"As The Waters Cover The Sea"

Scripture Reading:

This Morning, We Focused on the Phrase:

“The Earth Was Filled”

One Passage that Got Scrapped from that Lesson…

Was a Passage from the Prophet Isaiah

In the Auditorium Class…

We’re Studying 2nd Kings

We Just Finished Looking at the Fall of Northern Israel…

As Well as Ahaz King of Southern Judah

Isaiah was the Most Famous Prophet of Judah During that Time Period

In the Passage We’re Going to Read Tonight…

Isaiah was Giving Hope to the People of Judah

In the Near Future…

God’s Wrath was Going to Come Upon Judah for Their Unfaithfulness

Babylon would Destroy Jerusalem & Carry the People Away Captive

But Isaiah Also Foretold of a Day…

When a New King from the Seemingly Non-Existent Line of David…

Would Arise & Make All Things as They should Be

This Prophecy Gave the People of Judah a Glimpse of the Messianic Reign

I’ve Titled it After the Last Line in the Passage:

“As The Waters Cover The Sea”

Isaiah 11:1–9 (ESV)

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

David’s Family Tree (His Royal Lineage) has Been Made a Stump

It Seems as if There will Never Be Another of His Descendants on the Throne

But There’s Coming a Day When a New Twig…

Will Spring Up & Become a Branch that Bears Fruit

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

This Fruitful Branch will Be the Ruler God’s People Always Needed

He will have the Spirit of God Living in Him, Like David

He’ll have a Heart After God’s Own Heart

He’ll Be Wise & Understanding

He’ll Take the Advice of God & Receive the Strength of God

He’ll have Knowledge of Right & Wrong…

And will Be Wholly Devoted to God

He’ll have All the Characteristics of a Perfect Ruler

He’ll Rule Over God’s People…

So that They will:

Know God

Serve God

Love God

Live Holy Lives

Be Blessed By God

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

As King, He will Judge with Total Fairness

The Poor will Be Given Justice & Taken Care of

The Meek, Humble, & Lowly will Be Lifted Up

The Wicked will Not Get Away with Their Wickedness

He’ll Always Do What’s Right…

And Always Be Deserving of His People’s Trust

The Rest of the Passage Illustrates the Peace that will Be Characteristic of His Reign:

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

This Language is Symbolic of the Messianic Age

In the Messiah’s Holy Mountain…

Within the Messiah’s Kingdom…

There is Total Peace

In His Kingdom:

The Wolf No Longer Eats the Lamb

The Leopard No Longer Devours the Goat

The Lion No Longer Attacks the Calf

The Bear No Longer Kills the Cow

The Snake No Longer Bites the Child

What’s Isaiah Saying?

Under the Reign of the Messiah:

There is Peace

Those Who were Once Natural Enemies are Now Family

In the Kingdom of Jesus:

There’s No More Violence, Hatred, or Discrimination

There’s Only Peace, Love, & Compassion

The Earth is Full of the Knowledge of God

All People are Invited, Welcomed in, & Made Family

All Things are as They should Be

All These Things are True…

As We Currently Live Under the Reign of Jesus

But it will Be Universally True When Jesus Returns…

And His Reign Over All Things is Made Complete

The Earth will Literally Be Full of the Knowledge of God…

As the Waters Cover the Sea

Are We Contributing to the Mission of the Kingdom?

Do We Treat Each Other with Fairness?

Do We Care for the Poor?

Do We Lift Up the Humble/Lowly?

Do We Judge Those Living in Wickedness?

Do We Live at Peace with One Another?