Word: Isaiah 11:1-10
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
5 He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment.
6 In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
7 The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
8 The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
10 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.
Christians believe this to be a prophecy about the coming Messiah Jesus. Ancient Israel believed it to be a word from God about their political future, about some future prince/king/messiah—the Anointed One, who would make them a powerful nation again and free them from oppressors. Sceptics believe it is wishful thinking by a pie-in-the-sky poet of an ancient nation in chaos, confusion, and imminent danger. Do you believe the King of All Nations could create such a peaceful country, such an unimaginably perfect place?
The images of wolves and lambs lying down in peace together, even a baby playing near the deadly cobra, could be replaced in our time with images of a racially diverse society living at peace, with nuclear powers invested in peace, not war, or maybe even as simple as images of neighbors caring for each other. But these fantastically peaceful images are not the goals, but rather the consequences, the results of something else even greater, the rise of a great leader.
According to Isaiah, a leader will arise and the King of All Nations will give him wisdom and understanding, so that he can give justice to the poor and protect the exploited. This Anointed One will judge fairly, not based on appearances because he delights in obeying God! He speaks the truth and fights evil.
While such perfection and peace seem completely unattainable through any political means that I can imagine, it does make sense that every leader a nation chooses that is more like this Ideal, every national leader that delights in obeying God, who seeks to judge fairly, not based on appearances, who works to give justice to the poor and protect the exploited, who fights evil, the more leaders reflect these qualities, the closer is the realization of this peaceful kingdom.
These leaders will be good news for the whole world. They will be followed by other nations toward peace–and “the land where he lives will be a glorious place.”
Prayer: Sovereign Lord, raise up for our nation leaders who delight in you. Raise up for our nation leaders who judge fairly, who want justice for the poor and who will protect the exploited. Raise up for our nation leaders who will fight evil and who speak the truth. And help us to recognize these leaders, even in their imperfections. We long for a peaceful nation that brings peace to every nation. Amen.
Mark's Blog 
So difficult to imagine, but so wonderful to contemplate and pray for.