Isaiah 11:1-9
1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
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.
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;
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall
judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek 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.
and decide with equity for the meek 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.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt
around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling 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.
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 asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 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.
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
For many children of my generation, to say the phrase, “the circle
of life,” immediately brought to mind
images of African desserts, gazelle leaping, and a lecture by a
father figure about the nature of life from the Disney movie, “The
Lion King.” The movie is about a young lion named Simba, who, since it is a Disney movie, talks. Simba’s father is the King of
the African plains. When Simba is young, his
father is killed, and the death is
blamed on Simba. Simba runs from his home and
his family in shame. Years later, after finding companions and dealing with those
years of puberty in exile, Simba returns and
battles for his rightful place as king.
This movie was so engrained in my childhood that my siblings and I have
been quoting the movie for years. There is one quote in particular that we often use while backpacking. In the movie, Simba’s father is explaining to him the nature
of life and death. He explains that while the
lions eat the gazelle, when the lions die
their bodies become the grass, which the gazelle
eat – hence the circle of life.
Through the years my siblings and I have been on many
backpacking trips, and, at any time in the trip,
we are prone to burst out in a cry of, “The circle of
life!” This happens when one of us
spots a unique tree or stump. One that is dead, but one on which a new plant is growing. Like John the Baptist in the wilderness, the cry issues forth in the
tranquil forest: The circle of
life! The otherwise peaceful
wildlife scatters. Obviously we’re not the most quiet of backpackers.
This is the image that comes to mind when I read Isaiah’s
prophesy about the stump of Jesse. In spite of the failures of the past, the prophet Isaiah looks to the future
with hope. This is why Isaiah speaks of the stump of Jesse, who was David’s father. Isaiah goes back to roots
which he believes to be pure in hopes that the
sins of the elders will not be the deeds of the
new generation. Isaiah uses an image of the natural world, the image of tree growth, to describe the world around
him.
The image that stood out to Isaiah to describe the world he
lived in, the world he feared for, was that of a
stump. All that remained of what was
once beautiful and vibrant is a dead stump. Where once there was a line of wise and wonderful rulers - Saul, David, Solomon - the line is dead
and what remains is a shadow of its former self.
Imagine a stump. Maybe you can picture one that
you have seen in the past on a hike or a walk. Maybe you have an image of a
barren landscape after clearcut logging. Maybe you can imagine a fallen tree after a brutal storm, with its root ball
sticking high up in the air. This is a scary image.
But perhaps it is not an altogether unfamiliar one. Isaiah felt that it was an
image that described his world...perhaps this is an
image that describes our world in some ways too. Where are the stumps in our world? Where are the stumps in our
lives? Where are the places where
death or decay seem to rule the day?
Even if the stumps are not that obvious in our individual
lives, we need not look far in broader
culture. The social issues that have rocked our nation in recent weeks point to some glaring stumps. No matter the perspective that
we bring to the table, the tension and
frustration that has obviously been built up, brings to light some stumps in
our culture.
Real deaths, those of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Johnathan Ferrell, and others, have revealed dead stumps – the dead stumps of relationships:
between minorities and majorities,
between blacks and whites,
between communities of poverty and communities of wealth,
between those with power, and those without,
between police and the communities they serve.
between minorities and majorities,
between blacks and whites,
between communities of poverty and communities of wealth,
between those with power, and those without,
between police and the communities they serve.
Regardless of how one feels about the particularities or details of any of these cases, there is something terribly wrong happening. These relationships have been revealed to be at best
strained, and at least shrouded in
turmoil.
Arguments have erupted about whether this is real discrimination, whether racism has played a role in these deaths, whether the responses across the country have been reasonable ones. Whether the inequalities are real or perceived, they erect walls of
distrust and tension between people. Fingers are pointed, angry words are
heaved like grenades, fear
and anger leave the landscape of our culture, littered with stumps.
The Eden
Project
If stumps are part of our image and turmoil in our society is
envisioned as a field of stumps, the solution must surely be reforestation. One of the many projects trying to better the world today is called The Eden Project.[1] The Eden Project is a series of reforestation projects in the countries of Haiti,
Madagascar, and Ethiopia.
Their statistics are astounding.
In Ethiopia, 98% of forested areas have been destroyed in the last 50 years.
Madagascar has only 10% of it’s original forests still standing.
Only 2% of Haiti’s land is covered by forests.
The organization provides a wonderful description of the need for reforestation. They believe that not only does reforestation increase our number of trees, it provides better habitats, it raises water tables, it restores rainfall patterns, it stops soil erosion and increases soil quality. This increases crop yield which provides more food animals of all kinds. This decreases extreme poverty and creates a more equitable society.
In Ethiopia, 98% of forested areas have been destroyed in the last 50 years.
Madagascar has only 10% of it’s original forests still standing.
Only 2% of Haiti’s land is covered by forests.
The organization provides a wonderful description of the need for reforestation. They believe that not only does reforestation increase our number of trees, it provides better habitats, it raises water tables, it restores rainfall patterns, it stops soil erosion and increases soil quality. This increases crop yield which provides more food animals of all kinds. This decreases extreme poverty and creates a more equitable society.
The Eden Project believes that one of
the ways to address the stumps of society is to address the
real stumps – the lack of trees. The Eden Project has chosen to
try to bring about a better creation and a better society by planting trees.
Isaiah doesn’t just talk about a stump, he also talks about
trees. His first words are, "A shoot shall come out from
the stump of Jesse, a branch shall grow out of his
roots."
Where we have seen death, where we have seen the tree
felled, where we have seen a society plagued by violence, pain, and distrust, where we have seen decay, in that very
place, out of that very
spot, a shoot shall come up. Out of those roots
that seemed to have withered, a branch shall grow.
That image of the circle of life comes back to mind. A dead stump with a little green
plant growing out of it. It is the out of that dead thing, and as a result of that dead thing, that new life grows, that the
shoots springs up, and the branch comes forth.
Perhaps this is Isaiah’s prophesy for our lives: it is after, it is out of, maybe it is even
because of, the challenges that we face that new life is born.
I read a blog post this week about how difficult Advent has
been this year. Advent is a season defined by
waiting, and the last thing this author
wanted to do is wait. This author wanted to take action, this author wanted to bring
justice into the world, this author wanted to fight to
bring about change.
I can certainly understand the sentiment. It is my nature to what to do things, which is probably
true of most people. And maybe that is what the world
needs, more people who are willing to
take action.
I cannot help but think that Advent has come at just the
right time. I cannot help but think that
there is no better time for a season of forced waiting and patience, when all we want to do is take
matters into our own hands – in whatever circumstance. Because it is not by our action that the shoot springs up out
of the stump of Jesse.
For Christians who read
this passage, our hope can be traced to
something specific. In this season of Advent we look to the birth of Jesus
of Nazareth, truly a new shoot
out of what seemed to be a dead line. We look to Jesus, to God incarnate, as the agent of hope born into
a hopeless world. This humble shoot out of the
stump of Jesse, who will bring
into focus the will of God for the people.
What better reminder that it is God who brings the shoot out
of the stump of Jesse? What better reminder that our
eyes should be turned to the stable, to the humble
child born in a manger for our salvation?
If we interpret Isaiah’s words as a call to action, a call to take up arms to strike down the
mighty, we miss the point. It is not we who
bring the shoot out of the stump, it is God. It is not we who
right the wrongs of the world, it is God.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself said, “Only God is able.” He said, “There is so much
frustration in the world because we have
relied on gods rather than God.”
Isaiah’s call is a call to hope, not just a call to act. It is a call to the actions
which flow from a place of hope. A call to overturn old assumptions and replace them with love. A call to abandon sad cynicism, and replace it with faith. A call to reach out to those around us, to those who are different
from us, to affect real change.
These actions,
these hopeful actions, inspired by faith and hope in
Christ, these are the actions that
create forests out of barren fields.
It is by God’s spirit at work that the Lord of all things enters into a world which seems consumed by power, through a tiny baby in a manger. It is by God’s spirit at work that what was dead rises to new life.
In this season of waiting I invite you to consider:
In what ways might you be called to hope anew?
How might God work in your life to bring forth a shoot from the stump?
How will the coming of Christ into the world
change it?
In what ways might you be called to hope anew?
How might God work in your life to bring forth a shoot from the stump?
How will the coming of Christ into the world
change it?
Amen.
