Chapter 11 - The Shoot of Jesse

Isaiah 11 is in two parts; part 1 is a revelation of the Son of David, part 2 is a revelation of the kingdom of God, typified by the two kingdoms of ethnic Israel.

Isaiah 11:1 (HCSB) Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

This reference to the stump of Jesse establishes David in history by referring to his father and shows that new life will come from David's loins. The branch will bear fruit. Having the complete Scriptures in our hands and minds, we ought to be drawn to Matthew 21:43, wherein Jesus told the leaders of ethnic Israel, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruit." Good fruit is a characteristic of those who are united with Christ.

Isaiah 11:2 (HCSB) The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him— a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

When Jesus was baptized by John, the heavens opened, the Father announced His approval of His Son, and the Spirit descended upon Him. This was just before His temptation, where He rebuked Satan with Scripture - displaying the right fear of Himself and what He had spoken. All wisdom and knowledge is summed up in Christ, the ultimate example of everything truly good.

Isaiah 11:3-5 (HCSB) His delight will be in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, He will not execute justice by what He hears with His ears, but He will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with discipline from His mouth, and He will kill the wicked with a command from His lips. Righteousness will be a belt around His loins; faithfulness will be a belt around His waist.

Recall the scene in 1 Sam 16 where the next king of Israel is being selected. YHWH tells His prophet not to look on the outward appearance - tall men make good kings and nearly always win US presidential elections - because that's how men measure one another. God looks on the inner man, his soul. Jesus doesn't judge using human senses, sight and hearing; He judges using righteousness that He has by His divine nature. While the ancient preacher said (Ecclesiastes 8:11) "Because the sentence against a criminal act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled ⌊with the desire⌋ to commit crime"; Christ Jesus executes justice on time, perfectly. Striking the land with discipline from His mouth ought to remind us of Rev 19:16 "A sharp sword came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty."  The wicked, self-righteous, carnal people will not escape the justice of YHWH. His belt of righteousness signifies His royal standing, hinting at the New Covenant that will come from this shoot of Jesse.

Isaiah 11:6-9 (HCSB) The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fatling will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. None will harm or destroy ⌊another⌋ on My entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is filled with water.

This scene is the new earth, not a half-baked temporal millennium. As it was before the Fall, there will no killing. But it will be better - there will be no Fall. Now we are taught to keep on growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus; that will not end but we will grow deeper then and it will be like seas as deep as the mountains. Nobody brings this kind of peace, this depth of knowledge except the One Who came from the Father to redeem those He created.

Do you have this peace? Do you desire this knowledge? Cry out to God for the mercy to believe on Him. He really did come to save sinners.