Isaiah 11:1-10
The line of kings of Israel has collapsed. King David’s dynasty is no more. But a shoot from a dead tree stump will emerge. God gives us the shoot from Jesse, David’s father, to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the line of David and would rule forever. This Messiah would be greater than the original tree and bear much fruit. The Messiah would rule forever.
According to Martin Luther, “This is what he called Christ, and such is the beginning of the rising spiritual kingdom. It is obviously different from that of an earthly kingdom, where an assembly of people is provided with a king. In this case, the King is born first, and then He gathers a people for Himself. At first there will be a single sprout risen out of the root, from the old and hopeless trunk, which is nevertheless watered with divine strength.”
Isaiah prophesies that in the decades to come, the divine axe of judgment would cut down the kingdom of David. And a branch, a new human king, would emerge who would be greater than all the kings of the past. This prophecy is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. With the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Messiah would be equipped with every ability He would need to be the perfect ruler according to the Father’s will.
Isaiah also writes that a golden age is yet to come. It will be a time of peace when the animals who were once prey and predator will lie down together in peace. Perfect peace and tranquility will be possible only when Christ returns.
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
The psalmist writes about the attributes of a king. A king is one who will treat God’s people with righteousness, defend the cause of the poor, deliver the needy and crush the oppressor. So far, no earthly king has ever fulfilled this need.
King Solomon wrote this psalm, or it was written about him, for his coronation. Solomon followed his father, the great King David, to rule over Israel during a time when the land was at peace. His great accomplishment was building the temple in Jerusalem. His father David wanted to take on this project, but God said no – his son Solomon would build it.
While the psalmist describes the attributes of a perfect king, he is also pointing to the future king, the Messiah, whose kingdom will be greater than any human kingdom.
Romans 15:4-13
Paul’s letter to the Roman church is one expressing hope and unity in Christ. People, then and now, have great trouble living in harmony with one another. There is always something to divide us – wealth, politics, religion, etc. In Paul’s time the greatest divide was between the Jews and the Gentiles.
The Jewish people were God’s chosen people and they never let anyone forget that. The Gentiles, enemies of the Jewish people, were slowly being converted to the Christian faith. But this didn’t happen until the Jewish people rejected Paul’s message of the gospel.
During Paul’s ministry and that of all of the apostles, it was taught that God’s salvation is for all people – Jews and Gentiles alike. Hope then, and our hope now, is that we must be confident in our resurrection and look ahead to our eternal life with Jesus Christ. We will have peace resting in this assurance that God will do as He promised.