Adult Class
December 2006-May 2007
Isaiah
Lesson 7: Hope in the Messiah
At the end of chapter 10, God had promised judgment on Assyria, picturing that great empire as a forest, as dense as the cedars of Lebanon. Still, God would swing the ax and the nation would fall forever. By contrast, the stump of the line of David would raise up a sprout. What was thought indestructible would be destroyed; what was thought fatally stricken was yet full of life. And that life was the light of men—the Messiah.
The King—11:1-5
This King is identified by His attributes: He is from the lineage of David and He is Divine in nature—The Spirit of God rests upon Him. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, power, counsel, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Human judges must judge by what they see and hear—this Judge will judge rightly and will discern the truth at a much deeper level. His justice will be perfect justice, without regard to privilege or power. His word will be His weapon—when He speaks it will come to pass, and He will be clothed with the twin virtues of righteousness and faithfulness.
From the earliest days, this description has been held to apply to the Messiah. Certainly from our perspective, we can see how appropriately these qualities portray Jesus.
Consider how this description would be heard by the Jews, living in the shadow of Assyrian oppression. It seemed that year after year they sank lower and lower while Assyria went from victory to victory. All their efforts were frustrated by God. Even though God promised to judge Assyria, there was no hint that such a judgment was on the immediate horizon. But God had a plan for the redemption and restoration of the nation. This disaster would not be fatal to Judah or to the house of David. There would be a remnant that would result in a King!
The Kingdom—11:6-9
In the coming kingdom of the Messiah, true peace and harmony would reign as it did in Eden. The normal antagonisms of the animal kingdom would vanish. The very nature of the beasts would be changed to reflect peace and complete acceptance. The fear of humanity, ingrained in animals since the Flood, would disappear in a casual mutual regard. Even the longest-standing enmity between man and serpent would vanish in the coming reign of the Messiah, characterized by the greatest peace possible.
At many times in history, people have longed for a perfect place, where perfect justice prevailed and there was no cause for fear. The more we look at our world, the more we see the need for a time and place of ultimate concord. We see too clearly the imperfections of this world and we long for a place where we can live without fear or uncertainty or any need for guarded protection.
This was the picture painted here, and it is crucial that we inhale that understanding about the kingdom of God. It is a place of righteousness and justice, of peace and tranquility, where all of nature, including mankind, lives side by side with no competition or struggling. All of this is dependent upon every citizen submitting to the will of God. It is precisely this idea that lies behind all of Jesus’ words about the “kingdom of God” or the “kingdom of heaven” in the New Testament. The kingdom of God comes about as we admit Him to the throne of our hearts and make His will the center of our lives. Only then will we find the peace that passes understanding.
The Citizens of the Kingdom—11:10-16
The citizens of the kingdom will be gathered from their dispersion. This is a striking statement to the people of Isaiah’s day, because no dispersion had yet taken place. They would be scattered in the future—by Assyria, then by Babylon; there would be further colonies of Jews swept up by the Greeks and Romans. But for now, they were still in their land. Here, the promise is that even in dispersion they will not be forgotten by their God. He will return them, and when He does it will be a new day.
As amazing as it might be to see a wolf and a lamb in complete unity, the most surprising thing about this return is the absence of jealousy, envy and hostility between Ephraim and Judah. Together they will be victorious over their enemies, but they will be in perfect unity and fellowship. God will bring about a new day when He restores the people with the same kind of power He exhibited at the Exodus.
It is only in the power of God that unity between people will exist. When He makes up His people there will be no jealousy or hostility. They will all be one in Christ, the Messiah.
In that day—12:1-6
The day of the Messiah’s reign will result in two dominant actions by God’s people: praise and thanksgiving. They will praise God because He has done such magnificent works and has become the salvation of His people rather than the Judge of the nation. He provides salvation from His deep wells. It is all by His grace that salvation comes, and He is worthy of praise.
That praise will naturally issue in thanksgiving as God’s people understand what He has done for them. He provides joy and happiness for His people and they, in turn, proclaim their joy to the rest of the world.
This is our situation. The Messiah has come and has redeemed His people. He provides grace and salvation, peace and harmony, justice and unity. Our great privilege is to proclaim His praises and to give thanks to Him for all that He has done. We are given the opportunity to announce to others the salvation that is possible to them as well. The kingdom of God is at hand, just as Jesus announced. The enemies of the Lord are doomed, but the authority of our King goes on into eternity.
In troubled times in the world, people have a natural desire to escape the turmoil. They seek to establish perfect realms where peace and unity will prevail. In former times they left corrupted and irredeemable places like England, France and Spain, to form all new governments based on Christian principles like righteousness, justice and equity under the sovereign will of God. And they founded New England, New France and New Spain—which soon became as inconsistent and troubled as the older countries. The Messiah has come and established His perfect kingdom, but we still struggle to accept His sovereignty in every part of His realm and we wrestle with our own rebellion. Yet there will come a day . . .