Reading for March 11th

 Read Isaiah 11.1-16. In 11.1-16: The renewal of God's promise. In verses 1-5: The shoot from the stump of Jesse refers to the situation after Babylonians had removed the last of the Davidic rulers, Zedekiah (2 Kings 25.1-7). His predecessor and nephew, Jehoiachin, had been taken and held in prison in Babylon (2 Kings 24.10-12), and this prophecy reflects the hope that either he, or one of his descendants, would return to rule (see 55.1-5; 1 Chr 3.16-24). This hope was not fulfilled, and the promises of Davidic kingship became messianic hope. In verses 6-9: An addition that conveys a wider message than one of government and justice: a time of world peace extending throughout the natural order, witnessing the end of violence, not simply between nations (see Isa 2.4) but between wild and domestic animals. The violence and disorder that had confounded God's purpose since the beginning would be transformed by the fashioning of anew heaven and a new earth (66.2-3). As a prominent, and unique, hope in Isaiah, the message is repeated in 65.25. In verses 10-16: Chapters 5-12 form a connected series of prophecies, from the devastation foretold in 6.11-13 until the return of survivors to repopulate it and rebuild Jerusalem. This promise of return forms a significant feature of the book's overall message. Detailed promises of this return begin in chs. 40-55. Prophecies fulfill in that hope are included in chs. 56-66. as God's judgment had been heralded by a signal to a "nation far away" (5.26), so the ending of the period of judgment and dawning of the age of peace would begin with a further signal to all nations (11.10-12). Comments or Questions..