The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
There will be peace in the valley for me, someday.
When I read these verses from the prophet Isaiah, I am always taken back to this old gospel tune. Elvis and Randy Travis remind me of the hope of the old gospel melodies. I was raised as a Bapto-Presbyterian. My formal religious education was straight from the books of the frozen chosen but my spiritual upbringing came from the gospel roots of our family reunions. After eating and catching up with the cousins, aunts, uncles, and grand-folk, we would all gather under a tree, around a piano, near a bench with a couple of guitars and belt out those songs of hope.
Today we often dismiss the country gospel theology as a harsh “repent or burn in hell” philosophy designed to scare people into worship. I would tell you that at every tent revival, reunion, or gospel jubilee I ever attended, it was these songs of hope that echoed through the air and were remembered and taken home. I’ll fly away, He touched me, It is well with my soul… Just a few examples of that message of comfort and hope that Isaiah pronounced to the Israelites of ancient days, to the sharecroppers, black dirt farmers, and millworkers of my family, and to the salesman, doctor, lawyer, and checkout clerk of today.
The root of Jesse brings that promise of a bright future where peace and joy are not the exception, but the rule and all of God’s people are reclaimed to “glorify God and fully enjoy him forever”.
Written by Ben Atha, who has served as elder, teacher, and on many committees at Heritage.
What am I passionate about at Heritage?
“Heritage is a family, open to anyone, where we seek to serve the Lord through serving his world.”
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