“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.”
– Isaiah 11:4
Isaiah described the coming of Jesus centuries before He stepped out of heaven to be born in Bethlehem and thousands of years before His return in glory. Isaiah described the nature of Christ’s coming, eternal Kingdom. It will be a Kingdom of power – the power of His Word. Power beyond anything we can possibly imagine. Forget nuclear weapons – His spoken word is the rod of His mouth with which Jesus will strike the earth! That’s the power by which our triumphant Lord will wipe out the wicked when He returns!
However, it’s also a Kingdom of tough and tender justice, concerned with the poor and oppressed. King Jesus will justly judge in favor of those who are downtrodden and unable to defend themselves against the systems and structures of our fallen world. He will treat the poor righteously rather than taking advantage of them as so many do today. It will be truly glorious when King Jesus returns!
In the meantime…we who follow Jesus SHOULD embody those same values because He is already King on His throne in heaven. As citizens of His Kingdom, we must be concerned for the poor. We must practice justice toward the downtrodden and defenseless, knowing that we are serving King Jesus when we do. We must live in obedience to His awesome, powerful Word, knowing that His Word is life to us and death to His enemies. Meditate today on what it would look like to fully live your life as a citizen of THIS king’s present and future Kingdom. What should you do differently – in thought, word, and action – to more fully #FollowJesus?