Who Is This Child This Is To Come

Isaiah 11: 1- 11

Introduction:

Since the bombing of Afghanistan started on 10/9, we have been eagerly waiting for a quick and decisive conclusion to this war. Everyday we turn to the web site and TV for the latest development. While our minds are on 911 and its aftermath, Christmas has quietly come upon us. Christmas is only 9 days away.

According to the Christian church calendar, the four weeks prior to Christmas is known as the Advent season. This is a time when we wait and look forward to the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time of anticipation and hope.

This being the third Sunday in Advent, I feel it is appropriate for us to meditate upon this Isaiah passage; to prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ. Not just his birth, but also to cast our vision to another day, when this same Jesus will return.

At the time of writing, the Assyrians from the NE had conquered the northern kingdoms, Israel and Syria. And now it was about to attack the southern kingdom, Judah.

Earlier God had warned the people of Judah of the coming judgment. They were worshipping idols, deviating from God's Law and there was no justice in the land. The poor, the widows and orphans were oppressed. The real estate value had plummeted and the nation was in chaos. God told them that he would use the Assyrians to bring about judgment and punishment to the kingdom of Judah. They had heard of the former glory of the Davidic kingdom. However, when judgment comes, this kingdom will be like a tree being cut down; all that is left is the stump.

Having declared the coming judgment, God also comforted his people with the coming restoration. In Isaiah 9, the birth of a child was prophesied. The government will be on his shoulder; he will be called Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father and prince of peace. The passage before us, is about the coming of a king. He is from the house of Jesse, the same household as king David. Yes he is after king David, but he will be another David. He will restore the glory of the Davidic kingdom.

In these Isaiah passages, the word Messiah was not used. But it clearly points to the truth that this coming king is the Messiah, the anointed one, the one sent from God. He would be the savior and deliverer. He was the one came into this world 2K years ago. He was born as an infant who died 33 years later on the cross. He resurrected from the dead on the third day. For almost 2K years, Christians have been celebrating his birth on December 25th. The passage we read this morning gives us great insight regarding this child born on Christmas day. Telling us what he will be like.

I. This infant is the King with humble origin.

"Shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit" A shoot from the stump is fragile and a branch from the root is hardly visible at first. This metaphor describes the humble origin of the king that is to come. In Isaiah 53:2 "For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."

Several hundred years later, this king came into the world as the infant Jesus. He was not born in Jerusalem, which was the city of kings; but in Bethlehem, a small town. Even then, he was not born in the mayor's house but in a manger, surrounded by animals. This is hardly a king's place. His birth was barely noticed by anyone except the shepherds, Simeon and Anna, the prophetess.

At his birth, he was already hinting that his kingdom was not of this world. Yes, he was born in humble origin 2000 years ago. But we also know that he will come again with power and glory. In this Advent season, we not only look at his birth 2K years ago, but even more so, we are looking forward to his coming again.

II. This infant is the king with full qualifications.

Isaiah told us that this king, the Messiah will come in humble origin. But what else do we know about him?

1. The spirit of the Lord is upon him.

In vs.2, "And the spirit of the lord shall rest upon him…" The spirit of the lord will rest upon this king. When Jesus began his earthly ministry, we are told specifically the Holy Spirit descended upon him. What are some characteristics of this spirit?

2. Wisdom and understanding.

This is a reference to the judicious aspect. Understanding means the power to see the heart of issues. Wisdom is the reservoir and from which flows understanding.

3. Counsel and Power.

In Isa 36:5, these two words were translated as strategy and military strength. Meaning the ability to know the course of action and power to see it through.

4. Knowledge and fear.

This means the knowledge of God leading to a life of reverence. This reverence for God is the motivation to listen and obey his instruction.

So, who is this infant Child? He is the Messiah, King with the spirit of the most high upon him. He has the ability to rule and lead his people. He knows people's hearts; what they are thinking and what their real motives are. On one occasion, after feeding of the 4K, the crowd wanted Jesus to be their king. But he knew that they merely wanted someone who could provide them with their physical needs and satisfy their political ambition. So, he quietly withdrew from the crowd and went into the wilderness to pray. He knew what his mission on earth was and was persistent to the end.

III. The infant is the king who rules with justice.

As a king, what is his administration like? In vs.4,5 we read the emphasis being on Righteousness, meaning justice. He will rule with justice. There will be justice for the poor and the weak. Because of the spirit being upon him, he will not be affected by individuals' appearance or public opinion (3b), but according to what is right and true. The wicked will be punished accordingly. In Isaiah's time, justice was a rare commodity. The poor and weak were oppressed. The prophet Amos spoke in Amos 5:24, "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." It expressed people's desire for justice in their society. When this king arrives, he will rule with justice. Justice will be the hallmark of his kingdom. What is the result of his rule with justice? 6-9, "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." In these verses, a total of at least 10 images were used to describe the result of his rule. These verses are in poetic form, therefore not to be taken literally.

1. Unity and harmony.

In this kingdom, the wolf/lamb, leopard/young goat, lion/calf will live peacefully. Poisonous snakes will not harm children. The predators will live in peace with the preys. The cow and bear, lion and ox will all be eating grass and straws. This is a picture of Eden before the fall. When this king rules, he will restore the entire creation back to what it was like before man disobeyed God.

2. Security.

Secondly, in this kingdom, no one can harm his people. There is total security.

So, what do we see here? With the coming of this King, it will be a kingdom of justice, peace/harmony and security. When Jesus was on earth, he told his disciples that he is the good shepherd; the one who provides and protect them.

In our study of the book of Ephesians, we learned that Jesus came to bring peace between men and God and among men. He gathered his followers together, forming a new society, a new community, the church. In this community of believers, cultural, social and economic barriers are all being torn down. There is equality among all men. No one will be judged by the color of their skin, their social and intellectual status. Before God, we are equal.

However, as we look at our world, our own immediate community, we don't do it too well, isn't it? Justice had not come to every one. Moreover, among God's people, we see strained and broken relationships. Husbands and wives harbor unresolved conflicts. Recent surveys tell us that the divorce rate in the general society is about 34% and among the self-claimed Christians, about 33%. Something is not right. Christian brothers and sisters don't talk to each other because of conflicts and personality clashes, resulting in bitterness and resentments. Something is wrong here.

With the coming of this Messiah, we have been given a new life and therefore strength to live in harmony with each other. Yes, our fights, and misunderstandings can be quite ugly sometimes, but strength from God, his spirit that is within us can melt our hardened hearts, causing us to confess and seek forgiveness. We can reconcile with people around us and live in peace and harmony.

Having said this, we also realize the depth of sins corruption in some of our lives. We carry different degrees of brokenness within us. Therefore in this world, we see so much evil, deception and destruction. Yes, the king has come, he has made it possible for us to live in peace, harmony and security. And at the same time, we look forward to his second coming. When he will come in glory and power, when he will rule with total justice, there will be perfect peace and harmony among his people.

V. The infant king rules an ever-expanding kingdom.

Vs10-11, "In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples-of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea." Here we clearly see that his kingdom is not just confined to the Jewish people. But there will come a day when people from all nations will come to him. At the time of Isaiah, the Jewish people believed that they were the only chosen ones. However, as early as Abraham, he was told that he would be the father of our nations. First the Jews, and then all nations had always been a part of God's salvation plan.

With the coming of Jesus, it became clear that his kingdom is an expanding one. He invites all who are weary and heavy burden to come to him. Before his ascension into heaven, he urged his followers to go and make disciples from all nations. In the book of Acts we learn how his disciples obeyed him and went to every part of the world. The gospel message traveled from Palestine to Asia Minor, to Europe and then to Northern Europe. By the 7th and 8th century, the gospel message had traveled to as far as China. And now today, it has reached you and me.

We will all look forward to a day when we shall see men and women from all nations come to worship the Messiah king when he returns. Conclusion:

Everyday we have turned to the latest development at Tora Bora. We anxiously wait for the capture of the elusive Bin Laden. How we wish this would come to an early ending.

Such anticipation should also be the characteristic of the Advent season. We not only look forward to the birth of the Messiah, but also look forward to the second coming of this Messiah, the King.

With the first coming, he had made peace possible between God and men and among men. Because of his birth, the world has begun to see more and more justice. Wherever the gospel message had gone to, we see the advancement of justice and equality in that society. Wherever the gospel had gone to, we see reconciliation between individuals who were hostile and bitter towards each other.

However, because of human sinfulness, we still see the mark of our brokenness every where. Wherever we turn, we see injustice and inequality. Many have been found guilty for crimes they had never committed. There are still wars and killings even as we quietly sit here and worship.

For this reason, especially in this season, we look forward to our Lord's second coming. We yearn for his coming again, to completely restore his creation to what it was like before the fall. We look forward to the total redemption of the creation. He has come, and he is still to come. So what do we do during this in between time? Do we just wait and lament over our worsening condition? No, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to continue to advance God's kingdom. Wherever we are, we are to bring justice and peace to our society. Telling others about the gospel message, bringing them into this kingdom of peace and love. We are not passive, but actively bring about the reality of God's new society in this world.

Christmas is a season of hope, joy and peace for what Christ has accomplished by coming into this world 2K years ago. Christmas is also the season when we look forward to his second coming when he will restore his entire creation to what he intended it to be in the beginning. We look to the realization of his complete rule over his people. This is our hope.

Rev. William Hsueh   Dec.16 , 2001    Houston Chinese Church,  Houston, Texas