Isaiah 11:1-16 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 11:1-16. This passage teaches us about who this promised Messiah is, what this Messiah will do and the impact this Messiah will have.
Isaiah 11:1 (NIV)
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
On verse 1: For some reason Isaiah has a thing with trees. In Isaiah 10, Isaiah likens the Assyrians to a forest of tall cedar trees in Lebanon that will be cut down, never to rise again (10:33-34). In Isaiah 6 Isaiah likens Judah to a bunch of terebinth and oak trees that have been cut down to their stump (6:13), but will rise again.
Now we come to chapter 11 verse 1 where Isaiah says that “[a] shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit”. Who is Jesse? Jesse was the father of King David, who lived centuries before Isaiah’s time. So Isaiah is implying that just when Jesse and King David’s “family tree” seemed to be almost cut down like a stump, a leader will rise up. This leader, who is called the “shoot” and the “Branch”, is God’s promised Messiah.
Interestingly, people have sometimes been puzzled when Matthew 2:23 says that Jesus growing up in Nazareth fulfilled what the prophets said about how “he will be called a Nazarene”. That’s because there doesn’t seem to be any express prophecy in the Old Testament saying that the Messiah would be “a Nazarene”. But according to scholar David Pawson, Isaiah 11 may provide the answer: the word “Branch” in Hebrew used in Isaiah 11:1 has the same root consonants as the word “Nazareth”. So when Isaiah 11:1 speaks about the Messiah being a “branch”, could it be that Isaiah was actually (or also) saying that this Messiah would be a Nazarene, someone who would rise up from a poor and obscure background to become the Saviour God’s people were looking for?
Isaiah 11:2 (NIV)
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
On verse 2: According to Isaiah, this Messiah is unique in that God’s Spirit rests on Him. In other words, whatever wisdom, understanding, or power this Messiah would have would not simply be of human origin. Rather, this Messiah would have the wisdom, the understanding, the counsel, the power, the knowledge and the God-fearing perspective of the Holy Spirit.
Incidentally we learn from this that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and power, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear of the Lord we will have. May you seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit often.
Isaiah 11:3-5 (NIV)
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
On verses 3-5: This Messiah would delight in knowing and following the LORD (“delight in the fear of the LORD”). This Messiah will judge justly (v3b-4). Righteousness and faithfulness will mark everything this Messiah does.
What can we learn from this? When Jesus the Messiah is ruling your life, knowing and following God become a delight, not a chore. When Jesus is ruling your life, He will lead you to make just and right decisions that reflect God’s righteousness and faithfulness.
Isaiah 11:6-9 (NIV)
6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor 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 verses 6-9: Because of this Messiah, creation will be restored to what God always intended. Thus Isaiah paints the picture of the powerful and the weak in the animal kingdom living together peacefully, and even a young child not fearing a snake. Instead of death and destruction, because of this Messiah, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
What can we learn from this? Jesus the Messiah leads us from a place of constant warring and fear to a place of peace and confidence.
Isaiah 11:10 (NIV)
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
On verse 10: Here the Messiah is called “the Root of Jesse”, whereas verse 1 describes him as the shoot (or fruit) of Jesse. In other words, this Messiah would amazingly precede (come before) Jesse and also succeed (come after) Jesse. This Messiah would somehow be both divine and human at the same time. It’s similar to when Jesus asks how the Messiah could be both David’s son and David’s Lord (Mark 12:35-37).
Also, this Messiah would stand victoriously as the banner under which nations would rally together in a glorious assembly that recalls images from Isaiah 2:1-5.
Isaiah 11:11-16 (NIV)
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will lay hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
15 The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.
On verses 11-16: Here Isaiah envisions the day when this Messiah would gather God’s people from the different nations where they have been exiles. Rather than being jealous of one another, they would work together and be a force to be reckoned with.
What can we learn from this? Jesus the Messiah brings people from different backgrounds and unites them together under one banner to be a force for His glory.
When will this happen? Isaiah speaks of “in that day”. It is safe to conclude that all this will be realized in full when Jesus the Messiah returns and establishes His kingdom once and for all.
Jesus, You are the Branch that Isaiah speaks of, the Messiah whose ways are full of justice, righteousness and faithfulness, the One who leads us to know God and to know true and lasting peace. Holy Spirit, please fill me with Your wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
