirit would reveal to us in order to make us better disciples as doers of the Word.

Chapter 11 begins with some interesting botanical/plant imagery. What I would like to turn your attention to are these words - stump, shoot, and a fruit bearing branch. The picture of the stump continues from where we left off at chapter 10.

Stump vs Shoot

Now, what is a stump? Where do you find stumps? In the recent wake of climate change activism, a stump may be an indictment of our overconsumption resources as a consequence of deforestation. In the context of Isaiah, the reference to the stump suggests an appearance of barrenness and death, since a stump indicates that the tree has lost that ability to continue growing. This is perhaps a reflection of the apparent spiritual state of the Jews, characterised by judgement and death.

However, the image of the shoot provide a stark contrast. It suggests new life, and foreshadows or points towards hope - the hope that even though something was once dead, death is not the end, but life can spring up from death.

* This shoot is a reference to Jesus our Messiah, the rightful King from the genealogy of David (and Jesse his father). Why mention Jesse and not David though, you might wonder? I’d like to suggest that it reminds us of Christ’s humility and humble origins - no fanfare or spectacle, just a carpenter’s Son born in a lowly manger. Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of this prophecy (cf

Luke 4:18 where Jesus says “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me”)

This fruit bearing branch thus refers to the reign of Christ as King. We get some hints about his kingship when we move into verse 3 and see the words “judge” appearing more than once. Here ‘judge’ (shaphat) (sha fart) renders into ‘rule’ or ‘govern’, and points us towards the time when Christ will come again as our King to rule over us.

1)     The character of the King (v1-5)

a.     “His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD”

The “Lord” here refers to God and not Jesus because of the capital letters. Now then, Jesus is described as delighting in the fear of God. This expression seems odd at first glance because delight and fear are not words you are likely to see together. What comes to mind when we think of the fear of the LORD?

It is about reverence and obedience, and here is a vision of a true king who will have perfect obedience to God.

The Spirit of the LORD also imparts certain characteristics that befit a king:

Wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and again, the fear of the LORD

With the history of many imperfect kings in Israel/Judah at the back of our minds, this description of the true king is a picture of hope - that one day there will be a king that will rule perfectly, in the fear of the LORD.

b.    Righteousness and Faithfulness

Isaiah extends the image of what this true king looks like by giving us concrete examples of how this king will judge his people.

-    “he shall not judge by what his eyes see” – our eyes see that which is external – we are constantly attracted to things that are outwardly beautiful or are immediately captivating. However, if you have lived life long enough, and had enough interactions with people, you would soon come to a realization that that which is worn on the outward appearance may not always reflect that which is on the inside – be it emotions that someone is feeling, or the true character of a person. But King Jesus does not merely look at the outward appearance and judge (which is something most of us do), instead, he judges with righteousness. This is echoed by what Jesus Himself says in John 7:24).

-    This next line “or decide disputes by what his ears hear” is something that many may have experienced. How many of us have been a victim of gossip? Or worse, been a producer of gossip? The power of rumour at best, can hurt people deeply, and at worst, can have disastrous consequences on peoples’ lives. Let me share a passage from a book I saw online which I found very helpful.

“Gossip is telling news that is not ours to tell; it is talking about people rather than talking to them. Gossip is involving people who are not part of the problems or the solution. If everybody comes to you for disclosing secrets, that’s not necessarily a good thing. You might be the spiritual equivalent of a toilet that flushes everything into the pipelines. Calling it a prayer request does not sanitize the sewage.”

Can you imagine a world in which people made decisions based on what others say without consulting the actual people who are affected? Or telling other people what they heard from some people without verifying the truth of what was said? Sadly perhaps that might be true for some of you here who may be victims of such actions, victims of injustice. But the great news is that King Jesus will not be the same. He does not judge based on gossip or opinion, but judges with righteousness.

Here is a king whose judgements are not based on appearance or opinion but on righteousness. Is this not a picture of a King who is fair and just? A king who stands up for the poor, treats them with fairness, and destroys the wicked. (v4) A king who wears faithfulness, and is faithful to do what He has promised. This is a picture of King Jesus.

Jesus is characterised by righteousness and faithfulness in a world of immorality, injustice, and infidelity. If you recall our theme this year – “Discipleship in a world gone wrong” – the character of King Jesus radically challenges us to live like Him. Romans 8:29 tells us that “for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” How does this link to discipleship? The end goal of discipleship is becoming like Christ! That’s what ‘conformed to the image of his Son’ means. That is what all of us should be striving towards.

The king rules a kingdom. Now, who are the people comprising this kingdom? US! This radical character of the king also shows us how we as people of the kingdom should live, and gives us an example to follow.

2) The reign of the King (v6-9)

Show article about the goat befriending the tiger

Show a picture of man befriending lion

Ask about natural instincts - snake handlers and children

a.     Radical peace (v9)

This is a picture of a new earth, a picture of renewal and restoration, cf Isaiah 65:25, where the image of the wolf and the lamb come into focus again. *show pictures of animal predators* what do these animals have in common? *show pictures of animal prey* now what do these animals have in common? What happens when animals in group 1 meet animals in group 2? If those in group 2 are lucky they live to die another day – otherwise they become dinner.

This is the way of the animal kingdom – but not one which God had initially designed. This state of things is a reflection of the consequences of the sin of man. But when Jesus establishes His kingdom here on earth, there will be a radical change. It will not be business as usual. It will be a revelation of His glory, His power, His majesty, His might, through the picture of radical peace. A peace depicted by the harmony between predator and prey, animal and man. And how might this be possible, you may ask?

b.    Radical relationship – “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (v9)

It is because of the knowledge of the LORD. Here the word ‘knowledge’ is not what we might understand immediately as information. Knowledge of the LORD is not just memorizing Bible verses in Sunday school. Knowledge of the LORD is not just doing Bible study in cell group. Knowledge of the LORD is not just studying theology. It is knowing God – a knowing that denotes complete, intimate understanding, a knowing that spells relationship. We will know Him as He is. The fullness of this knowledge is explained through the metaphor of water. Is there any part of the sea that is not made up of water? So it is for the knowledge of the LORD – the earth will know fully and truly, its Creator and God.

3) The mercy of the King (to the nations) (v11-16)

There is mercy in judgement – there is hope amid the destruction, because King Jesus will “recover the remnant that remains of his people” (v11).

“yet a second time” reminds us of the something massive that happened the first time, when God rescued His people. Can you remember when that was? The event starts with an ‘E’, the Exodus (the hint of this can actually be found in v16).

This time, He will gather His people who are scattered everywhere, both Israel and Judah, “from the four corners of the earth” (v12). He promises deliverance for the remnant, in the way that the Exodus remains in the cultural memory of the Israelites and people of Judah, which is referenced by the “highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt” (v16).

Now, what is interesting is that His mercy is not merely extended to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. Let’s examine the text. The word ‘signal’ is used twice here, once in v10 and once in v12. The first time the word ‘signal’ is used it refers to Christ Himself, and signifies salvation, since “of him shall the nations inquire”, not just Israel, or Judah, or only the Jews. The next time the word ‘signal’ appears again this signal is “for the nations”. God means for the nations of the earth to be part of the kingdom of the Messiah. King Jesus is a signal to all to come and seek Him.

The beauty of this mystery is that this was God’s plan all along. Jesus fulfills all the prophecies about himself, in fuller and unexpected ways from what the traditional Jew would have imagined – so much so that they rejected Him. But Christ’s fulfillment of all the prophecies is not simply for the benefit of the Jew, but has the purpose of calling all the nations (both Jews and Gentiles) to salvation in Him, both Jew and Gentile.

4) Our worship of the King

“You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation.”

I will sum up this concluding verse with 3 P’s

1)     Praise

-    In that day we will give thanks because we are saved.

2)     Propitiation

-    In that day we will know that because Christ gave Himself on the cross, and by His sacrifice paid for all our sins in full, that the wrath of God was turned away that we might be reconciled to God again

3)     Peace

-    In that day we will find true peace, true shalom that is wholeness, completeness, restoration and renewal in the presence of the King. In the presence of King Jesus.

Yet the phrase “in that day” is interesting because it assumes that only then, that point in the future, that the reign of Christ will be established, and all these prophecies will be ultimately fulfilled. However, if we pause and reflect, I’d like to remind us, brothers and sisters, that Christ has already done this for us. By His sacrifice on the cross and the shedding of His blood, He purchased us, paid off our debts, and made us right with God again. Because of this God’s wrath and anger was turned away and we have salvation. The reign of God’s kingdom will be complete in that day, but kingdom living begins now, because of what Christ has already done.

In the Lord’s prayer when we ask that “Your kingdom come, Your will be done”, truly, we are pleading for the complete fulfillment and establishment of Christ’s reign. Revelation 21 paints this wonderful picture for us – a hope which we look towards.

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place^[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,^[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.^[c] 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.”

⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

In that day, all of this will become a reality. And our worship will be perfected in the presence of the one true King. Come Lord Jesus!