Variety: Isaiah 11v1–10
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
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 –
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;
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.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash round his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
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.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting-place will be glorious.
ISAIAH 11:1–10
Today, we’re offered the chance to celebrate the miraculous growth of the kingdom of God.
In verse 1, the royal line of David, Jesse’s son, was in such a poor state that it looked like it’d been cut down to a lifeless stump. But from this stump, tiny growth in the form of a shoot, begins. This is truly a ‘small wonder’ beginning. This wonderful growth appears fragile but is totally dependable, because the Spirit of the Lord rests there.
By the end of our reading, in verses 9 and 10, the tiniest of starts has grown to become the biggest of hopes. From a shoot on a stump, looking hopeless, we have the promise of the whole earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord and a banner to which all nations rally.
There’s a visual parallel of this in Britain today, with literal shoots appearing from the base of the Sycamore Gap tree in Hadrian’s Wall, felled in an act of vandalism in September 2023. There are also multiple art and replanting projects happening to turn this tragic story into something hopeful.
Today, we’re reminded of the wonderful news of growth and hope that begins with Jesus’ birth and finds fulfilment in his return. In the meantime, our God is still in the turnaround business. He still creates good news stories from bad and still creates growth where it looks impossible. And today, we are invited to play our part in his transformation work, and to be his messages of hope.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for this beautiful picture and promise of growth and transformation.
Whatever I face today, in everyday situations which seem to bear little or no hope, help me to remember your power to transform. Show me where I can be your agent for transformation today.
London Institute of Contemporary Christianity