Sermon for midweek of Advent 2
Isaiah 11:1-10 + Colossians 1:1-8
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s how I begin most of my sermons to you. Maybe you noticed when you heard the second lesson that it was the Apostle Paul’s own greeting to the Christians—to the saints and faithful brethren—at Colosse, speaking and bestowing God’s grace and peace upon God’s holy people. Paul speaks God’s grace and peace upon them and upon us, because we, like vines, have been grafted into the Branch whom Isaiah prophesied in chapter 11.
When we hear the first words of Isaiah 11, we rightly think of Jesus’ birth and the coming Christmas season. There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. That Rod, that Branch first sprouted from Jesse’s stem, from Jesse’s roots when Christ was born of the virgin Mary and, in a sense, also born to Joseph, since they were both His legitimate parents from the moment He was born—both offspring and descendants of Jesse and of Jesse’s more famous son, King David.
But the rest of those verses from Isaiah move quickly past His first sprouting to the Branch He would become, to the Ruler, to the Judge, to the Banner He would be for the nations.
We see indications of the Holy Trinity in these verses, as the Spirit, of the Lord, would rest on Him. It’s not the whole picture of the Trinity, just another part of it. Later in Scripture we learn that the LORD, here, is, as Paul wrote, the “God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” And we learn that the Holy Spirit would not only rest on Him, but would bring about His very conception in the virgin’s womb.
But think about how the Spirit is described in these verses. He will “rest on Him.” That means that the Branch Himself will have these spiritual attributes, these gifts of the Spirit, and He will also be able to bestow them on others, in varying degrees, according to His good pleasure.
First, the Spirit of Wisdom: sound judgment and discernment; knowing the right time and the right way to say what.
Second, the Spirit of Understanding: understanding of God, of His Word, and of His creation; seeing how things fit together.
Third, the Spirit of Counsel. Counsel includes comfort, encouragement, guidance, advice, and with all that, the ability to apply all those things in the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
Fourth, the Spirit of Might, also known as Fortitude: That’s courage to confront one’s enemies, boldness to confess the truth before the world, strength to stand against the devil and every enemy, and patience to suffer what is necessary.
Fifth, the Spirit of Knowledge: knowing and recognizing the truth about God, knowing God’s works and His ways; knowing man, and what’s in a man; having all the information necessary to carry out one’s vocation.
Sixth, and final, according to the Hebrew text, is the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. I say, the Hebrew text, because the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT) and the Vulgate (the Latin translation) use a different word for the “fear of the LORD” in this verse. They use the word “piety.” To be pious means to be godly, devout, reverent, dutiful, acknowledging and fulfilling one’s duties to God as part of one’s reasonable worship.
Then, those two versions translate the next verse differently. Instead of “He will delight in the fear of the Lord,” they say, “The Spirit of the fear of the Lord will fill Him,” giving us a seventh spiritual gift instead of six, which is perfectly fine, because piety is really just a certain aspect of the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord includes love for God, reverence for God, a firm faith in God, and zeal to lead a godly life, while piety focuses more on the worship and devotion that flow out of the fear of God. Everything the Christ would do on this earth (and even in heaven afterward) would flow from His fear of God, love for God, and trust in God His Father. And that made Him a perfect Keeper of the First Commandment.
So the Branch, according to Isaiah’s prophecy, will have all of those spiritual gifts resting on Him: Perfect wisdom. Perfect understanding. Perfect counsel. Perfect might. Perfect knowledge. Perfect piety and perfect fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears. He won’t have to. He will have the Spirit of knowledge, after all. He will know what it is in a man, as John’s Gospel says. With righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. In human courts, the poor and the meek throughout history have often not gotten justice, because the courts would favor the rich and the powerful. But not so with the Branch. He’ll make righteous decisions in favor of the “poor” and “meek,” not giving preference to them, but simply treating them the same way He treats the rich and powerful. He’ll be able to do that, because He has the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and piety resting on Him, so that He will judge with integrity.
Of course, we’re talking here about spiritual judgment, not the judgment of a human court, because the Branch would never hold the office of earthly judge or earthly king. And so Jesus can preach in the sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The poor and meek before God are the ones who don’t flaunt their good works or rely on their worthiness in order to enter God’s kingdom; they are those who come to God meekly, humbly seeking His mercy for the sake of the Branch alone. And they will receive it.
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. He’ll do this, not with a physical sword, but with a spiritual one, as it says, with His mouth, with His lips, because He has the Spirit of counsel and of might. He will preach against sin and against those who cling to their sin. He’ll strike those who deny God or who blaspheme God, exposing their guilt and their shame. He will slay the wicked with words of condemnation, not with actual fire and brimstone. But His words will have all the authority of God behind them, and it will be revealed on the Last Day that His words were true.
Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. Unlike earthly rulers and judges, who, at best, sometimes do the right thing, the Branch will do righteousness at all times, faithfully, dependably, always condemning the impenitent, and always absolving those who repent, always working all things together for good to those who love Him.
Then there’s this beautiful picture in Isaiah 11 of peace and safety, of creatures that would normally be predatory now dwelling peacefully with creatures that are docile. Such is the peace, such is the safety that will exist on the “holy mountain” of the Branch, in the kingdom of the Christ.
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious. These verses make clear that we’re not talking about heaven yet. All this time, we’ve talking about what Christ, the Branch and the Root of Jesse, would do from the time of His first Advent until the time of the second, ruling and judging through His Word and through the ministry of it. Judgment to the impenitent; grace, mercy, and peace to the penitent who believe in Him. In Holy Baptism, He has shared the sevenfold gifts of His Spirit with His people. And now He has opened up His holy mountain, His Holy Christian Church, to the nations. The Branch still stands as a Banner, calling out through His Word, through His Spirit, through the office of the ministry, rallying the nations around Himself, and grafting them into Himself through faith.
The result? A church of saints and faithful brothers in Colosse. And in Philippi. And in Ephesus. And in Rome. And in Corinth. And in Thessalonica. And in the region of Galatia. And in Syria. And in Antioch. And in Las Cruces. The Banner, through the ministry of His Word, has brought and will continue to bring people from every nation streaming up to His holy mountain, to His Holy Christian Church, where there is true peace among Christians, true rest from guilt and from fear and from despair. Peace that exists now, though imperfectly. But it grows and it bears fruit. So highly does God prize that peace that to Him it is a high crime for anyone to disrupt it. Be very careful to preserve it. I would say that, from all appearances, we are here enjoying an unprecedented time of peace in our congregation. Not necessarily outward prosperity, but surely of great providence from God and peace among our members, love for one another, and love for all the saints throughout the world. But such peace is always fragile and a tantalizing target for the devil to attack, which is why we must take care of it, foster it, protect it, and preserve it. The devil would love to sow discord and strife, hard feelings and bitterness, a spirit of criticism and condescension. Watch out for such things, and if you notice it in yourself or in others, nip it in the bud, as they say. This is the holy mountain of the Branch, and we must continually be zealous to treat it as such.
Now, as God has bestowed His grace and peace upon you, seek those sevenfold spiritual gifts from Him in ever greater measure and put them into practice, so that it may be said of you what Paul said about the Colossian Christians, We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints. This is how you rehearse for Christ’s second Advent, so that even now you’re beginning to believe and to behave as you will in the glorious kingdom of heaven, where everything that Isaiah said about the Branch and His kingdom will be true in perfect measure. Amen.
