Isaiah 11:1-5
And there shall come forth a rod (shoot) out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his
roots: 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest (settle down, remain) 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; 3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge
after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall
he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth:
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And
righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Branch--used 4 times in Hebrew, always figuratively. Netzer--Nazarene? Israel is laid waste, a stump
of what it was, but a shoot will grow, the Messiah, who will restore Israel and establish a kingdom--
He’s the tree, we have these things now.
Spirit rests on Him--John 1:33--the baptism of Christ, the Spirit descends and stays on Him
Spirit brings attributes--wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the
Lord.
He judges righteous judgment--John 7:24-- “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge
righteous judgment.” He sets things right, especially for the outcast and despised.
Righteousness and faithfulness are what bind His rule
Isaiah 11:6-9--don’t have this yet, one of the presents under the tree waiting
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and
the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7And the cow and the bear
shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8And the
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice' (viper) den. 9They 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.
When Christ comes to reign in His kingdom animals (contrast pairs of wild with tame) will be at
peace, demonstrating a return to paradise, Eden, sin and its effects are removed. Kids, who have
notoriously suffered most in this world, will be safe from all harm. Everyone will have full
knowledge of the Lord
Isaiah 11:10-12--another present under the tree, we even got a peek at this one!
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign (sign showing people
where to gather) of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 11And 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, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and
from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather
together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
In that Day--future, and only for that Day. The Root of Jesse will be a banner calling all people to
Him. People from all four directions will come.
He will regather the dispersed of Israel taken into captivities.
His rest will be glorious--his place of rest will be filled with splendor and riches.
The thought of this leads to praise
Paul quotes Isaiah 11:10
Romans 15:12--keep place in Isaiah
And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the
Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
Isaiah 12:1-3
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine
anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not
be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Paul brings up the same notion and follows it with similar feelings
Romans 15:13,14
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Ghost. 14And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that
ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
Comfort and peace
Strength and power
Joy and joy--all these are here now because of the realities and the anticipation
If God can dictate world history and make these things happen, that Christ was rejected by Israel and
received by Gentiles, this should fill us with hope in all that He says. Along with this power of the
Holy Spirit comes knowledge, the same thing that was promised to the Branch, with this knowledge
we can judge righteous judgment and help each other reach the realization of our hope.