Failed Kings and Future Hope: Advent Lesson from Isaiah 11
What makes this section of Isaiah profound is that Ahaz’s example as the worst possible king is followed by 5 chapters of God promising the best possible king and kingdom--it is here we find our particular passage. When the nation of Israel (and all its promises) are felled like a great tree due to its own sins and the sins of its king, God promises resurrection for the broken and burnt stump through a shoot of new growth. An impossible reality, but one God intended to ultimately bring about through the life and ministry of Jesus.
Historical Context for Isaiah
The year is around 732 B.C, and the unity that would have once described the 12 tribes of Israel is a long distant memory. In response to the impending doom that was the Assyrian war machine, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had formed an alliance with Syria and menacingly came to stand upon the doorstep of King Ahaz of Judah. Ahaz is met with a hopeless situation; Israel and Syria have threatened to kill him if he chooses not to join their anti-Assyrian alliance. But even if he joins with them, the chances of resisting the overwhelming might of Assyria are bleak at best. Ahaz is a practical king, and so in the face of 3 hostile nations and overwhelming military strength, prophets and prayers hold little sway over his heart. And so Ahaz chooses what is wise in the eyes of the world, but unthinkable in the eyes of God--he seeks salvation through bowing the knee to Assyria’s King.
The prophet Isaiah’s response to Ahaz’s faithlessness comes in chs. 8-12, often known as “the book of Immanuel” (perhaps a familiar title during this season of Advent!). What makes this section of Isaiah profound is that Ahaz’s example as the worst possible king is followed by 5 chapters of God promising the best possible king and kingdom--it is here we find our particular passage. When the nation of Israel (and all its promises) are felled like a great tree due to its own sins and the sins of its king, God promises resurrection for the broken and burnt stump through a shoot of new growth. An impossible reality, but one God intended to ultimately bring about through the life and ministry of Jesus.
The Meaning of Isaiah 11:1-5
The images presented in Isaiah 11 may initially seem foreign and out of place when thinking about Advent--shoot, stump of Jesse, branch, etc.--but looking back at Israel’s story we can see a number of pivotal moments that set us up to understand the full weight of Isaiah’s words. It started in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden with the promise of an “offspring” [literally seed] who would come and crush the head of the deceitful serpent; Gen. 15 where God made a promise to establish Abram’s “offspring” [seed]; and 2 Samuel 7, where God made a covenant with David, promising to establish an everlasting kingdom for David’s “offspring” [seed].
Advent: The Coming Immanuel
Having the benefit of the New Testament, we can see more clearly the hope that Isaiah’s message offered: It is no accident that one of the favorite titles of Jesus that the Gospel writers would use was “Son [offspring] of David” (Matt. 1:1). And when Paul spoke of Jesus as the “offspring [seed] of Abraham” (Gal. 3:16), we can think back upon this promise in Isaiah. Up to this point in the book of Isaiah, Israel had only experienced kings who traded justice and faithfulness for idolatry and oppression. But God had a plan to provide a different kind of king, and this promise went all the way back to the seed that was first promised. This offspring of David, this King, would wear “righteousness” and “faithfulness” as a belt and bring justice to the poor and suffering. He would walk in the way of God's Spirit and offer true salvation. This king would be Jesus.
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Interpreting Revelation: The Main Message
When reading the book of Revelation, the modern reader is bombarded with visual images that at first may seem surprising or even terrifying. Beasts emerge from the sea, locusts swarm with the tails of scorpions, the moon turns to blood, and four horsemen are unleashed over all of creation. IS THIS THE APOCALYPSE?!?!!
The Main Message of Revelation
When reading the book of Revelation, the modern reader is bombarded with visual images that at first may seem surprising or even terrifying. Beasts emerge from the sea, locusts swarm with the tails of scorpions, the moon turns to blood, and four horsemen are unleashed over all of creation. IS THIS THE APOCALYPSE?!?!!
How could this be holy scripture?
The modern church often has a “love/hate” relationship with the book of Revelation. On one hand, many people obsess over the book, seeking to understand its many symbols. They may want to interpret the visions as correlating to modern-day events. Reading Revelation in this way would be best accomplished with modern news stations and websites in view so that one can watch for signs of Jesus’ second coming. On the other hand, others are tempted to simply ignore the book entirely, perhaps believing the book is not relevant to our lives today. The reality is both groups are missing out on a very important message God has for his people.
The Central Message of Revelation
In the 4th chapter, John (the disciple of Jesus, Apostle to the first-century church, and prophet) is given a vision where he is transported into the heavenly throne room of God. In this marvelous vision, we see that all of the created world is worshiping God on his throne. However, there is also a problem that is introduced.
In chapter 5, Johns sees God holding a scroll with 7 seals. This scroll likely represents God's redemption plan for human history. It is declared that no one “In heaven, or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll”. This is bad news. NO ONE is worthy to enact and bring about God's redemption plan. The people of God would be without hope. John is overcome with dread. Yet, it is in that very moment that he is given hope as he hears the words “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll.”
John turns, thinking he will see this victorious lion. Instead, he sees “A lamb standing as though it had been slain.” Jesus, as this slain lamb, is then able to take his seat on the throne and open the scroll. He reveals God's plan for redemption and salvation for his people.
the central image of the book is the Lamb
For the original readers, all of the images that may catch us by surprise (horseman, locust, blood moons etc.) were normal to the genre of literature being utilized. (learn more about the apocalyptic genre here). The image that would have stood out to them the most was the victorious slain lamb as Jesus, the conquering King.
The whole book can be summarized in one verse: Revelation 17:14 “They will make war on the lamb, and the lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called chosen and faithful”. Revelation invites Christians into the victory of the Lamb. In reading this verse, one can be assured of two things: Jesus currently stands in victory and he will return in victory at the end of time.
Looking to learn more about Revelation? Check out our class here.
Interpreting Revelation: Understanding Genre
One of the reasons many people struggle to understand the book of Revelation is simply a lack of understanding about how to approach the genre of the book. God has inspired his holy word to work within the human genres of literature Into which it was written. This means that we must read Revelation not on our terms, but on the terms of the genres of literature utilized. What makes Revelation unique is a combination of three genres of literature.
Interpreting Revelation Rightly
One of the reasons many struggle to understand the book of Revelation is simply a lack of understanding regarding how to approach the genre of the book. God has inspired his word to work within the human genres of literature which it was written. This means we must read Revelation not on our terms, but on the terms of the genres of literature utilized. What makes Revelation unique is a combination of three genres of literature:
Genres of Revelation: Epistle, Prophecy, and Apocalypse.
Revelation is a Letter.
This may come as a big surprise to many, but, Revelation was written and meant to be read as a letter. In a casual reading, one notices that it has the familiar characteristics of a letter: (Verses 1:4-6, 9-11; 22:8-9). All of the New Testament Epistles were written to specific communities of faith, enduring specific problems, and looking for specific answers and outcomes. Revelation is no different. The apostle John wrote his letter to the 7 churches of Asia Minor. If we are going to understand the rest of the book, we need to understand the historical and cultural setting of the recipients of this letter.
Revelation is a Prophecy
John states in 1:3 “3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”. This is important, Revelation is meant to be a blessing to the church. It is also important to notice that the church is supposed to “keep” what is written. When we think of the word “Prophecy” we often think of forecasting future events. While that is indeed a part of prophecy, it's not the full understanding of its scope. Prophecy is speaking from God's perspective about the past, present, or future. Much of prophecy is actually God speaking to his people about their past and present realities. Revelation is a divine disclosure of God's perspective to his people.
Revelation as an Apocalypse
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” The Greek word for “revelation” is apocalypse. For modern hearers, this word may summon thoughts of waste lands, zombies, or cataclysmic, world-ending events. However, this concept would have been foreign to the original readers. understanding of the word apocalypse. In Greek, apocalypse means “to unveil or reveal what is hidden”. An apocalypse is when someone experiences a revealing of truth that was once hidden. Commonly, apocalyptic writings in the first century were highly symbolic works written with the intention to reveal God’s activity within history to save his oppressed people. Revelation seeks to reveal Jesus as the victor of human history.
Looking for more on understanding apocalyptic literature? Check out this Bible project video.
Bringing it all together:
When we come to Revelation we should seek to understand the original context into which it was written. We should ask the question “How would the original readers have engaged with this text? How would they have understood it?” Only then, can we then ask what it might mean to us.
If you are looking to learn more about Revelation, join us for our Discovery class. Learn more here.
Why the Psalms are Important
The poetry of this book speaks from the reality of our world, not as it is hoped to be, but as it truly is. There is joy mixed with sorrow, praise held alongside pain, and despair mingled with hope. Collected within Psalms are prayers of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation.
There are a lot of messages of hope and help out there. This is a time when we need those kinds of words.
But, if I’m honest with myself; There are a lot of days, hours, moments where I’m
Not.
Okay.
I don’t often feel anxiety, uncertainty and (let’s call it what it is) fear. I’m typically the strong, resilient, perseverant one.
But, today is not that day. This week has not been that week.
As I've scrolled through my preferred flavors of social media, I find equal measures of hope and despair. I don’t know how to find my center when my community, work, church, and even family have been in a state of constant flux. I’m disorientated, unsettled and honestly...
Exhausted.
I’m tired and I want to avoid these feelings by thinking about something else. And yet, I can’t escape them, just as I can’t even escape my own home. It is in those moments that I am reminded of the type of resilience that is called for in this time. The same resilience that communities of faith have cultivated for thousands of years. The same resilience that is described in the book of Psalms.
More than any other book of the Bible, Psalms reflects the spectrum of human life experience.
The poetry of this book speaks from the reality of our world, not as it is hoped to be, but as it truly is. There is joy mixed with sorrow, praise held alongside pain, and despair mingled with hope. Collected within Psalms are prayers of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation.
Isn’t that how life is?
We go through seasons when all seems right with the world. We feel a sense of gratitude for the constancy of love, life, and affection. These are the Psalms of Orientation.
Inevitably life happens, and the reality of living in an imperfect, broken world hits us and we feel anguish, hurt and alienation. Our pain and suffering clash with what we had known to be true. The pain of that moment disorientates from what we thought was stable and true. These are Psalms of Disorientation.
Psalms of disorientation deal with the raw reality of pain and grief. Unmasked and unfiltered. Humans need to express this and God desires to hear it. Your struggle in quarantine, your frustration with your living situation, or your sorrow at the widespread devastation of this pandemic, and your fear for your family, are welcomed by God.
You are meant to share your unfiltered feelings with God.
Psalms demonstrate that you need to process and not pretend or push away negative thoughts.
The way of resilient faith recognizes we must deal with pain and suffering as it really exists, but we must also trust that prayers begun in hopelessness will not end there. God delights in surprising us with hope. Psalms of New Orientation reflect feelings of great joy when God breaks through our despair and evokes a sense of newness and reorientation.
The subversive lesson of Psalms is that pain and praise are a conjunctive force for good and both are elements of faithful living. Psalms teach us that God has and will continue to give us space to be raw, real and honest. Our cries of desperation and delight are welcomed.
This is precisely why the Psalms are so important.
This is why we will be spending some time on Facebook live in the coming weeks, helping us to pray through the Psalms in this way. Join us on Facebook at Noon every day next week for our journey through the Psalms.
