Right and Responsible Government

Reflecting on the Third Sunday of Advent: One Day after Sunday (Year C)

Scripture

Isaiah 11:1-9; Numbers 16:1-19; Hebrews 13:7-17

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Prayer

God of hope, you call us home from the exile of selfish oppression to the freedom of justice, the balm of healing, and the joy of sharing. Make us strong to join you in your holy work, as friends of strangers and victims, companions of those whom others shun, and as the happiness of those whose hearts are broken. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall 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.

His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see

    or decide by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor

    and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;

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 around his waist

    and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb;

    the leopard shall lie down with the kid;

the calf and the lion will feed 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 asp,

    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

They will not hurt or destroy

    on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

    as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:1-9)

Even though the word Messiah or “Anointed One” does not appear in these verses, it is certainly implied in the description of the Davidic kingship. These are qualities that are hoped for in a king who is just and righteous. It is certainly true that the New Testament sees these words fulfilled in Jesus. The passage could possibly be a poem composed by Isaiah himself. If not, it may have been adapted from a coronation song.