Isaiah 11
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Reign of the Branch
Reign of the Branch
So remember what we have been talking about thus far in the book of Isaiah.
God has sent his servant to the nation of Judah to warn them that the consequences of sin is about to be made manifest in their lives.
And what has God condemned in their lives?
The rich have oppressed the poor, taking advantage of them and taking their lands.
They worshipped other gods
They did not allow the land to rest
They did not honor Him.
That is just a portion of the sin God has condemned there in the land.
Today this new section returns to the theme of God’s Kingdom, His provision and the coming of the Savior to the world.
Now at this particular time, those alive right then would suffer under the conditions of the nation’s sin and God’s punishment, But they are not forgotten. He will not abandon them. He will return and deliver them from their turmoil and oppression.
At that time, He will reestablish them as His Holy people.
At that time, the Davidic King would rule with justice and mercy.
The Lord is complete and wisdom and strength and power to lead as King. At that time God’s people will no longer be weak and under a foreign yoke, but will be free.
So today lets open Chapter 11 and see what the Lord is saying through His prophet Isaiah.
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
In chapter 10, we talked about the tall, lofty and proud trees of the Assyrians and then look at the contrast this lowly, stump of Jesse.
You think of death and a lack of life when you think of the stump, all that was there has been removed, cut down. But just because a tree as been cut down doesn’t mean it is dead.
God is demonstrating that He can raise up people from humble means.
And listen to what God says a shoot will arise from the stump.
2 In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel.
This twig or shoot and eventually a branch will be a sign of life, it will bear fruit and it will not die out or be cut off.
The shoot is a clear symbol of hope in the future.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
This King will experience the abundance of the Lord our God, He will have the spirit of the God upon his life.
That makes me think of Jesus has he was being baptized, and the Holy Spirit as a dove rested upon him. And then God showed up and said “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased...”
So Just as the Lord’s spirit rested on David and gave him wisdom and understanding, counsel and might and knowledge and fear of the Lord.
So this King will have all this as well. The Lord our God will always ensure that leaders are equipped with the right tools to carry out the ministry or task God has sen them on.
This is really in contrast to the evil king Ahaz and the Assyrian king who made un-wise decisions and plans rather than honoring God.
This ruler will be in partnership and relationship with the Kingdom of God.
Now lets look at verses 3-5, they all fall into one group if you will....
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
Wow, so you see the contrast of how this King will live and act in light of how those evil kings, and how they lived poorly in front of God.
First look at this delight: It is not self, of selfish things. Not possessions, or other items… Instead this true happiness and love is in the Lord.
His whole delight is only in the Lord, and when this happens he has a right sense of moral judgment. As such they will judge based on the what one might see or hear which might indicate false claims. Decisions will be based on the true nature of the heart.
Justice will be available to all, not just those who could buy or bride it. The needy and poor will receive excellent counsel and judgment instead of being cheated by the rich. So in God’s reign the tables are turned on those who once were able to secure their future by wealth.
Wickedness will be condemned and punished my friends.
The righteousness character of the Messiah will enable him to do the right thing in all circumstances and his faithfulness will ensure that the people can depend on Him. The godly characteristics of the Messiah, ( He is God) will hand around his neck like a necklace revealing jewelry. Perfectly seen
We talk about injustice today, it seems like there are two sides in our world today, the haves and the havenots, and at times it seems like the wicked get away with everything and the poor are punished.
But a brighter day is promised and all those who did evil will be judged.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Wow, what a time of peace. The future kingdom is seen as something like paradise, their is peace and security. And one thing you see is that the original curse has been removed since there is such peace.
Natural enemies in the animal kingdom will live together, man and beast feed, play and interact together and not even a child will be harmed. The child is depicted as one who can be with and even touch the deadliest of snakes, the cobra and addler.
Now the text doesn’t fully explain what brought about this transformation , but we know the coming of the one who is the Messiah has something to do with it, right....
This will be the kingdom where God will live on mount Zion, literally that would be the Temple mount and will teach the people of the earth. The world will be filled with his knowledge.
All the people who live there will be holy…remember chapter 4, vere 3
3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,
This will be a similar time to what Isaiah witness in the temple as the Seraphim sung their son
3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
The former man made kingdoms will be forgotten and his kingdom will endure forever and ever...
Now we shift gears just a little, and talk about the nations gathering in the presence of God
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
So in that day, the many people who are gathering, will come to the davidic ruler, there in the holy city of Zion or Jerusalem. Isaiah reminds them that God has planned their future… You see that phrase “In that day..” it is perfectly in his will, and hope is there. The root of Jesse, the Davidic king will stand, meaning he cannot be defeated.... He will be like a banner, and the people will gather around him in celebration of his reign.
The nations will seek advice or counsel of him, why.. They trust him, they know in Him there is only truth.
The greatest blessing I think is that he will be a place of rest for all people.
That reminds me of Jesus promise in Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Now verse 11 tells us that he will extend his hand a second time to restore his people, the remnant God promised to save.
To reach out, it means to add to increase or do, He will pay the required price to redeem his people. You see that is pivotal, because He is our salvation, sustainer and redeemer.
The nations mentioned are there to remind us that from all over the earth He will reclaim and redeem them and bring them home.
2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,
which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!
Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.
Now verse 12
12 He will raise a signal for the nations
and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
God will raise up a signal, and He will assemble three groups of people, the nations, the dispersed (Israelites) and the scattered people of Judah from all over the world.
Listen God knows where His people are and He will bring them back to himself.
Now verses 13-14
13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,
and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
Once every s back in the peaceful land, there with thier new King, the people will not be jealous anymore, there will be no war or one group acting in pride saying or acting better than anyone else.
These are the things that resulted in the division of the people. Israel and Judah fought wars against one another.
But in this new era, there will be no war, no hostility and they will enjoy peace.
And in peace they will work together to defeat their common enemies. IN era of peace and harmony the Kingdom will expand to its former boundaries.
Now the last two verses 15-16
15 And the Lord will utterly destroy
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the River
with his scorching breath,
and strike it into seven channels,
and he will lead people across in sandals.
16 And there will be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.
The message of hope ends with Isaiah telling of God’s mighty works. These works will make the remnant of Israel’s return possible.
So in a sense the Lord will strike or smite the world, those who try to stand in His way....
He will destroy the tongue of the Red Sea, and he will change the mighty river into 7 smaller channels, like diverting the river to bring water to the people.. but here it makes it easy to cross.
This isn’t a vague promise, but a accurately look at His purpose and while groups like Assyria believe they have won and defeated Israel, No, God will return and restore even those who are of the remnant,
