Concordia Meditates On Isaiah Chapter Eleven during Advent 2009.
Isaiah 11 Teaches us About the Person and Work of Christ to Redeem men from their Sins and Gather Men from Israel and from the Gentiles to Himself with this Redemption through the Gospel.
This Advent Season we will be mediating on Chapter 11 of Isaiah. Chapter 11 of the Book of Isaiah is a famous chapter about the Person and Work of Christ to save men from their sins and give eternal life through the Gospel.
Familiar themes stem from verses of this chapter. For example, the famous hymn, “Behold, a Branch is Growing”, is based upon verse one of this chapter. Another example of a famous passage is verse two wherein we learn of the Sevenfold Gifts of the Spirit. Finally, we have the famous passage regarding world peace through the Gospel from verse six: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb ... .”
These passages reflect the Person and Work of Christ, who is True God and True man, and who brings righteousness and true peace on earth between God and man through the Cross of Christ by the Gospel. The Rev. Dr. George Stoeckhardt sums up this chapter of Isaiah:
In Chap 11, therefore, ... is described the kingdom and rule of Christ, the Son of David, from its initial humble beginnings until its final, glorious day. It is an inconspicuous shoot that springs forth from the root of Jesse. But it is, nevertheless, a Man with whom God is pleased, who offers his life to God out of fear and love. And after he has in the power of God’s Spirit completed his work on earth, he sits upon the throne of God; he himself is the mighty God. He pours out his Spirit on all flesh and implants into men’s hearts fear and love of God. Upon this sinful earth he plants a kingdom of peace and love, a paradise of God. He gathers a people from Jews and Gentiles and with his mighty arm protects his church from the Gentiles and with his mighty arm protects his church from the wicked and from the world that is hostile to God. And eventually he will redeem his people from all evil and grant it victory over all its adversaries and to partake of his heavenly, divine glory. (Isaiah: The First Twelve Chapters, p. 129)
