Finally, justice!

Isaiah 11:4 NLT

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.
____________________________________

The promise God made to King David had always seemed too good to be true. Dynasties don't last forever. David's experience of the promise was seriously threatened before he ever reached the throne. And when the land of Abraham's promise was finally united under David's good rule, it is divided by fights among his sons and generals. Does this throw God's promise into doubt? Solomon appears to be a just king, but he is deeply flawed and wavers.

God's people are waiting for a prophet who will declare his people free of exile and oppression. They are longing for a promised king who will rule with justice and peace. God's people are looking for a Messiah like Isaiah has foretold. Who would be this 'Sent One' whose very words would bring healing and peace?

Surely someone could see that this promise would have to be fulfilled by no one short of God himself. Thus it is Jesus Christ, the God/Man-Messiah, who alone can fulfil this grandiose and outrageous promise from God.

We clearly see in Jesus' words he is the one that Isaiah is speaking of here (read further below).

Do you long for justice? Did your heart crave the peace promised by Isaiah? Does your mind desperately need this safety and salvation?

All this and more is found in Jesus.

Rest assured, Jesus rules a kingdom you can be part of that is all this and more.

____________________________________

Isaiah 11:1-10 NLT

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. 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. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. 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. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. 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. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. 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. 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. 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.

https://soundcloud.com/wkbode/consider-the-following-03

There will be no end...

ISA 9:6-7 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

-----------------------------------

Isaiah starts right out with 8 chapters that have, for the most part, amounted to a litany of more than disappointing behaviour and an understandably harsh judgement. But things have taken a major turn in chapter 9.

God is beside himself with excitement. God can hardly contain the sense of purpose and accomplishment that comes with seeing through his promise to David. And this plan is far far better than anyone previously expected. Oh to be sure the first 8 chapters of this word from God through Isaiah has been a bit grim. So far the majority of God's revealed plans have been scary. Not the kind of news that warmed the cockles of one's heart. But truth and hope of a sort nonetheless.

But this news is colossal and a whole new order of magnitude in the unfolding love story of God's intentions for humankind.

The promise of God to David was going to be fulfilled by God himself, not simply a representative. And this time it was going to be final, fair, and forever.

With the aid of hindsight we can see this is all about the birth, life and rule of the God /Man Christ/Messiah Jesus of Nazareth born in Bethlehem.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace are magnificently hope-giving names rich with meaning and impossibly achievable in anyone short of a divine person.

So God himself would come and fulfill God's promise to David.

Now, let me direct you a bit closer to home. Have a thought to your own life. What is the status of your hopes and your dreams?

Just think, the promise to David had grown in every conceivable way. So the extent of this everlasting rule of God had no end.

The zeal of the rule of God's Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace had expanded to cover you. This hope of God in the midst of great disappointment and harsh judgement orchestrates justice and righteousness over your hopes and dreams.

Can you put your trust in the plan of God? Can you recognise the tickled pink excitement of God's love of a plan that's come together?

The 'no-end'  nature of God's expansive and extensive kingdom rule covers you with peace.

Get excited with God over his plan to take over for you.

You are required to love God!

Matthew 22:37-40 NLT

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

_______________________________________

It is a command! You must love God. Have you thought about it that way? God made you to love him. You were designed, created, and proposed for essentially two things; Love God and love people.

If you don't love God, you are not fulfilling your purpose. If you do not love God you are insubordinate. If you don't love God and your fellow man you are a law breaker.

It is interesting that people often read these as the two greatest suggestions. Or people hear what Jesus is saying as 'the two nice ideas.'

These are the rock bottom of law. Jesus is telling us that upon penalty of death and eternal judgement, if you fail and break these two laws, you have undermined the entire system of law.

Murder, theft, genocide, fraud, treason and sexual offences such as paedophilia and violent rape are all lesser and subordinate crimes against the law.

The most heinous crime you can commit it to fail in your love of God.

How do you measure up? Where do you stand in the eyes of God's law?

If you do not love God you are the worst breaker of law; you are the most evil.

Please, please please, hear what Jesus is saying. There is no greater law, rule, reason, purpose, or statute.

Love God or die.

Yes love is not a feeling. Love is not a mutual relationship. Love is not something you can feel indifferent about. You must love. Love is the command. Love is the rule.

Do you love God?

Do you love all people?

God loves this world. Sometimes when someone is angry and they want to express their anger they take it out on the person their angry with. If they get twisted and poisoned by the anger it isn't uncommon for the person to start hurting and breaking the things loved by the object of their anger. See people want to be loved, appreciated. That desire can turn ugly and obsessive. The selfishness can become so deep that they want exclusive attention. They can not trust. They can not share. In the end the person is satisfied with nothing short of worship. This kind of lethal attraction makes the individual lash out and destroy any thing that they consider a threat to their own worship.

See how people are mad at God. So they hurt the things God loves. They break God's stuff. They trash God's world. In the end they kill God. That's what we did to Jesus.

In a jealous fit of rage we hurt others and by doing so we try to hurt God.
Or we try to get everyone to love us. We want all the attention. We don't want to give God any attention and we don't want others to love God because it threatens us. We are selfish manipulative brats striking out against God. God made us to love him, but we want people to love us.

Why don't you love God?
God loves you.
Why don't you love what /who God loves?
God loves you, your enemies, and the friends of your enemies. God loves his creation. Why do we mistreat God's creation?

This is God's world. The people you pass are people God loves. God cares about your boss. God died for your attacker. God cares for the person who slandered you. God is patient with the person who mocks you. God feels compassion for your oppressor.

God commands you love him, that's what's best for you.
God commands you to love your fellow human, that's what best for you too.

Our gang: Lessons from lists.

LUKE 8:1-3 ESV

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

**************************************

Jesus was a radical! He was completely sinless and in all ways then pleased God the Father. But social conventions just were not important in his values compared to pleasing God the Father and loving people.

Jesus first priority was to declare God's word, to spread the good news, to proclaim the gospel, to preach the Kingdom of God. See by simply informing people of God's rule and by raising awareness of God's intentions Jesus was implementing that rule. People hear and they are then responsible. Simply to tell the truth reveals lies. It isn't clever or complicated. See I'll prove it; I'll declare a fundamental truth with no clever explanation and you'll see the implications of "bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God."

Jesus Christ the Son of God is the creator of everything that is and all that is has been made by him. Or as John put it in the Gospel according to John,

" All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:3 ESV

See the implications of this simple declaration of truth?
Even if you don't understand it all. You can understand it is the equivalent of God saying, "It's Mine!" 

You may not fully grasp all this means, I'm sure I don't but it does call us to a halt. It begs is to reconsider everything.
So what might this simple declaration of truth and good news mean?

Indeed everything is God's. He made it. He owns it. He determines it purpose and usage and future. It is not random. It is not up for grabs. You can't take it all for yourself. You have no right to hoard it. You have no right to deny any thing of anyone. It's not yours. You didn't make it. In fact God made you. Therefore you are not your own and do you have the right to possess anything unless of course God choose to share what is his.

Listen to everyone.  "I saw it first. I worked for it. I was given it by my father. I want it. You don't deserve it. Give it to me."

To all that Jesus declares, "It's Mine!"

Now you have to negotiate with God. Claim it as your own and you are a thief and a liar.

But this passage goes on to then further undermine ideas of class, propriety, and common sense.

Who are Jesus partners in the confirmation of God's Kingdom intentions? Well, it was the twelve and a group of dodgy women with questionable backgrounds.

I can't tell you how excited I am by this royal kingdom of God decree as it were.

Every government sets out how it will rule in its manifesto and then confirms those intentions by appointing a cabinet or some other distribution of power and authority. These are the people the ruler is sharing his power with. These are the ones who are going to help him get it done.

So who is Jesus associating with? Who are the appointees in the Kingdom of God?

Uneducated, unknown, people of no account are Jesus' choice. He picked men and women both. He wasn't afraid of people with potted pasts or people ill equipped and unqualified.

And how was this enterprise going to get off the ground? Well it appears as though the creator of the universe and owner of heaven and earth was going to get things going by relying on the financial support of a few women who were until recently a bit loopy and slightly dangerous. Possibly worse yet one of them is funneling wealth from the treasuries of a rival ruling house.

Jesus wasn't worried about how people would spin things. He didn't need a PR person. Jesus confirms God's Kingdom by telling the truth and inviting anyone to be part of the gang who follows God's rule.

**************************************************************************

Thoughts from a very encouraging friend, Kevin Bonardt

Hi Wm

 

These women had had their lives touched by Jesus. He had healed them and they were changed. And you can tell they were grateful.

 

It was unusual to have women follow Rabbis, but these women are not just following in terms of walking after Jesus, but are expressing their thankfulness in using their finances to support Jesus and his disciples. They are doing it without coercion. They are doing it as a sign of love and support and thankfulness. Their financial gifts are a sign of their worship, of their new-found relationship with Jesus, with the God who made them and has healed them. Their encounters with Jesus, and their listening to his word, have brought about a reaction that costs them, but it is a cost they gladly offer. And such is their example that Luke purposefully mentions them at the beginning of ch8.

 

And then, at the end of the section, we read...

 

 "Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”"
(Luke 8:19-21 ESV)

 

Jesus' family are those who hear the word of God and do it. And who are the examples of this? The women mentioned at the beginning of the chapter I think (in sharp contrast to the Pharisees, teachers of the Law, or Israel)

 

Kevin

(Kevin,)

I may not have expressed it well , but this is what makes me so happy about this passage! I agree entirely with what you have said about the passage and would like to include it as a addendum my blog today if that is ok with you, giving you credit of course.

Wm