Daily Prophets
Day 52
“A shoot will grow out of the stump of Jesse, a twig shall sprout from his stock. The spirit of God leads him, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of advice and valor, a spirit of knowledge and awe of God. He will delight in the awe of God… Judging the weak/helpless in righteousness and decide justly for the poor and lowly.”(Isaiah 11:1,2,3)
I erred in my translation and commentary yesterday-where I used punishment, it could also use accounting. The people are held to account. Also, punishment is not meant in the harsh terms, when I use it-it is suffering the consequences of our/my/their behaviors.
Here is Isaiah’s good news! While we will/are help accountable and the logical consequences will occur, God doesn’t exile us nor leave us out in the cold forever. Just as God sent Moses, a member of the House of Jesse, the father of King David, will rise up and lead us back to our land, our home and to justice. What a relief!
I am thinking about what it takes to be a leader for God, for decency, for justice. It takes being a twig, knowing that I/we am not the whole tree, I/we am just a twig who has an opportunity to grow when I/we allow the spirit of God to invade my being and overcome my fears and doubts. When I/we allow the awe, advice, wisdom, insight and knowledge of God to overwhelm me, I/we am the leader God created me/us to be. Whether as a Rabbi, a parent, a boss, a supervisor, an employer, a friend, a professional, a craftsperson, etc, I/we have a choice as to the type of leader we/I am going to be.
Isaiah’s words are so hopeful here, especially after the last chapter, and they go along with Chapter 2 when he prophesied that “men shall learn war no more”. Isaiah is giving us a glimpse of what life will be like/can be like when we make a choice to be and/or follow the leadership of this “shoot that will grow out of the stump of Jesse”.
Rabbi Heschel says that these verses point to the need and the desire to seek knowledge of the word of God and this prophecy here is the prophet’s belief that on our own, we will never achieve these goals of God. We need a leader, a ‘messiah’ to help us get there. “Man’s conscience is timid, while the world is ablaze with agony. His perception of justice is shallow, often defective and his judgement liable to deception”(The Prophets, pg. 184). I read this and Rabbi Heschel’s call to us reverberates through me. While it is written that a “twig will sprout from his stock”, it is also not enough to just wait for this twig. I/we am/are being called to account by Rabbi Heschel and Isaiah to begin the work today.
The current times call for this “twig” to be listened to, heard and understood by our political leadership. It is time for McConnell, et al, to stop the partisanship and get down to the business of leadership. It is time for Shumer, et al, to allow awe of God and knowing that they are privileged to serve their country and do what is right for the people, not just their own special interests. Leadership, as Isaiah teaches, means that I have to call on my higher self, my higher angels, God, Higher Power, to rise above what Rabbi Heschel describes as our shallow, defective and deceptive ways of judging. The prophet is screaming at us to rise up in order to save what we have left and build anew upon the foundation of our Founding Fathers and God.
In recovery, we know how deceptive and shallow we can be. We know that our vision has been and still is sometimes defective. We are so aware that we need guidance and leadership from another(s), hence sponsorship. A sponsor is here to help guide us through the steps, guide us through the challenges we face daily and guide us to the path of seeking God’s wisdom, insight, advice, knowledge and awe. We know that without the Awe of God, we are sunk, we will relapse and we will lose our path again! We continue to reach out to others to “carry the message” and to hear the message ourselves. Recovery teaches us to judge with righteousness, kindness and never judgmentally. We know that the “twig that sprouts from his stock” manifests everyday in the form of some human who reaches out in kindness and love and we manifest it when we do the same.
I have been blessed with this spirit of God and I haven’t always used it well. I understand Isaiah’s exhortations to the People Israel and Judah. I also know that the spirit of wisdom and insight is gift that can be misunderstood by others and misused by us. It is not to gain the numbers for the winning lotto ticket (though I have wished for them), it is not to gain fame and fortune for one’s ego, it is to serve God, help the poor, the downtrodden, the hopeless and the lost. I know that I have done this and I know I have failed. I have made defective decisions and I have succumbed to self-deception. Again, it is a both/and-I have heard the call of God and been imbued with the spirit of awe and knowledge-not as a messiah, as a human being capable of rising above my own needs and desires. How are you using the gift of God’s Spirit of awe, wisdom, knowledge, etc, to guide your actions today? Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark