The Promise of a Coming Kingdom
December 4: Isaiah 11:1-10
I have a confession: I do not watch the news anymore…EVER (okay, sometimes I watch the local news, but only the sports when the Mustangs are featured)! I stopped watching the news when my brother was in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the “news” seemed to care more about ratings or a political stance than they did the facts. I hate being in a restaurant and hearing anchors yell back and forth trying to prove their points. I cannot stand the negativity that is on the news.
I wonder if the people of Israel hated the news? From king to king, the news was either “We have a king that is leading us to follow false idols,” or every once in a while, “We have a king calling us to repentance and worship of God.” The bad seemed to outweigh the good, but then Isaiah writes the words we find here and the promise of a new kingdom: a kingdom that is characterized by images of peace. For the People of God, the hope of such a kingdom must have brought back images of the promise of God to Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to all nations. The people of Isaiah’s time would not see the kingdom that Isaiah spoke of here; however, with the coming of Christ, the Kingdom that Isaiah spoke of was created and continues to grow today.
We are part of the Kingdom that Isaiah’s listeners hoped and waited for. We are responsible for being the Good News to those around us. We have not seen the final results as Isaiah spoke of, but we are to bring peace through the way we live out the Good News of Jesus. We are the news that so many people need, standing in stark contrast to the news they receive through our culture. How will you live out the Good News during Advent? You carry the fulfillment of somebody’s hope for a promised kingdom.
God, help me to be a faithful witness to the Good News
December 4: Isaiah 11:1-10
I have a confession: I do not watch the news anymore…EVER (okay, sometimes I watch the local news, but only the sports when the Mustangs are featured)! I stopped watching the news when my brother was in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the “news” seemed to care more about ratings or a political stance than they did the facts. I hate being in a restaurant and hearing anchors yell back and forth trying to prove their points. I cannot stand the negativity that is on the news.
I wonder if the people of Israel hated the news? From king to king, the news was either “We have a king that is leading us to follow false idols,” or every once in a while, “We have a king calling us to repentance and worship of God.” The bad seemed to outweigh the good, but then Isaiah writes the words we find here and the promise of a new kingdom: a kingdom that is characterized by images of peace. For the People of God, the hope of such a kingdom must have brought back images of the promise of God to Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to all nations. The people of Isaiah’s time would not see the kingdom that Isaiah spoke of here; however, with the coming of Christ, the Kingdom that Isaiah spoke of was created and continues to grow today.
We are part of the Kingdom that Isaiah’s listeners hoped and waited for. We are responsible for being the Good News to those around us. We have not seen the final results as Isaiah spoke of, but we are to bring peace through the way we live out the Good News of Jesus. We are the news that so many people need, standing in stark contrast to the news they receive through our culture. How will you live out the Good News during Advent? You carry the fulfillment of somebody’s hope for a promised kingdom.
God, help me to be a faithful witness to the Good News
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