The Triumph of the Savior: From a Stump!!
December 20, 2009
Isaiah 11:1-10
In 1928 the Great Depression was fast approaching, and as our country was enduring hard and uncertain times, people were looking for a messiah, someone who could save us. And in Louisiana, the messiah showed up . . . at least that’s what the voters believed.
In 1928, Huey Long was elected governor of Louisiana. He won the hearts of the people by speaking their language, using methods no one had tried before. Long was one of the first politicians to use the radio and sound trucks that would ride through the streets proclaiming Long as the hope of Louisiana.
During his campaign, Long drove over 15,000 miles across the state, mostly down unpaved back roads – meeting the working class who had never seen a political candidate face-to-face. And Huey Long made sure the people wouldn’t forget him.
He brought along his own band to warm up the crowd. And then he would take the platform like a possessed man, wearing his signature white linen suit. Long cast himself as the benevolent head of state, guaranteeing that there was plenty to go around if the corrupt politicians, the big business interests, the newspapers, and his opponents would just let go and share it. His campaign slogan was “Every man a king, but no one wears a crown.”
There was almost a messianic following for Long. His flamboyance and straight- talking manner made his promises feel real. Voters were captured by his rhetoric and political savvy. He won by the largest margin ever in Louisiana.
Long was fiercely hated by his opponents, and fiercely loved by the common people. He had his eye on the White House when he was assassinated at the age 42. His legacy continues in the political philosophies of Louisiana politics. And to this day, every time the LSU football team takes the field and the band plays “Touchdown for Louisiana,” they’re playing the fight song Huey Long wrote.
The people were looking for a deliverer and thought they found him. Long had a long list of accomplishments during his short political career. But like so many before and after him, he proved to be only human.
Like the people in Louisiana in the 1920s, the nation of Judah in Isaiah’s time was looking for a Messiah. They were faced with desperate circumstances. Their king had rejected God’s clear instructions and firm promises, forming political and military alliances with the Assyrians, only to see them backfire. There were only two options, death or deportation, and it was only a matter of time.
In difficult times our hearts reach out for something that transcends the limits of the moment — an escape, a deliverance, a way out. Our longings turn to cries of the heart: “Is there anybody out there who cares? Will Someone rescue me? Does God remember me?” That was the mood on the street in 700 BC Judah, in 1928 America, and in present day America.
Isaiah’s message gives us the final answer to those longings. Isaiah declared, God will send a Messianic King, who has the authority of the Holy Spirit. His name is Immanuel — God with us! Though His face is human, He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of peace. His mission is to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted, to release those held captive and imprisoned, and to restore what has been lost. This has been fulfilled by Jesus the Christ!
In Isaiah 11, the prophet takes us further, as He takes us past this earthly life and death. We speed beyond the year 2009 and don’t slow down until we come to a future day when the Messiah who came 2000 years ago, will reign over the entire earth. Isaiah holds up snapshots of what it will be like when Christ’s will is done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Why does the Holy Spirit, who gave Isaiah these visions of the future, want us to see this? Because we need to understand what kind of King we find in the manger of Bethlehem. In this Christmas week, whether you come with awe, and worship with the shepherds and magi, or shrug your shoulders like it’s no big deal, like Herod and his religious advisors, you need to know what you can expect from this infant King, named Jesus.
He came from poverty; so He understands what we’re going through.
Isaiah’s opening sentence tells us His earthly roots. Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Think about that description? A stump, a stump is all that’s left of a tree that’s been cut down. Judah would become like a field of burned out stumps on the landscape of world history. But God would be faithful to His promises to His people.
So, a small, green shoot will rise from one of the dead stumps, from the family tree of Jesse. And that branch will bear fruit. Remember Jesse was the father of Israel’s great king David. Though this royal lineage holds incredible importance to the people of Judah, Isaiah doesn’t mention David’s name. Instead, he refers to humble Jesse, which reminds us of 3 things:
1) God loves to turn our values upside-down.
The Apostle Paul said, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world — so that no one can boast (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). We tend to value beauty and strength, influence and wealth; yet God brings His Deliverer to this world in the most unpretentious and unpredictable ways. It’s not what we or anyone would have expected.
2) The Messiah will not be born into privilege and wealth.
Jesse was never a king. Being born in the line of Jesse means the Messiah would not be born into the royal family as a crowned prince and grow up in wealth. He would have humble beginnings.
3) The Messiah will be another David, not just the offspring of David.
He will be more than an equal to King David. As we’re about to see, this baby born in Bethlehem will do what no one has ever done, can do, or will do.
He will have God’s Spirit on Him in unlimited measure, so He knows what you need and how best to meet your needs. Listen to these words from Isaiah ~
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
We have never known a president like this. The people in Isaiah’s day hadn’t known a king like this either. This tender shoot from Jesse’s family tree will have the spirit of God upon Him. He will not accomplish His goals by human means, but will be led by the Spirit of God.
Therefore, He will exercise His judicial duties with wisdom and understanding. Unlike every world leader in human history, this Messiah will not require a cabinet of advisors or any of the political machinery and yes men and women in order to accomplish His plans. For upon Him rests the Spirit of counsel and power. He knows what needs to be done and He has the power to accomplish His plans.
Isaiah adds that everything this Messiah will do will flow from a unique connection with God, since He has the Spirit of knowledge and reverence of the Lord. In fact, verse 3 tells us He will delight in the fear of the Lord.
This combination of attributes comes from a man in whom the Holy Spirit finds no trace of sin, and is able to fully empower Him to accomplish the will of the Father. Jesus’ unhindered dependence upon the Spirit of God can only be explained by the Incarnation, when God was born, in the person of Jesus Christ.
His reign will operate on a different level than ever before, bringing every person face-to-face with the King.
3 He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide 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.
The hallmark of the reign of God’s Messiah is captured in three main words in this passage: righteousness, justice, and faithfulness. Each of those words is about conforming to a standard. And it’s plain from this passage that the benchmark by which God’s final King will rule does not come from the people over whom He will reign. He is not elected and voted upon; instead He reigns by the authority of God and rules by the standards of the will of God.
And notice that He will exercise His rule down to the lowest level. The tone of these verses tells us that He is not legislating for the masses, but in each of our lives. He will render His rule on an individual basis!
So He will judge you according to reality rather than perception. He will not be swayed by emotion or fooled by ignorance of the truth. He will see you for who you really are. No one will be overlooked. He will deal with you with precise justice, evaluating your life in accordance with the holiness of God. And when He pronounces His judgment, it’s final. All who are made righteous by faith in Christ will be exalted. All others, He will wipe from the face of the earth.
And with amazing words, in one of the most beautiful descriptions in the Bible of what life will be like under our King’s rule, we see the very nature of the world changed. Predators and prey are no longer natural enemies.
Verse 6 says, 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.
But something even more striking will happen. Carnivores will see their very nature altered. Verse 7 says
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
Where mortal danger once dominated, there is a stunning sense of comfort and peace. Verse 8 points out: The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
The future world under God’s Perfect Son is a picture of the peace that returns everything to its divinely intended purpose. The curse that sunk the world into competitive darkness, fear, and death is vanquished
Verses 9-10 fill out the rest of the picture: 9 None will harm or destroy another on My entire holy mountain. Harm refers to all that is evil, all that is bad, all that causes pain. Destroy means decay or ruin. Isaiah tells us on that day, all crime will cease. Everything we do to one another that causes pain will be gone. Nothing will wear out or spoil or ruin.
Why? For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Everybody will know the Lord . . . and . . .
10 On that day the root of Jesse (that’s Jesus) will stand as a banner (a rallying point) for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious.
Do you know who was born of a virgin in Bethlehem? Do you realize who you’re dealing with this Christmas? The world is divided over this child, for at His birth, God drew a line in the sand. You cannot be neutral about this baby who is God with us, for He will not be neutral about you.
His first coming was marked by humility, for He so loves us that, though He was completely innocent, He willingly took the guilt of our sin and the wrath of God on the cross for our sakes. But three days later, He rose from the dead by the power of God, and later ascended to heaven where the Bible says He patiently waits for the conclusion of His saving purposes.
And then, He will come again, only it won’t be to suffer. In Philippians 2, Paul said, At the sight of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He will not be some regional king or territorial president, but the World’s Ruler in the power and the Spirit of God. And He will rid this sin-weary world of the curse, and by His own Word will return all creation to its God-designed purposes. And God will wipe away all tears from our eyes. There will be no more pain or death or loss, for the former things have passed away. And all our heart’s longings will be satisfied in Him forever! That my friends is who we are celebrating.
