Passage: The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the people -- of Him shall the nations inquire, and His resting place shall be glorious. In that day the Lord will extend His hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of His people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Journal: Isaiah refers to a period "in that day." Obviously, this time period is in the future and appears to point to the peace and tranquility of eternal glory. "That day" is made possible by the "root of Jesse." It is suggested that Jesse, rather than David, is referenced because the House of David (that is, the kings of Israel and Judah) have become so corrupt. The "root of Jesse," of course, is Christ, and we learned on Tuesday how wonderful this root will be because of the Spirit of the Lord resting upon Him. We also learned that the "root of Jesse" will come as a conqueror and with power. Finally, we learned that this power manifested itself completely with the victorious conquest of the cross.
Today, we illuminate the meaning of this eternal victory. First, this victory, this great salvation, occurs only because of the intervention of God Himself. Man, fighting the battle alone, was left dead (both physically and spiritually) and buried (both physically and spiritually). Man was hopeless and helpless, with no human prospect of a resurrection from an earthly grave. Second, Isaiah continually points out that a remnant will be rescued. There is no universal salvation here. The salvation is for the remnant, and the remnant are God's children. Third, this remnant consists of one; that is, the remnant is made up of the souls of His children purchased on the cross. In other words, it is not reserved for just Judah or just Israel, but rather is a covenant relationship by God for His children. His children will come from the four corners of the earth. ("In that day the Lord will extend His hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of His people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.") What will such a place be like? It will be nothing short of glorious. ("In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the people -- of Him shall the nations inquire, and His resting place shall be glorious.")
Heard 'Round the House:
Song (age 9, adopted from China when she was one) was trying to determine what to wear last night for her sugar stockpiling. One choice suggested by Jill was to put on one of her "Chinese" outfits that she owns. This deliberating revelation was the result --
Song (to Jill): "I can't decide what to wear. I don't know whether to go as a Chinese girl."
Song (to Jill): "I can't decide what to wear. I don't know whether to go as a Chinese girl."
[Pause]
Song (continuing): "Well, I guess I will be going as a Chinese girl no matter what I wear . . ."
