DAY 316     Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21, 10:4 - (repeated phrase)     For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Four times in these two chapters of Isaiah, our Locket Verse for today is repeated.  Each time God sends the word and message (Isaiah 9:8) to His people Israel that there is no deceiving God in any area of life.  He sees all that is done, knows all the intents of the hearts and is vitally concerned with every aspect of life. The God before whom they lived was the real and living God.  The God before whom we live today is the same powerful and all knowing God, the One who will punish our sin as well as reward our obedience.  To the Israel of Isaiah’s day, God warned that they were not to think that He would not deal with sin.  The four time repeated warning of our verse was in response to the sins described in the verses just previous to each declaration.  The warning of Isaiah 9:12 concerns those who sinned through self pride.  These were people that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Isaiah 9:9-10  God had sent punishment to Israel designed to cause them to fall to their knees in repentance and dependance upon God, but these were people who stubbornly ignored God’s dealings.  They looked at the very evidences of punishment and said in essence, "It doesn’t matter, we are strong and intellect enough to do things our own way.  We don’t need God, we can change things ourselves."  How like modern man, who often expresses his self pride and self importance by saying that he can do anything through methods of his own.  How often like us, as Christians, when we stride out on our own to do things in our own way.  Oh, that we would learn to heed the warnings He gives to us of our need for utter dependency on Him.  The warning of Isaiah 9:17 deals with those who had the spirit of hypocrisy.  These were people who turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts...The ancient and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail...the leaders...and they that are led of them....every one is an hypocrite.... Isaiah 9:13-17  God declared that the people who were involved in hypocrisy were evildoers and their mouths were filled with folly (verse 17).  It is ironic that the very thing a hypocrite tries to portray, is destroyed by their own actions. The hypocrite assumes his attitude so as to appear wise and superior, yet the very out working of that attitude is shown to be folly.  They adopt a facade of righteousness, yet are shown as evildoers.  In Jesus’ earthly days, He often confronted the Pharisees concerning their hypocrisy.  We seem to hear His voice resounding from the pages of Scripture as He indicts their sinful pride: Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophecy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Matthew 15:7-8  How deceptive Satan is to trick us into believing that we, as Christians, will not be so easily drawn down the path of hypocrisy.  It is so subtly and easily entered upon.  We know in our hearts that we have harbored sin in our lives, and yet we can get up and teach a Sunday School class as if we were clean from all problems.  We can counsel others when we have the same needs in our own lives, yet never admit them.  We can be a "Sunday go to meeting" type of Christian, who looks and acts the part in public on Sunday, yet goes into his normal daily life without any victory or conviction to live the life God has chosen for him.  The smiling mother on Sunday can so easily become the yelling one on Monday.  Again, God warns that He will judge the hypocrite.  The warning of Isaiah 9:21 deals with those involved in wickedness.  For wickedness burneth as the fire...the people shall be the fuel of the fire...they shall not be satisfied. Verses 18-20.  Evil wickedness becomes as a consuming fire, overtaking and encompassing those given over to it.  There becomes no hesitancy to do that which might have been unthinkable, it is as if their eyes are blinded by smoke.  We know that the whole world lieth in wickedness (I John 5:19), the blaring sins of others are so obvious to us.  Yet how often do we shun to clearly confront our own "wickedness" in sins of bitterness, envy, gossip, and an unforgiving spirit.  These, too, are viewed as wickedness and can just as easily be performed by the Christian as by the unsaved world.  The warning is to our hearts.  Our impelling drive should be to forsake all wickedness and abhor it.  The warning in Isaiah 10:4 concerns the unrighteous oppressors.  Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and they may rob the fatherless! Isaiah 10:1-2  It is seldom that we consciously perform these actions, but how often by the sin of omission, do we neglect to perform that which is needful to those in great poverty.  How often do we pass the spiritually hungry by without offering to them the Bread of Life that can satisfy their hunger.  How often do we withhold our physical resources that could be used to aid the widow and the fatherless and those of great need.  It is a convicting warning indeed.  We must not forget to visualize the power of the repeated warning: In every category and situation of sin, God is not slack or softened, His hand of judgment is stretched out still.  We can see the mighty hand of God pointing to the sins of our hearts, pointing and bringing convicting judgment.  Whatever our background, whatever our present sin, His hand is stretched out still.  But it is that same Divine hand that is continually stretched out to us in love, guidance and blessing.  In each category, it is always seen as the mighty hand of our Sovereign Lord. In my reference Bible, under the heading of Divine Hand are three subheadings: 1) upon man for blessing, 2) upon man for chastisement and punishment, and 3) Mighty. This continually mighty hand of God is stretched out to each one of us. How it must be used should be of deep concern to us.  The manner in which we are dealt with should illicit our response: "I lovingly accept it as from my Father’s hand."  Our acceptance of our Heavenly Father’s guidance and reproof is an evidence of our complete and unerring trust in His will for our lives.  The touch of His hand upon our lives is the demonstration of His gentle love.  In teaching school, I noticed a lot about the children from the way they responded to my touch on their shoulder.  The child that flinches from the touch of a hand has often only seen a hand used in anger.  The child who has never experienced a hand of control pulls away from that which should give blessing and runs, instead, headlong into danger.  The child who has never experienced a loving touch stares in wonderment because they have total lack of knowledge of the true purpose of life and their great need within.  But the child who has experienced the calm, firm hand of control coupled with gentle kind love is one who can use his own hands for good.  Our Father is consistent and gracious with the use of His hand on our lives.  Just as children to an earthly father, so we, too, must accept the multiple uses of God’s hand in our lives: to guide, direct, lead, care, heal, discipline, love and point the way.  Each day, in all our life circumstances, His hand is stretched out still - beckoning to us, ready to enfold us in His care, ready to discipline, ready to receive in forgiveness.  It is no wonder our verse is so oft repeated.  Look for the Lord’s hand of dealing in your life today.

In the midst of warning to Israel, God gives this marvelous, prophetic encouragement.  The people are shown as being chastised through God’s chosen instrument, Assyria. O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger....I will send him against an hypocritical nation...to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Isaiah 10:5-6  Yet, despite the sternness of the judgment, God holds out a flame of hope: And the light of Israel shall be for a fire; and his Holy One for a flame...and it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel...shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth...the remnant shall return..unto the mighty God...for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease... Isaiah 10:17-25 selected.  In that same day and time of the turning and restoring, God gives the promise of our verse.  The first words make this promise one of surety as God declares It shall come to pass.  What a comfort filled word is the small word shall.  The absolute assurance given in that word of promise is based upon the surety of God’s character.  The faithful in Israel could lift their eyes to the sure future and know that in that day, the chosen time of God, the indignation would surely cease.  That which had enslaved them would be removed and they would be set at perfect liberty when his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck.  In great depth, they could understand that the burden and yoke was not just from the Assyrian, but dealt to them by the mighty hand of God.  It was uniquely His burden and His yoke because it was under His control.  The assurance speaks loudly to us in our lives.  No matter what defeats we have experienced, no matter what set backs seem to have occurred, through all difficulties, our God is still in control.  When the sin of turning and rebellion causes us to be placed under His burden and His yoke, there is hope for the repentant, for in truth, we can still experience His deliverance.  As in verse 21, when the remnant of Israel returned unto the mighty God, so we often need to return to the Lord into the fullness of His mighty mercy and grace.  God is dealing in a full and complete deliverance in this verse as seen by the use of the strong word: destroyed.  How often have we cried in our hearts about a problem or situation, "O Lord, please just take it away."  That which has overwhelmed us, we desire to be removed and solved, its power of enslavement, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually, destroyed.  How will this be accomplished?  The promise of the yoke being destroyed is because of the anointing.  Oh blessed thought, the outpouring of God’s grace and power from Heaven above flowing down to His people as the anointing with oil of the priest and king caused that symbolic but very real essence to flow down their body from head to toe.  The gift of the power, the identification symbol for God’s people, is also seen in that princely, priestly and kingly One gifted to us, the Lord Jesus Himself.  For truly He is the anointing, as well as the anointed One.  It is interesting that in Isaiah chapter 9, when the Son that is to be given is described, it follows the declaration that yoke of the burden and the rod of the oppressor would be broken by that very One who would be the King for ever (Isaiah 9:7).  He is the perfect King, not only of Israel but of our lives.  King Saul was anointed but later rejected the Lord, and the blessing and power was taken from him.  King David was anointed and, even with years of waiting, never forgot it.  Throughout his life the truth of his anointing held sway in his life, so that even when he sinned, he turned back to the Lord.  No matter what the trials, still he lived as the anointed one and found the blessing and power afresh from the Lord.  As Christians, our anointing is poured out on us by the Holy Spirit at our salvation.  How awesome, yet humbling to think of ourselves as lifting our spiritual lives to the Lord, with shining faces covered with His outpouring.  As the oil of anointing ran down the garment of the priest, so it should run through all of our life.  The anointing is full of power.  The yoke is destroyed!  If a yoke was placed on our shoulders, our arms locked into its holes, we would be helpless in ourselves to gain freedom, but He is able to destroy the yoke so it can never enslave us again.  It is yet a little while (verse 25) and the indignation will be past.  We need to lift up [our] voice[s],(verse 30), in cries to the Lord for deliverance from the things that oppress us, the enemies that would ensnare us.  While those that continue in rebellion will be hewn down (verse 33), the remnant, those that have returned, will be treated differently.  Just as for the faithful in Israel, in our lives, God’s mighty hand will be seen as He trims our branches, purges us, cuts away our useless parts so that we can be that cultivated vineyard for Him that will bear fruit.  Oh, Lord, pour out the remembrance of Your anointing fresh power from on high into my life today.  Set me free from the yokes of sin and circumstances that seek to enslave me and give me new liberty to shine for You.

After talking of the righteous judgment of God, the hewing down of the rebellious and sinful in Israel, the sustaining of the faithful remnant, God completes the scene with the word and.  And after this, the promise of Messiah shall come.  When the life of Israel was cut down to the stem, this great event would happen.  Out of the barren ground where the root was left, would grow the Branch.  When there was nothing of self to show or boast in, and they were as ones dead to self, the miracle would occur.  It was as a promise of new life for Israel, as the rod comes forth out of the cut down stem of Jesse, out of the stock of David’s family.  This was a supernatural growth, not of the ordinary.  For truly in nature a truck of a tree or a stem of a plant will grow from the roots and then the branch will grow from that, but notice that this unique Branch is shown as growing directly from the roots.  This is not according to the established order, it is solely ordered of God.  In the roots is the true life of the plant.  When we built a house in Tennessee, the preparation for construction caused a dogwood tree that appeared to be dead to be cut down to a stump.  The next year, about a foot or two to the side of that stump, a new tree sprang up.  At first it looked like a shrub but it grew in vigor much faster than I had ever seen a tree grow.  It was because it grew from strong roots, roots whose life had been hidden from human view.  Our "new" dogwood at the end of our driveway bloomed profusely and was a thing of beauty.  Our life is hid with Christ.  He is that Branch that would spring forth from the roots.  The old branches were useless and dead, but the new Branch has life and vigor.  He is to bloom forth in our lives for all to see.  Just as that dogwood welcomed everyone to my home, so our strong new life should welcome everyone that "visits" our life to have a view of our Heavenly home and the Master of the house.  Notice that the word Branch in this verse is capitalized and by verse two the statement is made: and the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him...  The Branch is Jesus Christ.  If there is any wonder, let’s follow the scriptural path of that Branch as God develops it in Scripture for our understanding: Isaiah 4:2: In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful (in a passage speaking of the New Jerusalem), Isaiah 11:1: ...a Branch shall grow out of his [Jesse’s] roots (by now note the capital B), Jeremiah 23:5: Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign..., Jeremiah 33:15: In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land, Zechariah 3:8: ...behold, (pay attention) I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. (all capitals, just as in LORD; there is no question as to identity now!), Zechariah 6:12: Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH (double capitalization in this clear introduction!).  In case the identification is still not clear, God dramatically follows in Zechariah 6:13 with a job description of The BRANCH: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory; and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.  Only Jesus could fulfill all the identifying positions.  He alone established the true Temple of God, He alone is worthy of glory, He rules as King and Priest forever more, and was the One who alone could bring peace between God and man (Romans 5:1).  Jesus is The BRANCH, the strong and mighty King and Priest.  Lord, I never thought of calling You by this, Your name.  You are the strong and sturdy BRANCH, the one that gives me shade, shelter, protection, flowering of beauty, loveliness of scent, promise in the blossoming, and fruit in its season.  You nourish me in my spirit with the fruit from Yourself, that delectable fruit hanging from the BRANCH for my spiritual hands to lay hold of and take into myself.  You are a strong BRANCH that will not break in the storms of life.  Keep me under the shelter of Thyself as the BRANCH that overshadows me in the heat and shelters me from the rain.  Help me to rest in Your shade and find my peace there in the green soft shadows of You.

It is awesome to consider that we are to be like Christ, that His fullness could indwell and empower us.  As His measure upon measure is meted out in our lives daily, truly we are to be seen as those upon whom the spirit of the LORD rests.  Today we should pause to consider how much our lives evidence the fullness of His power and presence in each of the areas of our verse:

Wisdom:     The following verses speak clearly of evidences of a life of wisdom: For God giveth to a  man that is good in his life, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy. Ecclesiastes 2:26, Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,,,Proverbs 3:13, Wisdom strengtheneth the wise..Ecclesiastes 7:19, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17 We should examine ourselves with these Scriptural tests: am I doing that which is "good," do I have joy, happiness and spiritual strength, is my life showing forth each of the responses of James 3:17?

Understanding: These verses speak of two characteristics of a person of understanding: obedience to God’s laws and a peaceable and pleasant spirit: Only the LORD give thee...understanding...that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God. I Chronicles 22:12, Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:104, The fear of the LORD is to hate evil...I am understanding; I have strength. Proverbs 8:13, 14, ...a man of understanding holdeth his peace. Proverbs 11:12, He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. Proverbs 14:29, ...a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Proverbs 17:27.

Counsel: Living in the counsel of the Lord gives a life of deep spiritual success and the ability to bless the Lord, and this counsel must be from God: Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel...Psalm 73:24, I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel... Psalm 16:7, ...he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. Proverbs 12:15, success implied: Where no counsel is, the people fall.. Proverbs 11:14, Without counsel purposes are disappointed... Proverbs 15:22.

Might: The meaning of the word used in this verse is closely related to the root word for hero, implying that if we are evidencing God’s might, we can truly be a "hero" for the Lord. It literally means full of spiritual strength. The similar word in the New Testament implies "power," the ability to perform and to carry something into effect, evidenced in those possessed of spiritual power, and is strongly related to the Greek concept of "wonderful." What a challenge is ours to be wonderfully endued with power from on High so that we will perform God’s wonderful will in every situation, no matter what the cost or how great the opposition.

Knowledge: The greatest knowledge for man was espoused by Job: For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold... Job 19:25-27 Because of our knowledge of the reality of God, we can also have: Saving knowledge: ...Now we believe...and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. John 4:42, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3, Comforting knowledge: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28, Hope-assurance knowledge (which gives peace): For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. II Corinthians 5:1 Impelling knowledge (which gives motivation for service): For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. II Timothy 1:12, Future knowledge: Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. I John 3:2

The fear of the LORD: This characteristic is required of man to please God: And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God... Deuteron-omy 10:12, commanded for success: Now, therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth... Joshua 24:14, and cited as the intent of life: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Interestingly enough, it is also that which gives to us the other attributes and blessings from God: What man is he that feareth the LORD? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. Psalm 25:12, Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee.. Psalm 31:19, And his mercy is on them that fear him... Luke 1:50. Do you have the fear of the Lord? Examine your blessing level!

In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is that BRANCH whose fruit is shown in each of the areas of Isaiah 11:2. Picture the fruit on the blossoming Branch, fully ripe, of supreme quality, beautiful to behold, scented with a pleasant fragrance. Each of the fruits holds a nourishment and flavor all of its own, yet when taken into our spiritual diet, they completely provide all of our "daily requirements" and that not minimally. God invites us to reach up and pluck the fruit from His Branch and take it into our lives. As Christ is the Bread of Life, so He is also the provider of the fruits of spiritual nourishment. Take and Eat. As the evidence of God’s power and stamp of authenticity was seen in Aaron’s rod that budded, so it is seen on the Person of Christ as the fruit on that Branch is shown to be wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the ultimate respecting of the Father in Christ. In the full budding of that fruit on the Branch that is Himself, we see not only the complete revelation of God in Christ, but the potential that God desires in us. This is evidenced as Christ is manifest in our lives through His wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear of the Lord, and through these being shown forth as beautiful fruit from our lives to others. Oh Lord, let Your fruits be seen in my life. Help me to daily choose to walk in wisdom to those that are without, to increase in understanding of You and of Your working in my life, to be used to counsel others of Your truth as well as to my own soul, to have a strength of spiritual might working in my convictions and testimony, to increase in knowledge of You and Your holiness, and to have a growing and healthy fear of the Lord that controls my life and actions. Thank You for being all that I need in every area of life.

This verse speaks distinctly of the Lord Jesus in all ways, for He is all wisdom and knowledge, all compassion, and, therefore, it should be of no surprise that He was made of quick understanding. It was even recorded of the child Jesus, And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 Though the primary focus of our verse for today is the further revealing of the character of the Messiah to come, it is a challenge to us as Christians that He is able to make us also of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. The understanding that seems elusive without Christ, is quickly ours when we are totally submitted to Him. As an encouragement to our souls, we should also personally and with great compassion apply this thought: Our Savior is of quick understanding toward us! Theologically, we acknowledge that He knows all about us. He is totally and uniquely acquainted with us, for we are His creation. We intellectually know this, but as mortals with great needs of soul, we must be reminded that indeed He is that One who truly understands us. What a word and concept "understanding" holds for our emotional selves. It is a word of tender compassion. The fullness of this concept applied to Jesus, implies that He is not just a God who knows, but One who understands with all the tenderness of His great character. The deep need of our womanly hearts it is to have someone who really understands us. How often have you felt alone in your world with the need for someone who understands your sorrows, disappointments, dreams, hopes, fears, burdens and aspirations. He is acquainted with our griefs and sorrows (Isaiah 53:3), our difficulties, our own lack of understanding. How often have you wished that you could sit down with the Lord and let Him explain to you the "why" of a situation. He understands when things are confusing to us, when all around seems in a turmoil. The knowledge of that truth should give us peace. To have the Lord of all glory, the Controller of all things, times and situations, understand us, should bring hope to our hearts. He will never judge us according to anything but the truth, or reprove us for what we have not done. Though this verse speaks greatly to us of Jesus, Himself, it should also be of great challenge to our personal lives, for we are those who are to be like Jesus. In our relationship to others, we should pray to be of quick understanding, not in our own wisdom, or our own frame of reference or motives, but in the fear of the Lord. We may not know the "whys" of someone’s action, but we can pray for special understanding to be able to minister to them. We must strive, and pray, to never judge after the sight of our eyes or reprove after the hearing of our ears. I had this principle indelibly imprinted upon my mind many years ago. When I was first diagnosed with a brain disease, I had to take large doses of a medication that caused me many side effects, including a great deal of weight gain, partial hair lose and an alteration of my "normal" appearance. All this occurred during our deputation time to raise support for missionary work. We had made a family decision before I was ill that our deputation would be a family affair, we would travel together or not at all. So despite my health and treatment, we prayerfully continued. It was a real blessing to us as a family and to me personally in the constant encouragement, love and support of my husband and children. Following the morning service in one church where my husband was preaching for the day, we were eating with others at a church fellowship luncheon. The pastor’s wife and I were talking and I shared a little about my illness. I noticed her eyes get wide, then fill with tears. She quietly suggested I meet another lady in their church and share this with her. It turned out that the other lady had the same brain disease, had been treated with the same medication and experienced the same side effects. She had been cured through early treatment several years before. Out of that brief meeting grew a friendship and prayer relationship that lasted for years. I arrived at the church before the evening service for an arranged meeting with one of the ladies who would take me through their missionary cupboard. As I walked across the room, I noticed that the lady gave me an unusual look. After several minutes of polite conversation, she abruptly said, "I can’t stand it any more, I have to say something!" Surprised, I waited for her pointed remark, "How could a woman with such an attractive husband as yours, let herself go like you have?" For a second the remark stung with hurt and humiliation, but God was too gracious and wise to allow that to be the prime feeling. Instead, He flooded my soul with the clear directive to minister to her. I gently laid my hand on her arm and said simply, "Thank you for noticing my husband’s handsomeness. What do you know about me?" I then proceeded to tell her about my illness, the medication, what could have been overwhelming in the reactions, weight gain and hair lose and then the wonderful tenderness and love of my husband and children and the grace of God to me personally in reassurance and ability to persevere, as well as our mutual commitment to service. As I spoke I saw a change in her face, a softening and then tears began to form. She lowered her head and said, "Oh, no." Then she shared with me that there was a lady in the church who had been very active, then had suddenly gained lots of weight, looked different and had said she had the same disease as I had. "Yes, I know," I responded, " we spent a wonderful time together this afternoon." "But you don’t understand, most of us at the church didn’t believe her, we thought she was just excusing weight gain and staying home to avoid fellowship, so we ostracized her. There has been a real division in our ladies ever since. No wonder there hasn’t been unity and peace in our fellowship. You really had this happen to you because of the medication?" "Yes," I replied. After a few more moments of conversation and prayer, I knew she had an important task ahead. By the next morning, there had been a true revival among the ladies of that church, a restoring of relationships and a comfort to my sweet new friend. There was also an effect on me to never again view someone according to appearances, but search for the need of their heart and the truth of their character. Preconceived notions, false judging of others, and categorizing of people by appearance can never give the blessed fellowship and ministry that will come from seeking to have God’s grace, wisdom and love. Oh Lord, help me to judge after the sight of Your eyes and reprove after the hearing of Your ears which are always open to each of our hearts and lives, revealing the true needs and value of the ones You bring into the path of my life.

After telling us what that Person will be like who is called the Rod out of the stem of Jesse, the Messiah to come, God sums up His identification with the statement of our verse. His identifiable armor will be seen in the righteousness and faithfulness that encircle Him as He strides forth as the Commander of the forces of God. Verse four, tells of the battle to come, when that Commander will smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. As gleaming armor, shining in the eternal light of God’s penetrating rays, righteousness and faithfulness are bound securely around His person as He executes judgment and judges the poor and the meek of the earth with His gracious equity. This is a Captain we can trust, One who will never fail, Who can inspire His troops to follow in the great battles of life. As soldiers in the employ of our Lord, the imagery of this verse carries a similar thought to that which motivated us as we studied verse three of this same chapter eleven of Isaiah, when we realized that the equity of the understanding judgment of Christ must be a constant challenge to us as Christians. In like manner, if we are to be like Jesus in the living of our lives, than righteousness must be the girdle of our loins and faithfulness the girdle of our reins. They must be visible, completely surrounding our being, and as the warrior’s girdle, both a defense of protection and an armor that gives confidence in our offensive maneuvers, the performance of our duties. Usually in ancient times, a girdle in battle would be either ornate, depending on the rank of the soldier, or in someway decorated. Before the world, we are to be embossed, embellished, engraved with a righteousness for all to see, a righteousness that shines in the sun, and sends forth the glittering rays of the Lord whose masterful hand carved it there. Faithfulness was seen as the girdle of Messiah’s reins. "Reins" is usually used as the term for the inner man, that hidden man of the heart. Likewise, our inner reserve must be characterized by faithfulness. Our motivations and actions must be controlled, harnessed, protected, and surrounded by the true faithfulness that is a resident of our inmost being, the faithfulness that grows in strength as our relationship with the Lord increases in fervor. While "loins" speak of action, "reins" denote motivation. Christ is girt about, totally enveloped by His righteousness and faithfulness to us. His actions and His motivations are bound up in His own sterling character which is seen in the Lord our Righteousness and He whose name is Faithful and True. God is shown as placing a girdle of strength upon the ruler Messiah in Isaiah 22:21-22: ..I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle...and the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder... It should be our prayer to have a God given girdle that imparts strength to our character and rules our spirit with a firmness and resolve. A different view of a girdle is given in Jeremiah chapter thirteen, when Jeremiah was told by the Lord to buy a linen girdle, put it upon his loins and then bury it (hide it there in a hole of the rock. verse 4) After many days, Jeremiah was told to dig it up and he found it to be marred, ... profitable for nothing. verse 7 That which had been clean as new white linen, left to the devises of the world had become soiled and unusable for God. The warning is clear, we must guard against our righteousness and faithfulness being marred by our own behavior in the eyes of the world or our testimony could become profitable for nothing. When God instructs us how to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11), we are told to Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth. Ephesians 6:14 Our loins are shown encased again with a girdle of truth, that intrinsic element of righteousness. If we are to endure victorious in the battle against spiritual wickedness, we must be snugly wrapped with the truth of God’s Word and all that we do must be characterized by adherence to that truth. When Christ is seen as the shining Son of man in Revelation 1:13, he is girt about the paps with a golden girdle. In His manifestation as the eternal Majesty, the clothing He wears is held around His chest, close to His heart of love, with a girdle of shining, pure gold. Likewise, His ministering angels in Revelation 15:6, are seen dressed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. The array of the Heavenly hosts is gold, pure, faithful and righteous, representing the character of the Lord of Majesty whom they represent. Oh, that we as Christians would be pure and golden, that our lives and character would shine for Christ. Oh, that we could be ever aware that we are representatives of the divine Majesty before the world. Lord, help my actions be directed by Your righteous judgments and dictates. Help me not to mar the shining purity of the golden girdle that You have placed around me as a soldier in Your army by unwise actions, sinful words or independent battle strategies. As a girdle serves to hold tightly that which it encases, giving graceful appearance to the wearer, let Your righteousness so work in my life that I will be able to walk gracefully before others. Lord, let Your faithfulness so penetrate my being that it will control the motivations of my innermost thoughts. So mold my own faithfulness to You and Your plan for my life, that it will be harnessed by a girdle that will firmly hold my convictions to the solid course You, as my Commander, set before me. Polish the girdle of strength in my life, Lord. When I at last lay it at Your feet, may it not appear as marred and profitable for nothing, but let it retain a purity and golden character so that I may have been a useful servant, profitable in Your service. As Your girdle encircles my life, may I be strong for You.

Isaiah chapter 10 is full of what would seem to be "contradictions" to our mortal minds. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. Verses 6-7 This is in the time of the great "peaceable kingdom" (title heading in my Bible) where even toddlers will be able to play wherever they want without fear of danger. It is a time when they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain... Verse 9 It is the time when the perfect planned intention of God for our world will be realized. The great astonishment of the contradictions is that they are so "foreign" to the present scheme of things in our daily lives. The spirit of fear is indwelt in the lamb and the kid, the calf and the fatling, so that their first impulse on seeing a wolf or leopard or lion or bear would be to escape, not to coexist in harmony, even fellowship. Our mother’s heart would impel us to keep our child from even the hint of danger posed all around us everyday, even in our "modern" society. We are not only afraid of asps and cockatrice, but of germs and electricity and even other humans. It is little wonder that we can only dimly glimpse the reality of the perfect world awaiting us in the millennial kingdom of our LORD. The entire picture is "contrary" to our present knowledge based upon our own human reasoning. Even the light of the picture must surely be of a different dimension. And yet this is how God intended for us to be. A world of peace and harmony, a world of safety and joy. Note in verse nine, the reason for this lack of hurt and destruction, for this great peace and total tranquility, is found in the phrase for the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD... The word for shows the concept of "cause" and could be read "because." All this beauty, all this harmony, because the fullness of the knowledge of the Lord has covered the world, as the waters cover the sea. If our lives are to be the same, full of beauty, peace and tranquility, then we must be filled with the knowledge of the LORD, be totally immersed in His presence. In a deep and abiding way, we must know Him, who to know is life eternal and peace and joy in the Spirit! In the midst of this transcribing of these astonishing contradictions, we are given the most amazing one, which is found in our verse for today: a root that shall stand! Here we see the astounding contradiction, the One who is to come in that far off day, the One who has been promised to come from the line of David the son of Jesse, is called "a root." This amazing leader, the ensign of the people is in actuality the root of Jesse. Israel had waited for a child to be born from the kingly line who would lead his people as Jesse’s son of old. Yet instead of a mere offspring, it should have been seen that the One to come, the descendant, was truly the root, the cause, the foundation, the substance, the stability, the nourisher, the true life of Jesse. That root, hidden, as roots lie under the ground, there but not visible, beyond our physical sight, but ever there, will stand in that day. Think of the uniqueness of this concept, the "out of the ordinary," out of our frame of reference reality, that it is for a root to stand. Roots lay under the ground, roots are the invisible support system, but they do not stand. A tree trunk or a flower stem or the stalk of a plant may stand, but not a root, at least not in our present world of our present human understanding. But then this root is no ordinary root, He is the unique One who is the Sustainer of our life and that of Jesse’s. He is the "only begotten" of John 3:16, which is so clearly espoused in the word used in Spanish and Portuguese to express the Person of that verse as the "unigenito," the unique One, the only one of His gender or kind! It is the Messiah, the Christ, the Cause and Effect, the root and the descendant. This causes me to think again of a dogwood tree on our property in Tennessee which had to be hewn to the ground during the construction of our home. The tree may have been cut down, but the root was still there, lying deep under the ground. The next year we noticed green shoots near the same spot at what was now the top of our driveway. On close inspection we realized, it was the dogwood tree, it had sprung up anew from the foundation of its roots which had never withered or died. The life of the tree had not been in the flowers or the branches or the trunk, but in the root. Our life is hid in Christ, He is the root, we are the visible representatives. But in that day, the Root will stand and be seen by all. He shall stand for an ensign of the people. The words in this part of the verse are all very interesting. Stand can be understood literally as to be in a standing position or attitude, but also is used to mean to take one’s stand, to arise or appear on the scene, to be appointed or to be presented before a king. Christ shall absolutely come again, He shall take His position as the anointed One. He has already been presented to us in the first coming as the Prince of Peace and will reign as King over all. Ensign is not only a military rank, but also something that is lifted up as a standard, as a rallying point or as a signal. It is also sometimes translated as "banner." Christ is that Leader of His people that is the perfect standard calling for us to follow. He is the Lord our Banner, Jehovah Nissi (Exodus 17:15). The Hebrew word people (‘am) is used for the nation, the people, kinsmen and kindred. To the nation Israel, Jesus is the coming One, He is our kinsman Redeemer. He is of the people, for He was made as one of us! To it, to that One portrayed in the description of the root, to Him shall the Gentiles seek. He is the foundation and Savior of the world. The burning question is, do we seek Him each day? His rest shall be glorious, and so it is, even now as we rest in Him. We can have that peace, beauty, and comfortable quiet of the resting place that was described in the earlier verses of the chapter. Christ the coming One, will come in His totality into our lives, covering all, fully and completely giving us His rest. To know Him is to know the tranquility that the world will only know in the millennium. That rest will be glorious. As full as this verse is, the marvelous ending word is filled with indescribable wonder! It is a word that speaks of all the glorious honor, splendor, dignity and abundance that is to be found in the Christ of those days in the future and in these days of the present. Have you found His rest glorious in your life lately? If each of us were to pause and look at our lives, would they be ones that are conformed to the images of the present world, or ones that are filled with the astonishing "contradictions" of a renewed life. The conditions of peace and purpose can be reconciled realities in our lives today through the transforming Prince of Peace, the root of Jesse, Messiah, Christ Jesus our Lord. Lord, help me to live as one who is already in Your kingdom. No matter what the physical world holds for me today, help me to live in Your peace and Your tranquility, help me to follow You as the leader of my every area of life. I know that I will be a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed (I Peter 5:1), but it is the cry of my heart to sense that glory in my life through Your power, even today.