He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD.
Substitute teachers know all too well not to turn your back on the students, lest it be papered with spitballs. Leaving the room is an absolute no-no. Just look at what happened in the world after the fall and what happened to Israel. God created Adam and Eve, who sinned promptly. God made a covenant with Israel, which they immediately broke. Instead of destroying them, he showed them mercy by making a new covenant with the very people who betrayed him the moment they had opportunity. The terms of this agreement must have astounded the hearers. Their enemies would worship their God and there would be no more war.
In 1945, the headline in many of America’s newspapers read “War Ends”. If only that were true. While it was the last World War, there would be much more bloodshed in China, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Rwanda, among many others. Praise the Lord that he will once again come to the rescue of his people, the church. These verses in Isaiah speak words of comfort to us all as we serve him as followers of Jesus. On that day and in that kingdom, weapons will have no use as no one will know what they were for. We will walk in the light of the Lord.
Dear Lord, thank you for the promise that you will once again be there for us, this time for eternity. Help us remain faithful. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church