(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)
ISRAEL’S HOPE
Isaiah 11:1–3 (NRSVA)
1 A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 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.
3 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;
Thought
Have you ever been told the same thing by several people? God had sent prophet after prophet to tell his people Israel about the one to come, the one they called the Messiah and yet the people still did not understand. Often we have to be told something many times by many different people before the information drops from the head to the heart, before we begin to hope for what is promised.
Poem: The prophets
The prophets promised a Messiah
Would be born to save the Jews
But the people never listened
To their message of good news
They promised them a future King
Who would rescue Israel
They promised he’d save the gentile too
That didn’t go down so well
They said a child would be born
In Bethlehem in Judea
That his mother would be a virgin
And he’d be named “God is near”
They told them the Messiah
Would be born of David’s line
That God would send his servant
At the appointed Time
They told them of the servant
Who would suffer and die
“Surely not our Messiah”
Was the people’s cry
For they wanted a Saviour
A great and mighty King
Who would lead forth his people
And bring the kingdom in
The people wanted a warrior
To lead them on to victory
They didn’t want a preacher
Who would die upon a tree
But the prophet’s message was clear
Through the centuries it came
The promise of a Messiah
Immanuel by name
God would send his son
The Servant King
To carry his people’s burdens
To redeem the world from sin
Prayer
Father God, you sent your prophets to your people Israel and yet they refused to listen to their message and missed the promised Messiah. Help us to listen to the message of your prophets today so that when you come among us we are prepared and ready to respond.
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