In the internet age there is so much information flying around that a news source has to be extremely sensational to get any attention. The easiest stories to sensationalize are negative ones, ones that show mankind at its worst. Wars, shootings, traffic fatalities, child neglect and abuse, government failure and general stupidity are regularly featured.
In contrast to all this I read this prophecy from Isaiah:
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:1–10, ESV)
The reason the news creates such disquiet in us is because we were designed for something better. I would think that most people have an innate sense that things are horribly wrong, but cannot identify why they feel that way. We are taught by our public educators that everyone has to determine his own right and wrong and it is presumptuous to apply our standards to other people. We are products of our DNA. But, if we are “dancing to our DNA,” why should we care about what is happening in the world around us? Why does the news from around the world cause disquiet?
The point is that we do have a sense that things ought to be different.
Part of the good news of the Gospel is that there will be a solution to all of the problems around us. The prediction of Isaiah is that at some point, there will be one who will come and set everything right. The “root of Jesse” will rule and danger from war and natural disaster will be eliminated. We have a longing for everything to be put right and are anxious for Isaiah’s prediction to come true.
Christians have identified that root of Jesse as Jesus the Messiah. We look to the return of Jesus as the solution to the mess within us and around us. We can be comforted by the fact that God remains in control and has a solution mapped out to our problems. We know the end of the story and Jesus will establish his final victory when he returns.
May the return of Jesus be soon!
