| | | | Isaiah Chapter 11 - Did you know you're in a bible prophecy? Isaiah chapter 10 ends with a metaphor of God's judgment on Israel; The people will be cut down like tree's in a forest:
Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop off the bough with terror; Those of high stature will be hewn down, and the haughty will be humbled. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One. Isaiah (10:33-34)
Here, the LORD is looking over the stumps, and prophecies that a Branch twill grow out of one of them, the root of the family of Jesse, David's father:
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. (Isaiah 11:1)
But this isn't just any branch. This Branch will be what brings the promise of God to not only Israel, but the entire world. (Ref Gen 18:18 "...Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.")
So check this out: The royal line of King David was highly esteemed in Jewish society. When you read through 1 & 2 Kings, almost every king is compared to "his father" King David. But after the judgment that Isaiah warned of was complete (the exile to Assyria and Babylon), when the people returned, there is hardly a mention of the Davidic line. It lay dormant for nearly six hundred years. Yet God has not forgotten, and in this passage God promises to raise up a "Branch" from the stump of Jesse, David's father: Jesus of Nazareth, the promised Messiah!
Isaiah goes on to describe the Messiah:
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 of the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:2)
The Branch that comes from the apparently dead stump isn't just barely alive, rather it's full of life, and full of the Spirit of the LORD. The Messiah has seven - the number of fullness and completion - aspects of the Spirit of the LORD:
1 - He has the Spirit of the LORD. It is not a false spirit or a deceiving spirit or even the spirit of a man. The Spirit of the LORD God of Israel rests upon the Messiah. Once Jesus rebuked the disciples saying, You do not know what manner of spirit you are of (Luke 9:55). Jesus was of the Spirit of the LORD, and He knew it.
2 - The Spirit of wisdom is upon the Messiah. Jesus is perfectly wise in all things. He showed it among us during his earthly ministry, and He shows it now in His ministry towards us in heaven. 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that Jesus became for us wisdom from God. It isn't just that Jesus has wisdom; He is wisdom!
3 - The Spirit of . . . understanding is upon Him. Jesus understands all things, and He understands us perfectly. He is perfectly suited to be our sympathetic High Priest in heaven (Hebrews 4:15-16).
4 - The Spirit of counsel is upon Jesus. He has perfect counsel to give us at all times. He has both the wisdom and the understanding to be a perfect counselor!
5 - The Spirit of . . . might is upon Jesus. He has the power to do what He desires to do. Many would help us if they could, but are powerless. Others may have the power to help us, but don't care about us. Jesus has both the love and the might to help us.
6 - The Spirit of knowledge is upon Jesus. He knows everything. He knows our hearts, He knows all the facts. Many times we have made decisions that seemed strange or wrong to others because they didn't have the knowledge that we have. Jesus has knowledge that we don't have, so it shouldn't surprise us that sometimes His decisions seem strange or wrong to others.
7 - The Spirit of . . . the fear of the LORD is upon Jesus. He willingly kept Himself in a place of submission, respect, and honor to God the Father.
This description of the Lord Jesus has a present and future aspect: It describes the ministry of Jesus when He was in Human form, and it describes his rule in the Millennial Kingdom.
His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; (Isaiah 11:3-4a)
Jesus went about His ministry on earth in complete obedience to His Father, judging righteously, and His obedience and righteous judgment will continue in the Millennial Kingdom. The poor and the meek will be protected.
His Kingdom
Things will be different during the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ:
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. Isaiah (11:4b-5)
There will be no more wars, no more injustice, no more corruption, as the Righteous King will be in charge! This is in agreement with what Jesus said in Revelation 2, where He declares that he will rule the nations with a rod of iron:
'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' (Rev 2:27 / Psalm 2:9)
Not only will human government change, the natural world will be changed:
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
This may seem to be against the natural order, but in reality the natural order of the world today is NOT how God created it. Our world was affected by the fall of man, but in the Millennial Kingdom the world will be put back to its proper order, as noted by Paul in Romans chapter 8:
For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. (Romans 8:19-21 NLT)
The Return of the Exiles
It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 11:11)
In 539 B.C. the Persian King Cyrus the Great issued a decree to allow the Jewish people to return to their land (Ezra 1:1) (if you're into history, check out the Cyrus Cylinder - which describes Cyrus victory over Babylon, and his decree that all captives would be allowed to return to their homeland.)
Now, this was the first time that the Lord set His hand to recover His people to their land. So when is the second time? Get ready ----- NOW!
Since the nation of Israel was reborn in 1948 (as predicted in Ezekiel 37 & 38), Jews have been returning to their homeland. It's called "Alyiah." On 5 July 1950, a law was passed that gives Jews the right of return; the right to live in Israel, and to gain citizenship. In 1970, the right of entry and settlement was extended to all people of Jewish ancestry, and their spouses. This is why that Israeli PM Netanyahu went to France after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, and told French Jews they could "come home." In other words, we are seeing a prophecy from Isaiah fulfilled right before our eyes. We're truly living in exciting times!
But wait, didn't I say that you're in a bible prophecy? You are...
"And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious." (Isaiah 11:10)
Gentiles are everyone who isn't Jewish. This is a prophetic word that declares that the gentile world will seek after the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Friends, this is happening NOW!
You are part of a great Gentile awakening to the gospel that started just after the church was persecuted and scattered from Jerusalem, (Acts 8), and continues to this day. Our work as a church is impacting out city, and the far corners of the world, for the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Saints, we are part of a great heritage and history - Bringing the Kingdom of God to this world in anticipation of the return of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Pastor Clay | | | | | | | |
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