Read | Isaiah 11:1–11
Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a Spirit of counsel and strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
His delight will be in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge
by what he sees with his eyes,
he will not execute justice
by what he hears with his ears,
but he will judge the poor righteously
and execute justice for the oppressed of the land.
He will strike the land
with a scepter from his mouth,
and he will kill the wicked
with a command from his lips.
Righteousness will be a belt around his hips;
faithfulness will be a belt around his waist.
The wolf will dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the goat.
The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together,
and a child will lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze,
their young ones will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like cattle.
An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit,
and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den.
They will not harm or destroy each other
on my entire holy mountain,
for the land will be as full
of the knowledge of the LORD
as the sea is filled with water.
On that day the root of Jesse
will stand as a banner for the peoples.
The nations will look to him for guidance,
and his resting place will be glorious.On that day the Lord will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people who survive—from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west.
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Focus
View this work of art, Isaiah’s Vision of Eternal Peace, by Mordecai Ardon, connected to Sunday’s sermon passage.
As you look at this week’s piece, take a few quiet moments to notice details, colors, or emotions that stand out to you. Ask God what he might be saying through the image, and listen for his insight in your thoughts, feelings, or prayers.
Commentary:
Mordecai Ardon was born in 1896 to a Jewish family in the village of Tuchów, which is today part of Poland. He studied art in Germany under Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, but when the Nazis came to power in 1933, Ardon moved to Jerusalem, where he became a teacher at Palestine’s Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts.
This triptych of stained glass windows was created as a commission for the National Jewish University and Library (now the National Library of Israel) in Jerusalem. The windows are a monumental work, measuring over 21 feet tall and 55 feet long. The left panel illuminates Isaiah 2:2-3. The white, winding texts function visually as “roads” leading to Jerusalem, each with its own language and alphabet (Latin, Greek, English, French, Arabic), representing people of various tribes and tongues pouring into the city. The center panel imagines the merging of the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem and includes a number of Kabbalistic symbols, including the tree of sefirot, representative of the Divine Presence. The city walls at the bottom are made up of seventeen parchment sheets that correspond to the Great Isaiah Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls. The right panel depicts Isaiah 2:4 and the beating of the machinery of war (bullets, tanks, fighter jets, guns) into the tools of growth and generativity (shovels).
Art Source: Isaiah’s Vision of Eternal Peace, Mordecai Ardon (designer) and Charles Marq (fabricator), 1982-1984. Photo © Shmuel Browns used with permission: Ardon Windows
https://israel-tourguide.info/2011/02/09/ardon-windows-isaiah-vision-peace/
Pray
Pray that the reign of Jesus would renew your hope and steady your heart.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.
