Thursday, September 12

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Isaiah 10:1–11:16

2 Corinthians 12:11–21

Psalm 56:1–13

Proverbs 23:6–8

 

 

“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 around 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  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.”

(Isaiah 11:1–9)

 

 

In Thursday’s reading, we encountered further Messianic prophecy in Isaiah.  These encouraging words speak of a coming Kingdom, whose fulfillment would come both in the first earthly coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and more fully in the Second Coming, with its attendant restoration.

 

As believers, we may rejoice in what God has already accomplished in Christ, revealing once-veiled mysteries and unlocking the promise of salvation through a humble trust in the Risen Jesus.  Yet, we also hope – not a flimsy fantasy, but a grounded assurance – that the further promises of the full-fledged Kingdom will bear fruit in the Second Coming.

 

Paul writes in Romans 8:18–24 about the creation’s longing for this entire fulfillment:

 

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

 

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

 

 

As with the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3:10,11, we recognize that the contrast between the decaying world (entropy) and the eternal hunger within the human heart (eternity) – and the ultimate pain it causes.  May we who have received the Good News of Christ’s coming rejoice but also continue to hunger and thirst after righteousness.

 

Lord, we pray for pure hearts.  Help us to rejoice in Your goodness and to look warily towards the lying spirits of this world and the evil kingdom.  Give us wisdom from Your Holy Spirit to discern truth from lie.  Bring hope to those who suffer and mourn today:  a vision of Your present and coming glory.  Pour into us Your comfort that we may comfort those who are hurting.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

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