​

Reflection

Reader,

This week's passages focused on prophecies from Isaiah chapters 9 and 11 building up a picture of who Jesus is and how he will reign.

Tuesday's passage contrasted the modern idea of peace as a passive absence of conflict with the peace Jesus brings as an active, increasing presence.

Where in your life have you experienced Christ's active, increasing peace, and what does it look like to live as if His peace is a tangible presence rather than just the lack of trouble?

Isaiah describes the Messiah ruling with the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might, judging the poor with righteousness and equity.

In what ways can we, as people living under His Kingly rule, better apply the Spirit of wisdom and righteousness to your own judgments and interactions with the world?

The vision of the "peaceable kingdom" in Isaiah 11:9 is realized when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea".

How does your daily pursuit of the "knowledge of the Lord" transform your own relationships with people, and with the world and nature around you, anticipating the unity prophesied in the final kingdom?

I have reprinted our verses from Isaiah 11 below and you can reread our verses from Isaiah 9 here.

Isaiah 11

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2 And 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 of the fear of the Lord;

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Andy

God's Word In Your Hand

This week's passages have been accompanied by Carols from Canterbury, my home town. Today's is "Silent Night".

​

​Biblecopyclub.com​

​