Isaiah 11:1-5
Reflect
By this time, the people of Israel had gotten used to many different kinds of rulers, many of which were harsh, cruel leaders. The Assyrians had all but destroyed them, but they were looking to the hope that would be their Messiah. What stands out to me in this passage is the kind of leader that this prophecy says the coming Messiah would be. He would not judge with His eyes, but would give justice to the needy and poor. Verse 5 says, “Righteousness will be his belt”. The note in my NIV Study Bible tells us that “when a man prepared for vigorous action, he tied up his loose, flowing garments with a belt”. So when it says that His righteousness will be His belt, it’s saying that Jesus came ready to fight; He came ready for action. But He wasn’t fighting with an iron fist or dictator-like action, He was fighting with righteousness. This is the Messiah that they needed, and we all need. Jesus came to fight for you with His righteousness.
Pastor Dave
Pray
- Pray that God’s Spirit would work powerfully and effectively in all the various activities taking place on our church calendar this weekend.
- Pray for our Young Adults & Worship Arts Pastor, Daunavan Buyer, his family and his interns, Stephen Alksne, Calvin Robert, Grant Mix and Austin Voss.
- Pray for our Congregational Life Pastor, Christine Okken.