Life Through Death
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 10:33, 11:1-9
33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will lop off the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,
the tall ones will be brought low.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
Isaiah 11:1
Isaiah was speaking to a culture with conflicted values. In some ways it was like our culture today, in which people might gather for worship but are not really interested in living for God. Many are distracted by wealth, beauty, power, and material things. (See Isaiah 1-2.)
Isaiah’s message was uncomfortable for people then, and it still jolts people awake today. God isn’t satisfied with people going through the motions of worship and then ignoring his call to do what is just and right in the world. Isaiah’s message unveils the depths of God’s standards. Through Isaiah God warned the people that their sin would bring consequences: destruction and captivity.
But then later God would also bring restoration. God promised to send a Savior who would lead by doing what is right and just, bringing peace and rest for the nations.
Isaiah uses vivid imagery to describe all of this, and he compares the judgment and redemption of God’s people to trees. Big, lofty trees representing power and prestige will be cut down and brought low. But hope will rise again later when a shoot grows from a stump.
The Spirit of God will do this—not on the basis of human power or pride but by wisdom, mercy, and justice. Greatness will come through humility. Life will come through death.
God, we confess that we often think “bigger is better,” and we marvel that you will bring about redemption for all creation—not by a triumphant, overpowering conquest but through the unassuming birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
