Isaiah 11:10 On that day the root of Yishai,
which stands as a banner for the peoples —
the Goyim will seek him out,
and the place where he rests will be glorious.
11 On that day Adonai will raise his hand
again, a second time,
to reclaim the remnant of his people who remain
from Ashur, Egypt, Patros,
Ethiopia, ‘Eilam, Shin‘ar,
Hamat and the islands in the sea.
12 He will hoist a banner for the Goyim,
assemble the dispersed of Isra’el,
and gather the scattered of Y’hudah
from the four corners of the earth.
13 Efrayim’s jealousy will cease —
those who harass Y’hudah will be cut off,
Efrayim will stop envying Y’hudah,
and Y’hudah will stop provoking Efrayim.
14 They will swoop down on the flank of the P’lishtim to the west.
Together they will pillage the people to the east —
they will put out their hand over Edom and Mo’av,
and the people of ‘Amon will obey them.
15 Adonai will dry up the gulf
of the Egyptian Sea.
He will shake his hand over the [Euphrates] River
to bring a scorching wind,
dividing it into seven streams
and enabling people to cross dryshod.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
who are still left from Ashur,
just as there was for Isra’el
when he came out from the land of Egypt.(Complete Jewish Bible)
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Exclusion is all too real for many people. We get cut from the team, left out of social plans, or passed over for a job or promotion. Some of us lose our homes and family relationships. We may even find ourselves wandering as refugees with no place to return to and no laws to protect us. We long for the comfort and safety of belonging. When we don’t have that, we may begin to doubt that God remembers or cares for us.
In Isaiah 11, we have a reminder that, in Christ, everyone belongs. The people of Israel had been living scattered among the nations for generations, and God promised that the Root of Jesse would gather them together and give them an identity, not to mention a place of rest.
All people who follow Christ are under the same banner of His love and protection. Not one of us is an outsider, and not one of us is forgotten. We may be excluded or rejected by the world, but we will always belong to God. We have a place among His people and the hope of eternal life in His glorious resting place.
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Hymn for Today: "In Christ There Is No East or West" by John Oxenham.
1. In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
2. In Christ shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find;
his service is the golden cord
close-binding humankind.
3. Join hands, disciples of the faith,
whate'er your race may be.
All children of the living God
are surely kin to me.
4. In Christ now meet both east and west;
in him meet south and north.
All Christly souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.
Thought for Today: For just as the body is one but has many parts; and all the parts of the body, though many, constitute one body; so it is with the Messiah.(1 Corinthians 12:12)(Complete Jewish Bible).
Please pray: For the development of Christian leaders in Uruguay.
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