Jesus' New World Order - Part 2

10 In that day the heir to David’s throne
will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time
to bring back the remnant of his people—
those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt;
in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam;
in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.
12 He will raise a flag among the nations
and assemble the exiles of Israel.
He will gather the scattered people of Judah
from the ends of the earth.

13 Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end.
They will not be rivals anymore.
14 They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west.
Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east.
They will occupy the lands of Edom and Moab,
and Ammon will obey them.
15 The Lord will make a dry path through the gulf of the Red Sea.
He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River,
sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams
so it can easily be crossed on foot.
16 He will make a highway for the remnant of his people,
the remnant coming from Assyria,
just as he did for Israel long ago
when they returned from Egypt.

Isaiah 11 tells not only of God’s transforming grace among peoples but also of the unity of his kingdom. The Old Testament divided kingdom—Israel (Ephraim) and Judah were often in conflict with one another. They conspired against each other. Both would make alliances with other nations to try to defeat the other! They each claimed to have the only place for true worship, but neither of them actually worshiped God in Spirit and truth (see John 4:19-26). Immanuel came to change all that.

As the gospel expanded from Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria, the book of Acts in the New Testament assures us that the same grace of God that was at work in Judah was also at work in Samaria (Acts 8). The same Spirit that rested on Immanuel was bringing people together.

This is truly a miracle. But that is what God’s grace is about. It changes wolves to be like lambs, lions to be like sheep! How many dangerous criminals have been transformed by God’s grace into servants of Christ? Do you remember Saul of Tarsus? (See Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-31.)

In our day, there is much talk about terrorism. There is so much suspicion, fear, hatred, violence, and war. It seems impossible for peoples to talk with one another, let alone live in harmony. But there is hope. The church has been given a banner of good news for all peoples to see, so that “all nations will rally” to the Lord and King.

Almighty Lord, our world needs your transforming grace. Strengthen your church in the world with your message of reconciliation, in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.