He Strikes and Slays?

Our yearning: Peace on Earth (Read Isaiah 11:1-9)

As spoken by the prophet . . .
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked (Isaiah 11:4b)

As seen in Jesus . . .
This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many is Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too (Luke 2:34-35).

Now given to you . . . .
This is the kind of thing we choke on when we read the Bible. In public settings where scripture is read, these are verses we’re tempted to skip. We worry what marginally religious people will think when they hear us mention a God who slays the wicked. They might be uneasy or offended. They might decide that we’re raving fundamentalists and seek a more sophisticated place of worship. Can’t we just delete these lines, do a little editing for the Almighty?

Short answer: No.

We may not like the fact that a passage from the Bible that envisions a world at harmony somehow manages to mention a God who strikes the earth and slays the wicked, but that’s because we don’t fully grasp the kind of harmony God intends to establish. We think that peace is the absence of conflict, that being at harmony means making nice. But the harmony Isaiah speaks of comes about because the earth is filled with the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:9). That’s a different kind of peace. It’s a peace that requires more than being nice; it requires proclaiming truth to the world – a truth that will not always be embraced.

When the infant Jesus was dedicated at the temple, an elderly man by the name of Simeon uttered his own word of prophecy to Mary. This child will cause some to rise and some to fall; some will love him, others will despise him; some will follow him, others will insist on going a different way. With Jesus, God has drawn a dividing line
in history.

That’s not a mandate for believers to accost or attack anyone who disagrees with us. It is however a mandate for mission, for the proclamation of who Jesus is. Peace isn’t what happens as we all learn to be nice to each other. Peace is what happens as the earth is covered with the knowledge of God. And this is a peace that only God can establish.


Prayer:
It is beyond me, O God, to understand how this world will ever be at peace. I just want everyone to get along. You want everyone to know you. Guard me from the sin of hatred that creeps up when others don’t agree with me. Grant me a sense of being on mission in this world, sharing the love of Jesus, living a life that points to you. In some small way use me to bring peace to the earth. Amen.