“In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.” Isaiah 27:6 ESV
Reflection: how has Israel blessed the world?
As children, we looked for dandelions that were past flowering, but with their white crowns waiting for the wind to spread their seeds. We would pick the ones that were the fullest, that you could just blow gently on, and then watch all the seeds fly through the air. It was almost like filling the air with men in parachutes. Little did we think about that wherever the seeds landed, they would probably germinate, and new plants would grow.
In our focus verse today, Isaiah carries on the metaphor of God’s vineyard. He sees the vision of the promise God gave to Abraham, that through him, his son Issac and grandson Jacob, and his lineage, the whole world would be blessed. We read “In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.” Isaiah 27:6 ESV. Question is,
how and when would this happen?
How would the root of Jacob “put forth shoots”, and fill the world with fruit? We saw this promise, repeated through David, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Isaiah 11:1 ESV. Jesse being the father of David. These prophecies, shoot of Jacob and of Jesse, was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And through Jesus, “Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.” Isaiah 27:6b ESV
It is easy to get confused here, looking at world politics, of people, nations and kingdoms. But this is not about any physical nation or kingdom, which also confused people at the time of Christ as we remember. They were looking for a physical king, like David. No, this is about God’s people and the kingdom of heaven. John writes “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:11-13 ESV. It is not about bloodlines, nor religions or works. It is about receiving Christ, and believing in Him.
This was a spiritual promise, with a spiritual birth and life. Jesus said to those of his own people who received yet did not believe “Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”” John 10:25-30 ESV.
The seed of God is now being spread daily across the world, and across the whole world, fruit is seen. Building up a holy nation of God’s people, a kingdom for His only begotten Son. Peter explains “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV.
We are the recipients of the promise, of the vision that Isaiah was given 3000 years ago. Recipients of the blessings of this promise by the God of Israel (Jacob), the only true God. This promise is still in effect, the seed of God spreading daily, filling the whole world with good fruit from His people.
