By Eugene Garner

ISAIAH - CHAPTER 11

THE REIGN OF "THE BRANCH" OVER A RE-UNITED
THEOCRACY

    Isaiah, the Gospel prophet, portrays the Lord Jesus Christ - Messiah of Israel, and Savior of all who will trust Him - in a most exquisite manner.

   And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 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 of the fear of the LORD; And 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: But 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. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

   1. Though the fall of Assyria was to be complete and final, the fall of David's house is only temporary.
      a. A shoot will come forth from the stump of Jesse, (vs. 1, 10; 9:7; Acts 13:23), and a fruit-bearing branch from its roots, (4:2; 53:2; Jer. 23:5).
      b. This figurative language, of course, refers to the coming of a notable person, whom the scriptures ultimately reveal to be the person of the very Son of God, (Matt. 3:16; Jn. 1:32-34).
    2. In this One, who is elsewhere called "the Branch" (Zech. 3:8), is manifested the completeness and perfection of the Spirit in its seven-fold characterization, (vs. 1-2; comp. Rev. 3:1).
    3. The "spirit of the Lord" (42:1; 59:21; 61:1; Lk. 4:18-21) is also the spirit of: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear (reverence) of the Lord.
    4. It will be the delight of this "son of Jesse" to reverence the Lord, (vs. 3a; Psa. 40:7-8).
    5. Born to reign as King over God's people, He will not judge by physical sense, (vs. 3b; Jn. 2:25; 7:24).
    6. In striking contrast to the iniquitous rulers over His ancient people, He will deal righteously with the poor (vs. 4a; 9:7; 16:5; 32:1; 3:14; Psa. 72:2, 14), and will restore the downtrodden with fairness, (vs. 4b; 29:19; 61:1).
    7. By "the rod of His mouth" (49:2; Psa. 2:9; Mal. 4:6) and "the breath of His lips" (30:28, 33; Job 4:9; 2 Thess. 2:8) will wickedness be subdued - that the fulness of peace may be experienced by His beloved people.
    8. Girded with righteousness and faithfulness (Eph. 6:14; Isa. 25:1), He will exercise His sovereign authority as King of the whole earth, (Jer. 23:5; Dan. 7:14; Lk. 1-32-33; etc.).

   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. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice'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. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

    1. The consequence of Messiah's reign will be universal peace, as illustrated in the realm of nature, (vs. 6-8).
      a. The most ferocious of beasts will not only cease to prey on domesticated animals; their very nature (and habits) will be changed from carnivorous (flesh-eating) to herbivorous (plant-eating) creatures, (vs. 6-7).
      b. Once-poisonous reptiles will no longer be a danger - even to a weaned child, (vs. 8).
      c. In fact, there will be nothing, in that day, to hurt or destroy in all the vast regions of our Lord's kingdom!
    2. In that day Jesse's "root" will stand as an ensign for all people, and all nations will bow before Him, (vs. 10; Rom. 15:8-12).
    3. Then will "the place of His rest" (14:3; 28:12; 32:17-18; Hag. 2:9) - His throne - be glorious indeed!

   And 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. And 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. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make man go over dry shod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

    1. Here the prophet reveals a (still) future, ultimate deliverance of "the remnant" from the ends of the earth, (vs. 11-12).
    2. It is evident from the context that this cannot refer to a deliverance from Egypt, or from Babylon, but from a far more extensive dispersion.
    3. Messiah Himself is the "ensign", "banner" or "flagstaff" around which, first, those whom He has called out from among the Gentiles (Acts 15:14; Rom. 11:25-26), and then the "outcasts of Israel" and "dispersed of Judah" may rally, (comp, Jer. 30:4-11; Zeph. 3:8-20; Jer. 3:14-18;Ezek. 11:16-20).
    4. Reunited, under His strong and benevolent hand, the reconstituted covenant-nation will quickly subdue: the Philistines, Edom, Moab and the children of Ammon who were their ancient enemies and tormentors, (vs. 14-15).
    5. This coming deliverance is likened unto the miraculous deliverance from Egypt - though this one will involve God's bringing them from "the ends of the earth."
    6. The specific mention of Assyria is significant in that Assyrian invasions are the underlying historical setting for chapters 7 through 12.
    7. "Remnant" and "highway" (vs. 11, 16) are leading motifs throughout this prophecy - positive evidence of a single authorship for the whole.