Watching with Isaiah: Do You See What I See? Pt. 2: Reflecting on Isaiah 11.1-10

“For anyone united to Christ, 
there is a new creation: 
the old order has gone; 
a new order has already begun” 
(2 Cor. 5.17 REB).

“At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, 
which is true in him and in you, 
because the darkness is passing away 
and the true light is already shining” 
(1 John 2.8) .

Spirit of Christ:
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 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 the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD” (11.1-3a).
The promise is of the one who will come as a 2nd David (v.1). This special one, this long-awaited one will have the Spirit of the LORD resting on Him. The 7-fold Spirit [see Rev. 1.4; 3.1; 4.5; 5.6] will enable this 2nd David in his calling and mission. “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God”” (Luke 1.35).  “”The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” ( . . . ) Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4.18-21). Therefore, the 7-fold Spirit is on Christ, and if we are united to Christ, His Spirit is also united to us. His Spirit becomes our resource for wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear the Lord!

“For anyone united to Christ, 
there is a new creation: 
the old order has gone; 
a new order has already begun.”

Justice of Christ:
“He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins” (11. 3b-5).
No hood-winking Jesus! No pulling the wool over His eyes! [a] He won’t be fooled BY or ABOUT the poor. In fact He will show proper care and fairness for the truly poor and the genuinely meek of the earth (The meek will inherit the earth). [b] 4c sounds like the book of Revelation in a nutshell (“he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked”)! [c] He will be so accustomed to moral integrity and steadfast loyalty that He will seem to be clothed with it! “He fills the poor with good; he gives the suff’rers rest: the Lord has judgments for the proud and justice for th’ oppressed” (Isaac watts). Therefore, the embodiment of the eternal Son of God as that embryo in Mary’s womb, His birth, holy life, His teaching, crucifixion for our sins, resurrection for our justification, ascension and enthronement,  is the inauguration of this new creation order of justice. And being united to Him by the Holy Spirit thru faith, makes us part of His new creation order, where we are considered by God as righteous because of Christ’s own righteousness; but also where we become concerned about righteousness and justice—in a world where people are being sexually beaten up, physically violated, economically trounced and racially desecrated.

“For anyone united to Christ, 
there is a new creation: 
the old order has gone; 
a new order has already begun.”

New Creation of Christ:
“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 peoples—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” (11.6-11).
Alec Motyer makes this comment about v. 6-11: “( . . . ) first the Messiah buds forth and then, through him, new life for people becomes possible on a world-wide scale and the life of nature itself is transformed” (“The Prophecy of Isaiah”, IVP, 124). Observe how this breaks out: V.6—Reconciliation of old, deeply embedded hostilities. V.7—The change from natural fierceness from within. The herbivoral “new” nature of the carnivores points back to Eden, but points forward to the New Eden of the regeneration of all things! You surely may come just as you are; but be assured, He will not leave you as you are! V.8—the curse appears to be completely removed. Genesis 3.15 seems to be turned out, and the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent is wiped out; because the serpent is done away! And, surprise, this New Eden is…Mt. Zion. And, surprises of all surprises, Mt. Zion is the whole transformed earth! [See Isaiah 19.18-24]

With this in mind, observe the words of Simeon’s song, after the dedication of baby Jesus: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2.29-32). And our Lord himself declares, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12.32). Personal New Creation, but also Corporate, Tribal and cosmic New Creation! We who have been made at peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ, start initiating peace amongst warring family members, church members, tribes and races, and joyfully desire to see love and peace flowing to the creation.
“Increasingly the ordered fellowship of the church becomes the sign of grace for the warring factions of a disordered world. Only as the church binds together those whom selfishness and hate have cut apart will its message be heard and its ministry of hope to the friendless be received” (Edmund P. Clowney, “The Church”, IVP, 16).
“For anyone united to Christ, 
there is a new creation: 
the old order has gone; 
a new order has already begun.”

----
Mike

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