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December 5, 2004
Living in the Spirit of Expectation
(Isaiah 11:1-10)
Our Old Testament reading for today is one of the classic messianic texts that are often read during the season of Advent. It expresses the deep and unrelenting human desire for peace and justice—for a future age in which the wrongs of this world will be righted, turmoil will be replaced by order, and conflict will give way to harmony. Christians have interpreted this text as a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ, and a harbinger of the fulfillment of God's kingdom on earth.
The unifying theme of this passage is the coming reign of God. It is understood and presented in two ways.
- The first part (vv.1-5) concerns the reign of God in the sociopolitical order by means of the birth or ascension of a new and ideal king from the line of David.
- The second part (vv.6-9) concerns the reign of God in the order of creation with the establishment of peace and tranquility among all creatures, including predators and their prey.
-this imagery is used to symbolize the peace and security that will be established under the ideal ruler.
-this cosmic peace is viewed as the consequence of the rise of the king in the line of David.
In this sermon, I would like to focus on the first part—the proclamation concerning the qualities of the ideal king. I don't think Isaiah intended for this text to be strictly a forecast of some future age of glory. The vision he creates is certainly a futuristic one, and includes fantastic, and perhaps unbelievable, images of wolves living with lambs, bears grazing with cows, and a child leading lions—vegetarian lions at that. But in depicting the characteristics of the ideal, "anointed" king who will usher in this age, Isaiah is critiquing all earthly rulers who fail to embody these traits. And I believe he is indicting all human behavior—of both leaders and citizens—that perpetuates the injustices and conflicts of this present age.
In reading Isaiah's description of the future king, two features jump out at me. First, the king's character is shaped by the spirit of the Lord.
"The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."
The word "spirit" is repeated four times. This king will be animated and inspired by the spirit of the Lord. And God's spirit endows the king with three pairs of gifts—wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. These are the credentials of the ideal ruler.
He will govern with a practical wisdom that enables him to face reality and deal with it fairly, promoting justice and the common good. As Proverbs 28:16 states—"A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor; but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life." He will display counsel and might, exercising wise, decisive and authoritative judgment in diplomatic and military affairs. And he will exhibit knowledge and the fear of the Lord. This refers to the religious character of his leadership. He will live and rule in accordance with God's moral demands.
The second feature of this description that jumps out at me is the repetition of the "Fear of the Lord." Not only will the king receive "the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord," but "his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord."
-How many of us delight in fear?
-If we were to draw up a list of things that delight us, would we mention "fear," even if it were "fear of the Lord"?
-And when we think of the qualities we want in our leaders, does "fear" immediately come to mind?
-Do we want leaders who display fear?
-Could such a leader get elected in America today?
-I can just imagine the debate scenario. "Sir, what is your single most qualification to serve as president?" "Fear."
And how many of us, in experiencing the presence of God in our lives, identify the emotion of fear as the abiding characteristic?
-it seems so out of step with modern, sentimental American piety.
-we much prefer to emphasize the emotions of love, adoration, or thankfulness.
-when you came to church this morning, breathing in the spirit of Advent, amid the hustle and bustle of shopping, house decorating, and Christmas concerts, I bet you weren't expecting a sermon on fear.
-maybe one about the wolf and the lamb and the calf and the lion—all playing and grazing together. And the child playing safely over the hole of the deadly snake. Yeh, that's more like it.
-You may even be thinking, "Thank goodness, the interim pastor is coming soon. We won't have to listen to Jauhiainen any more."
But the Old Testament is filled with references to the "fear of the Lord."
-it is often used to refer to a complex emotional experience which is connected to an awareness of God's presence.
-an encounter with the Holy often produces in humans terror or dread—dread over one's unworthiness; terror that comes from an awareness of God's righteous judgment of wrongdoing.
Yet this kind of fear is not merely negative.
-it often accompanies the awareness of God's glory and may produce an emotion of exultation and joy at the discovery of God's intense love and concern for humanity.
-it is the result not only of the knowledge that Yahweh is a holy God, but also of the apprehension of his saving grace.
-the God of Israel is a personal Being who intervenes in the messiness of human affairs and whose self-disclosure ultimately uncovers his creative purpose and saving intent.
-when Moses encounters God at the burning bush, he is afraid to look upon God.-but this fear is mixed with a positive emotion at the revelation of the name of Yahweh and of God's purpose in history.
-the memory of the Exodus becomes for Israel the ground of hope against all odds that God will triumph over evil and will fulfill his purpose in creation. -the acceptance of salvation produces a kind of awe which inspires humility and utter contrition in the hearts of the saved.
-this fear arises from the perception of God's very love-unmerited and undeserved.
It is through this encounter with divine love that the fear of the Lord becomes the basis for proper human behavior and the beginning of wisdom.
-as the Psalmist writes, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps. 111:10).
-the genuine love of humans for God creates a sense of anguish or dread at the very thought of moral failing or rebellion.-when we consider God's graciousness to us, his wonderful provisions for life, we ought to tremble in fear at our moral callousness.
-that is why Isaiah says that above all, the anointed king will receive the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
-he emphasizes this characteristic as if to prepare us for the quality of the ideal ruler's justice and righteousness.
vv. 3b-4a: "He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth."
-he won't rule by opinion polls or by appealing to his political "base."
-rather, he will act as one who sees and hears deeper than the surface and will ensure that the "poor" and the "meek"—that is, those least able to protect themselves—have full protection.
-the ideal ruler will exercise power to protect and promote the welfare of the weak.
-he will correctly stand on behalf of the oppressed, bringing sanctions against the oppressors and criminal wrong-doers.
-this is gospel; this is "good news."
What are we to do with this passage from Isaiah? Does it merely give us a hopeful glimpse into some glorious future, a thought to inspire us during Advent? Or does it also provide us with some advice for how we live today?
Certainly this text presents us with unqualified good news, a vision of hope for the future.
-it presents us with a beautiful vision of a new age of royal government and worldly peace.
-it joyfully cries out that some day God will bring about justice and peace for the earth and all its living creatures.
Yet in presenting this vision of a messianic age, it also provides us a model of what we should work toward today.
-it offers not only a vision of expectation, but also a challenge.
-we need to be open to God's grand vision for the future.-opening ourselves up to it will enable us to serve as channels of that future.
-God wills justice, righteousness and peace.
-the more people truly acquire the knowledge and fear of the Lord, the more justice, righteousness, and peace will be made concrete in human society—in our economics, our politics, and our social interactions.
-according to Isaiah, the true measure of the faithfulness of political leaders is not how much they talk about their faith, or how much they pray, or how much they encourage public displays of religiosity, but how much they pursue justice and righteousness.-the true measure of the character of a nation is not how much wealth it generates, or how much power it displays, or how much its citizens attend religious worship, but how much it pursues justice and righteousness—both at home and abroad.
Do we promote policies that ensure the welfare of all, that uphold the common good?
Do we work to create a society marked by decency and fair play.
Do we cry out against exploitation, discrimination, and the abuse of power?
Are we adequately addressing concrete social and political issues such as poverty and corruption?
Do we look out for the weakest members of society, the ones who are least able to fend for themselves?
According to Isaiah, any leaders who would claim to have the spirit of the Lord upon them, or any nation that would presume to be chosen by God for a special purpose, need to be reminded that all human behavior and all institutions will be judged according to the principle that God wills justice, righteousness, and peace.
In this season of Advent, in this time of heightened expectation, my wish is that we all might capture a glimpse of Isaiah's vision of a world renewed by the spirit of the Lord—and allow that vision to shine through us from this day forth. Amen.
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Phone: 319-364-6148
E-mail: church@fpccr.org
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