Bible Talks - Sunday Night Church
Series: On Eagles Wings - Isaiah 1-39 · Talk No. 5
A Perfect World
Sunday, 01 August 2004
Isaiah 11 ESV or NIV
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Big Ideas
- Jesus will return a second time as a righteous ruler to Judge all people with complete justice
- He will save those who have been faithful to him, and destroy those who haven’t
- Eden restored & it will be glorious and everything will know God
Introduction
Have you ever tried to imagine what it would be like to still be living in the Garden of Eden? For starters we could loose these shackles of fashion and all roam naked, because there would be no shame or embarrassment. Everyone would be happy and friends with each other (kind of like that movie “Truman Show”). If you wanted to have a snooze then you could curl up in the fur of your friendly neighbourhood lion without fear of being an afternoon snack. And most importantly, the garden would be filled with the glory of God, with all people recognising him and giving him Glory.
Well tonight we are looking at Isaiah 11, which describes how one day there will be a return to Eden, a perfect world. It’s hard for us to imagine how this transformation from our dog eat dog world to perfection will occur. But Isaiah makes it sound simple – You just need the right guy for the job! You may have heard of him before – his name is Jesus.
Lets just open in prayer
God we thank you that you chose to speak through prophets like Isaiah to teach and instruct us in your way. We pray that as we look at Isaiah 11 tonight, you will give us focus, understanding and the will to change.
I pray that I will teach your word faithfully and that it will be you word not mine that is remembered long after we finish in fellowship tonight. We pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.
If you don’t already have one, there is an outline circulating around that gives you a bit of a map of what we will be looking at tonight. From the passage and the outline, you’ll notice that we are introduced to a perfect ruler, a perfect world, and then given a few hints as to what will happen when they appear. We’ll also be looking at how this applies to us. It will be helpful if you have Isaiah 11 open in front of you as we’ll be referring to it.
The Perfect Ruler
For a bit of background to tonight’s passage, lets time warp back about 2700 years to the nation of Israel. The Israelites are not really finding much favour with God – in fact as we see right at the outset in Isaiah in Isaiah 1:4, the Lord says:
“Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt,
A brood of evildoers, children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.”
The Kings of Judah (even though they were of the chosen line of David) were not excluded from this rebellion. Only last week we heard of God’s judgement on Judah, because of the unbelief of their King Ahaz. When challenged to trust God, Ahaz instead chose to trust Assyria, believing they were more able to help him than God. Because of this all round rebellion, God declares judgement as we see in chapters 2, 5 and 6. For example Isaiah 2:12
12 The LORD Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled)
Within this rebellious nation, however, there remains what Isaiah refers to as a stump or remnant. These are those who still seek that Gods will be done. These are also the ones that hold tightly to God’s promises to David of a future Messiah, or perfect ruler sent from God to lead them. This perfect ruler will bring salvation to the righteous. He will judge everyone on “that day” and find those worthy of his new world.
Humble Origins/Prophesied line (v1)
Chapter 11 begins by looking at where this perfect ruler will come from. Most people would associate a prefect ruler with a rich upright person possibly from a royal family. But that is not the picture Isaiah is painting here. Instead, have a look at Isaiah 11:1
“a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse”.
The flamboyance, display and royalty of the line of David has been bypassed completely, instead referring to Jesse, his humble father. It’s from this humble origin, when all that is left of the failed line of David is a stump, that the messiah will come.
And when he comes, verse 1 tells us he shall bear fruit.
(Branch is referred to in 4:2 as the Lords saving work for his people at last come to fruition. Here, it’s a metaphor for messiah through who the salvation shall be acomplished)
Qualifications (v2)
At the beginning I mentioned that to achieve the transformation required for worldwide perfection, you simply need right guy for the job! Well verses 2-5 present some of the qualifications and characteristics of this perfect ruler, which show that he is the one they have been waiting for. He is the right guy for the Job!
Firstly we see that the “Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him”. In other words this promised king will administer his kingdom in a spiritual manner, as he is filled with the Spirit of the Lord. The “Spirit of the Lord” description doesn’t stop there though, it get specific as to the multiple qualities this spirit provides, which will equip this ruler perfectly for the task he is required to perform.
The spirit of wisdom and understanding allows him to see beyond the fancy words, and exterior disguises of people, to see their true attitudes and motivations.
The spirit of counsel qualifies him to give suitable and proper advice to those in his kingdom.
The spirit of might or "power", allows him to operate beyond the normal restrictions of the world, giving the ability to perform miracles, bear peoples sins, and offer eternal life.
The spirit of knowledge gives him access to the mind and will of God.
But perhaps the most important qualification he possesses, one which many of his predecessors lacked, is “fear of the Lord". Now when it says fear it doesn’t mean scared! Fear in this context refers more to reverence to God, a strict regard to his will, and always doing the things which please him. Note that he doesn’t merely possess a good healthy fear of the Lord, he delights in it! His pleasure and happiness come through pleasing God and doing his will.
Spiritual Rule (v3-5)
Well, we of the university generation know that it’s not the number of pretty letters you have after your name that will get you a job. Rather, it’s how you apply the qualifications you have practically, to the task at hand, that matters. Verses 3-5 outline how this ruler practically applies the spirits we have just spoken of.
Insight (2-3)
Firstly he will have insight. If you commit a crime, the only thing that courts can judge you by is the evidence. Evidence such as what others saw, what people heard, a paper trail or video surveillance. In the end though, you could very well get away with the crime if you know how to cover your tracks well enough. This however is a problem of the past for this perfect ruler. If you glance at verse 3b:
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
Rather, he is using the spirit of wisdom and understanding to see beyond the fancy words, and exterior disguises of people, to see their true attitudes and motivations, and the state of their heart.
Justice (4-5)
Secondly he will rule with justice. Take for example the poor and meek, who because of their poorness are essentially ignored. People who get bounced from one aid agency to the next, who get by but never really have their problems solved? The current kings of Judah are guilty this situation. Isaiah 3:14-15 says:
“The Lord enters into judgement against the elders and leaders of his people:
It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
Well with his belt of righteousness firmly secured around his waist, the perfect ruler will bring justice to the poor and meek. That’s in verse 4.
Power (4)
Thirdly he will rule with power. Not only will he see things with insight, and bring justice to the oppressed, but he will also bring judgement upon the wicked and oppressors. Using the spirit of might, he will bring an end to evil and injustice. Have a look at verse 4b:
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
With the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
The description is of more than a mere mortal like “Braveheart” slinging a sword. The power of his word and breath remind us of the work of creation. And so the same might which brought the world into existence, will now bring it to judgement.
So there we have a description of the right guy for the job! When he exerts his authority, things are going to change. In fact the passage continues to paint a picture of the results of this rulers reign. Let’s have a look at verses 6-9.
The Perfect World (v6-9)
There are three main features that we should note here about this new perfect world.
Paradise (6-9, Gen 1-2)
Firstly we can see that its paradise. The chaotic, violent, and turbulent world that we live in will be replaced by one of peace and tranquillity. This weekends edition of “The Australian” included a magazine showing famous “News pictures” from the last 40 years. Most of them are of wars, disaster or human tragedy.
In the new perfect world all this will be a thing of the past, instead verse 6 onwards tells us:
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;
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
It’s a return to the Garden of Eden where all creatures happily co-exist.
Children (6, 8; Gen1-3)
Secondly, note that children are mentioned a couple of times in verse 6 & 8, as well as a few snakes. Remind you of anything? In Genesis 3, mankind is cursed for his disobedience to God, and a particular hatred is formed between him and snakes! Well here, the curse of Genesis 3 is symbolically reversed, with the child in authority over creation, including snakes. This is the way God meant it to be. The perfect world appears to be a return to Eden without the effects of the fall.
Knowledge (9)
Thirdly, everyone will know God. Not just a few people, EVERYONE. Verse 9:
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea
The knowledge of God will be so great, it will be like the density of water covering the sea! I find that statement profound. How good will it be to drown in the knowledge of God! That’s OK, there will be a lifesaver available (aka Jesus!).
The Practicalities - That Day (v10-12)
So how is all this going to happen, and what in the world are we meant to make of verses 12 – 16?
In short, the verse 10 & 11 tell us that on “that day” God will raise a banner and will gather the remnant of his people. Firstly, “that day” refers to the arrival of the perfect ruler, who according to verse 10 will stand as the banner for all people to see. Two distinct groups of people will assemble in a huge end time gathering before him. In the context of Isaiah these are:
- The Gentile nations, who will at last come to recognise the Lords rule
- The people of God (i.e the Jews) who will be finally delivered from all their enemies.
There are many specific nations mentioned in the following verses, but these can be simply taken as the enemies of God. The general idea is that the enemies of God people will be brought to account, and Gods people will be gathered to him.
Where do we fit in?
So where do we as non-Jewish Christians in the 21st Century of the world fit in?
The perfect ruler is Jesus
Firstly let’s look at the perfect ruler. If you haven’t already guessed it, the perfect ruler is Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, baptised in the Spirit, led by the spirit, and as he begins his ministry he quotes Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”.
He displays the spirit of wisdom and understanding in his answers to the Pharisees, in his conduct at his capture, his trial, condemnation, and death.
His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are also displayed in the way he teaches people. The spirit of counsel and might are displayed through his profound advice and miraculous signs.
Jesus is this perfect ruler, who has been to open the way to God, and now waits to return, to gather his people back to him.
All people
So what about us? Well, later in Isaiah, chapter 53:6-7, the remnant concept is expanded to include believing Gentiles as well as Jews, in other words us! This concept is then further supported throughout the New Testament (1 Peter 1:1-2, Rev 5:9-10, Phil 2:9-10, Romans 5:12) where the scattered people of God are all those, Jew and Gentile alike, who gladly acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. These are the one who will finally be recovered from every nation, to spend eternity in God perfect world. The rest of the humanity will reluctantly acknowledge Jesus as Lord, then face judgement for their rebellion.
Now but not yet
So that leaves us in a unique period often called the “Now but not yet”. Jesus has been and accomplished all he intended on earth. He ascended to heaven and is now sitting at the right hand of God. The perfect world will arrive when he return’s one day as a banner to all people. Revelation 21:1-4 puts it like this:
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
So, what do we do while we wait? Heb 11:1-2, 12:1-2 gives us a suggestion:
11:1-2
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
12:1-2
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
That day will come. Until it happens, lets persevere, enduring this world, longing for the next, and proclaiming the perfect ruler, Jesus, to all nations.
