God's Future "Branch" Turns Violence into Harmony

The prophet Isaiah lived in a time when many kings—whether from David’s line or not—were leading Israel astray (cf. e.g. Isaiah 1:1-9). Yet he said a day would come when a righteous branch would spring from “the stump of Jesse,” David’s father. * Earlier, in Isaiah 9:6, he said this promise didn’t depend on some awesome superhero flying into the scene, but rather “A child is born to us.” Jesus was born as a baby. As Steve Earle’s song put it, “this miracle they prized was nothing but a child.” **

• “Hope depends on vision. Isaiah could see the felling of Jesse’s tree—the fall of David’s dynasty. This fall he could see only in a vision, but he could also look beyond it. He saw a new shoot growing from the felled tree. After 2,700 years, Isaiah’s vision has been fulfilled only in small ways. Yet Jesus’ coming was God’s “Yes” to his promises. This makes it more possible to keep believing in them.” *** What helps you keep believing that God’s future always holds hope, even in a world like ours?
• Isaiah said that God’s “branch” from David’s line would “judge the needy with righteousness and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.” What obstacles—whether attitudes, resources, or something else—make it hard for the needy and suffering to receive equity and justice today? How can you help make the world look more like God’s Kingdom for those in need?