How Long, Lord?
I’ve been reading through — or more like plodding through — my Bible since last year some time. Isaiah is as far as I’ve gotten. It’s been a long time since I felt much more than a sense of duty, but this morning I read this in Isaiah 11, and felt a great amen well up inside:
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD –3 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;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.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.7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.9 They will neither harm nor 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 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
This is one of those prophecies that seems to reach beyond its historical context and refer to Jesus, but it’s not completely fulfilled by Jesus’s coming the first time. It’s what we still have to look forward to.
“He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears…” In this appearance/image-saturated age, the idea of a leader who sees into the heart of things is truly a blessed thought.
“…but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.” Ahh, yes — justice, rather than “the justice system.” Righteousness, rather than simply this week’s messiah… No offense to the Obama fans, but I’m truly amazed at the number of books, even children’s books, that have already been written about this latest savior. He hasn’t even done anything yet. He’s not even in office yet. The craving for a messiah is at such a pitch that the world is hailing someone whose only real virtue so far is symbolic. But the true master of righteousness, justice, and truth is yet to come.
“He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.” Wow. I just love that. All the false names, the misuse of language and rhetoric, the politically distortive and deceptive manipulation of the power of speech — in short, all Babel — will be swept away. I have my share of fear and trembling over what will be left of me when that happens. But I long for it just the same. We’re made to long for it just the same.
“They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” No more roadkill. No more babies attacked by alligators. No more gutted rabbits left by some bird of prey in my backyard. No more murder of Abel by Cain. Wendell Berry and other nature writers refer to the “holy earth,” but Romans tells us it is fallen… and Isaiah tells us it will be raised again. I can’t wait.
Here’s verse 10 in the New Living translation: “In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.” Even so, come Lord Jesus.
