Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon Isaiah 11:1–10 “World Filled With The Knowledge of God”
December 8, 2019
We are continuing today with our look at the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet from the 8th century, before Christ. He wrote beautiful poetry giving people hope during a turbulent time. As we saw last week, the Assyrian Empire was on the rise. The neighboring kingdoms, Israel and Syria, had been conquered. Judah, under King Ahaz, had become a vassal state. Assyrian gods were being worshiped in the Jerusalem temple. Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel, had been forgotten.
Into this seemingly hopeless situation, the prophet Isaiah spoke a word of hope.
Isaiah 2:2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Filled with hope, the nation of Judah welcomed a new king, Hezekiah. Hezekiah restored the covenant between God and his ancestor King David, the son of Jesse. He removed the Assyrian idols from the temple. The worship of Yahweh resumed. He did everything right. And he nearly lost his kingdom. We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, on this second Sunday of Advent, renew in us our hope for a return of Christ and fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy promising peace on earth. We pray all this in the name of the Messiah who came and will come again, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
King Hezekiah removed the Assyrian idols from the Jerusalem temple and the Assyrians were angry. The Assyrian army began an invasion of his kingdom. Town after town fell before the onslaught until Sennacherib, the leader of the Assyrians, arrived at Jerusalem. Only a stump remained of the once-proud kingdom of David, the son of Jesse. So King Hezekiah entered into the Jerusalem temple and turned to God in prayer.
2 Kings 19:15 “O Lord the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have hurled their gods into the fire, though they were no gods but the work of human hands—wood and stone—and so they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, I pray you, from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”
At this time of national despair, King Hezekiah has turned to his one and only savior, God. And the prophet Isaiah proclaimed to the people a message of hope.
Isaiah 11:1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness, he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Sennacherib and the Assyrian army were no match for the God of Israel. Here is how God answered Hezekiah’s prayers.
2 Kings 19: 35 That very night the angel of the Lord set out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when morning dawned, they were all dead bodies. 36 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went home.
Like King Hezekiah, we have one savior. Our only savior is God. Turn to him, keep his commands, and believe in his son. He will save you.
This prophecy of Isaiah has been the hope of God’s people for almost 3000 years. We long for the day when creation is reborn and the oppressed and the oppressor will join together in love.
Our hope is that a messiah will come, a descendant of David, son of Jesse, whose spirit will bring wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. We hope for a messiah who will lead us in righteousness and faithfulness. We hope for a savior who will bring peace of earth.
And two thousand years ago some shepherds, in a field near Bethlehem, heard this from some angels.
Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled with the coming of the Messiah. He was born in Bethlehem and was named Jesus.
Put your faith in him, for he is your savior. He will save you from whatever Assyrians are threatening you. Maybe your health is a concern. Turn to Jesus in prayer. Maybe you are worried about finances. Turn to Jesus in prayer. Maybe you are concerned about a loved one. Turn to Jesus in prayer. Jesus is your Messiah. He will save you.
Jesus has “The Spirit of wisdom and understanding”. This endows him with discernment to make good decisions in governing his kingdom. He has “The Spirit of counsel and power”. This will give him diplomatic and military authority to rule. He has “The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord”. This will keep him close to God. The “knowledge” here is not merely intellectual correctness or assent to the truth, but an intimate relationship with God. “The fear of Lord” was at the heart of Jewish faith. This leader, contrary to all others, will be centered on Yahweh, living a life of pure piety. Indeed, more than anything else, his greatest delight will be his relationship with God. Obviously, this describes Jesus as the Son of Man and Son of God. This shoot from the stump, unimpressive in his birth and in his appearance, will be awesome in his reign because it will be characterized by righteousness and faithfulness in all he does. The world has never seen a leader like this, but it is dying for one. Isaiah promises that such a one is coming. https://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/advent-2a-2/?type=old_testament_lectionary
By this time next year, we will have selected new leaders for our nation. I won’t be telling you whom to vote for. But I can suggest some characteristics you should look for in candidates. Here is what God looks for in a leader.
Isaiah 11:2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness, he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
Let’s pick our leaders wisely. Let’s pray.
Heaven Father, we thank you for the hope expressed by the prophet Isaiah that a messiah will come to save us. We thank you for sending your son as that messiah and for the blessings of having a messiah in our lives. And we thank you for the hope that Jesus will come again and complete the work of bringing peace on earth. This we pray in Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.
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