The Book of Isaiah is filled with tenses which are spoken with certainty of the fulfillment of finding hope in the midst of darkness, because Isaiah’s faith was not in himself or man but in the one who would fulfill the promises. This prophecy was written to those who were in Zebulun and Naphtali (modern day Galilee) who were walking in self-imposed darkness. God promised to bring light, hope, joy and life to the people.
In Isaiah chapter 11, he goes into greater detail about the person who is their hope.
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord
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.
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 cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious (Isaiah 11:1-10).
Isaiah speaks about the Character of:
• the King
• His reign
• the Kingdom
1. The Character of the King
When you think of a king, usually royalty, power, pride, riches and servants come to mind. The OT prophets - Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah - all prophesied that the Savior, the Messiah, would come from the stump of Jesse; the family of David.
The northern kingdom was on the verge of being cut down like a forest, humbled by God. The Jewish nation was looking to the southern tribe of Judah, where a noble and powerful King, who would save Israel and bring justice and righteousness, would reign. But in 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem and reduced the city into dust and rubble, and just a small remnant of the people was left.
It appeared that God’s promise of a King and a kingdom had come to nothing. But 70 years after the Jews were exiled, something totally unexpected happened.
A remnant from Judah, from the family line of David would survive and return to Jerusalem.
It was out of this family from which the Messiah, the future king, would come.
But when he would come, it would not be like the former days of a king, full of glory and pomp, but from humble means.
Isaiah 53:1-4 says about the Messiah:
Who has believed [confidently trusted in, relied on, and adhered to] our message [of salvation]? And to whom [if not us] has the arm and infinite power of the Lord been revealed? For He [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender shoot (plant), and like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majestic splendor that we would look at Him, nor [handsome] appearance that we would be attracted to Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; and like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him (Isaiah 53:1-4).
The Jewish people were looking for a powerful king not a man of suffering and sorrows.
But God promised that a Savior would come into the world and bring salvation and eternal life to individuals.
He will be the eternal God who will leave the glories of heaven and take on humanity (Emmanuel), be born of a virgin, in a peasant family.
Because this prophecy had taken so long to be fulfilled, it seemed as if God had forgotten about His promise. Finally, 700 hundred years after Isaiah had spoken this prophecy, it would be perfectly fulfilled through the coming of Christ.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness (2 Peter 3:9).
God fulfills promises his way and at the perfect time and in the fullness of time. He does not follow our agendas or schedules.
The King will have:
• The Spirit of wisdom and understanding
- perfectly wise in everything he does
- the power to discern through people’s words and actions and knowing their hearts
• The Spirit of counsel and strength
- ability to give good counsel and rule well with might
• The Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord
- full knowledge and finding His joy in doing the will of His Father
- living before God with a sense of reverence and awe
2. The Character of His reign
As King he will reign on the earth:
• With perfect righteousness and justice
- the reign will reflect the integrity of the King
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
• Defending the poor, weak, and outcast
With righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth (Isaiah 11:4).
• With absolute power and authority
Jesus will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, expresses the moral force possessed by a leader who owes allegiance to no earthly pressure groups. He can say what needs to be said in a given circumstance and the force of the truth is undeniable (Mark 12:34). The Word itself becomes His weapon (Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16b; 19:15). He will carry out God’s function of judging the earth, and only the wicked will have cause to fear that judgment.
3. The Character of His Kingdom
• Filled with God’s knowledge and presence
In that day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God. It will be permeated with the presence of God and everyone will know the Lord.
And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already (Hebrews 8:11).
• Eternal and invincible
He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal - it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:14).
• A place of safety and security
As a result of the Messiah ruling with perfect righteousness and justice the inhabitants of the world will live in safety and security.
“Fears associated with insecurity, danger, and evil will be removed ”
When the plan of redemption is complete from the time of the fall of Adam & Eve till Jesus comes to reign on the earth, we will see Isaiah 11:6-11 fulfilled - there will be perfect justice and judgment on sin, the most helpless and innocent will be at ease with those who were formerly the most dangerous and violent, and it will be forever and ever.
Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true (Joshua 21:45).
Just like it was for the children of Israel when you are in your darkest moments, when all natural hope, strength and wisdom is gone, that is when God fulfills His promises.
It seems that things always get worse before they get better, yet because of all of the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen”, since God has never broken his promise in the past, we can choose to put our trust in the God of the promise this day and for the future!
