“Lord, teach us to pray,” Jesus’ disciples said, and for the second time, he taught what is today commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. With the prayer he gave instruction to avoid hypocritical attention seeking and meaningless rote repetition; yet, he said to offer the prayer at least daily. Noteworthy is the substantial emphasis placed on the Kingdom of God – “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Kingdom of God was central to our Lord’s entire teaching ministry. He talked about it all the time frequently quoting the Old Testament and most often the book of Isaiah. Of the many blessings that will come with the Kingdom, Jesus drew most attention to the justice and righteousness that will fill the earth.

The Kingdom justice has at least four aspects:

1. Deliverance of the poor and defenseless from the injustice that they regularly experience 2. Abolishing the domineering power from the dominated and oppressed 3. Eradicating violence and establishing peace 4. Restoring the believer outcasts and refugees to community.

Isaiah illuminates us in chapter 11.

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

Jesse is the father of David from whom Jesus would descend. When Jesus came, David’s monarchy seemed wiped out forevermore as will be the case when he returns. However, verse one reveals it was in a dormant state which is why the words “shoot,” “stem,” “branch,” and “root” are used.

 ² The Spirit of the LORD [Yahweh] will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD [Yahweh].

 ³ And He will delight in the fear of the LORD [Yahweh], and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

 ⁴ but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

⁵ Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.

Jesus, the King, will rule and make decisions not by surface appearances but by the spirit of God thereby always providing righteousness and fairness. Everyone and everything will be affected when the Kingdom comes. Even the animal kingdom will change.

⁶ And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them.

 ⁷ Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox.

 ⁸ The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

 ⁹ They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

 ¹⁰ Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.

Oh glory! We pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”