Isaiah 11:1-4 Common English Bible (CEB) 1 A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse; a branch will sprout from his roots. 2 The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of planning and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. 3 He will delight in fearing the Lord. He won’t judge by appearances, nor decide by hearsay. 4 He will judge the needy with righteousness, and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land. Suffering from Hearsay I’ve known people who were suffering from hearsay. It is a horrible disease, difficult to treat, impossible to quarantine, and there is no immunization available for it. It is very contagious and is usually always spread by way of mouth. There are three main forms of this disease: mild, hurtful, and devastating. Most of the human race has suffered from hearsay in one of its forms and the rest are at risk. People like Isaiah have been studying hearsay and speaking against it for centuries but it still rages, uncontrolled, throughout the world. Hearsay has many side effects including the most insidious, the urge to spread it to others. The best of people with the mildest form of hearsay will blurt it out, often without realizing they are infected. Hearsay is part of the human condition: it may be imbedded in our DNA because we all display symptoms from time-to-time. It has ruined careers; damaged reputations; broken up marriages and friendships; and even caused congregations to split. We all need to join the Anti-Hearsay March for a Cure this year. Isaiah promises us that the One who is to come will not make decisions about us based on hearsay. The One who came and who judges the world with equity, never taking the fact that we are suffering from hearsay into account. Our Savior is hearsay free. Wouldn’t it be great if we could be as well. Prayer: O God, we love to spread rumors. We seem to relish believing hearsay and spreading it to others. Strengthen our immune systems against this horrible human failing so we might only speak the truth to others. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:07:07 +0000
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