Isaiah 11

CHAPTER 11THEME: The Person and power of the King; the purpose and program of the KingdomChapter 11 is a continuation of the prophecy begun in chapter 7 which will conclude with chapter 12. There is progress and development through this section of prophecies which were all given during the reign of Ahaz. In the preceding chapters we have seen a time of judgment, a time that the Lord Jesus called the Great Tribulation period. Chapter 11 is one of the great messianic prophecies of Scripture. It speaks of the coming of Christ to establish His Kingdom and the type of program He will have. In chapter 12 we will have the culmination of this section where we will see the worship of the Lord in the Kingdom.

Isaiah 11:1

THE PERSON AND POWER OF THE KINGIt is interesting that it says “a rod out of the stem of Jesse.” David is not mentioned; the one who is mentioned is David’s father. Of course that means He is in the line of David, but why does Isaiah go back to Jesse? Well, the royal line did begin with David. Jesse was a farmer, a sheepherder who lived in a little out-of-the-way place called Bethlehem. But by the time of Jesus, the line of David had sunk back to the level of a peasant. It no longer belonged to a prince raised in a palace, but it belonged to One raised in a carpenter shop. Isaiah, therefore, very carefully says that the rod comes “out of the stem of Jesse.” Branch means “a live sprout.” This is the second time we have had a reference to the “Branch.” The first time it was mentioned was in Isa_4:2. There are eighteen words in the Hebrew language translated by our English word branch. This is one of the titles given to the Lord Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 53 He is “a root out of a dry ground.” Delitzsch, the great Hebrew scholar, wrote, “In the historical fulfillment even the ring of the words of the prophecy is noted: the nehtzer (Branch) at first so humble, was a poor Nazarene” (see Mat_2:23). Christ had a humble beginning, born yonder in Bethlehem, a city of David, but a city of Jesse also.

Isaiah 11:2

This is the sevenfold spirit which rested upon the Lord Jesus Christ. The plentitude of power is the sevenfold spirit: (1) of the LORD; (2) of wisdom; (3) of understanding; (4) of counsel; (5) of might; (6) of knowledge; and (7) of the fear of the LORD. The number seven in Scripture does not necessarily mean perfection. The primary thought is fullness, completeness. Joh_3:34 tells us, “…for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” In Eph_5:18 we are admonished, “…be filled with the Spirit.” Some of us just have a few drops at the bottom, others are one fourth filled, and some are half filled. Very few Christians you meet are really filled with the Spirit.

A little girl once prayed, “Lord, fill me with the Spirit. I can’t hold very much, but I can run over a whole lot.” Very few Christians are just brimming full, running over on all sides. The Lord Jesus was the exception to that.

1. “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him.” The Lord Jesus Christ in His humanity went forth in the power of the Spirit. When He comes again, He is going to rule in the power of the Spirit.
2. “The spirit of wisdom.” He has been made unto us wisdom (1Co_1:30). He is the only One who can lead and guide you and me through this life. We are no match for the world today. The Lord Jesus Christ could say “…for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (Joh_14:30). Satan cannot find anything in Christ, but he can always find something in us. We need the Spirit of wisdom, and the Lord Jesus Christ is that Spirit of wisdom.
3. “And understanding,” which means spiritual discernment. It is distressing to find that so few Christians have any discernment at all. I am amazed the way some people will follow a certain man purely on a human basis. They like his looks or the sound of his voice, and they never really comprehend what he is saying or if what he is saying is true to the Word of God. Christians need the Spirit of understanding. That is one thing for which I have always prayed, and I seem to need it more today than ever before. We need to be aware of who is for the Lord and who isn’t. Not long ago, while driving a car in another city, I was listening to the radio. A man who was preaching blessed my heart, but he went on to say that if he did not get support he would no longer be able to broadcast. I said to myself, “You would think the people in this city would have enough spiritual discernment to support him.” He is so much better than many who are being supported. I spoke to a pastor in that city about the man whom I had heard on the radio. He told me that he was a wonderful man, very humble, and a great Bible teacher, but he simply was not getting the support he needed. The Christians in that city need the spirit of understanding. My friend, have you ever prayed for the spirit of understanding? Ask God to give you the understanding that you lack.
4. “The spirit of counsel.” All of us need counsel. Did you ever notice that the Lord Jesus Christ never asked anyone for advice? He never asked for counsel; He gave it.
5. “Might"that is, power. Oh, how we need power. Paul says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection …” (Php_3:10, italics mine). We need that today. 6-7. “The spirit of knowledge” and “of the fear of the LORD.” I think these come through a study of the Word of God.

Isaiah 11:3

THE PURPOSE OF THE KINGDOM"The wicked” should be “the wicked one.” Satan will have his heyday on earth during the Great Tribulation. There will be no deliverance for the world at that time, humanly speaking. Even Israel will cry out, but help will not come from the north, the south, the east, or the west. Help will come from above. At that time the Messiah will come and establish His Kingdom. The reason for the Lord Jesus coming to earth is quite evident: this earth needs a ruler.

The world has not voted for Him, and it would not vote for Him, but God has voted for Him. And since this is God’s universe, God will establish Him on earth and He is going to judgenot after the sight of His eyes. There won’t be a lengthy court case where, in the end, the criminal is turned loose. The whole thing is rather terrifying: there will be two judgments, one for believers and one for unbelievers. At the beginning of the Tribulation believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Then 1,007 years later there will be the Great White Throne judgment for the lost. One day I am going to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything that is phony in my life will be brought out in the open, and so I have been trying to get rid of that which is phony. I want things to be crystal clear, because someday the Lord is going to turn a light on my life and everything will be exposed. What a light that is going to be. It is rather terrifying.

Isaiah 11:5

The thing that will gird the Lord’s reign will be righteousness and faithfulness. The purpose of the reign of Christ on this earth is to bring in a reign of righteousness and justice as well as to restore the dominion lost by Adam.

Isaiah 11:6

THE PARTICULARS OF THE KINGDOMDuring the time when the Lord reigns on earth the calf and the young lion will lie down together. The only way they can lie down together today is if the calf is inside the lion! “The lion shall eat straw like the ox.” That seems ridiculous to us. Anybody knows that a lion does not eat straw. But a Bible teacher, who has a very sharp mind, once said, “I will tell you what I’ll do. If you can make a lion, I will make him eat straw.” The One who made the lion will be able to make him eat straw when the time comes.

Isaiah 11:9

This Kingdom shall extend over the entire earth.

Isaiah 11:10

THE PROGRAM OF THE KINGDOMThe key to this verse is the phrase “in that day.” “That day” begins with the Tribulation and extends on into the Kingdom. The Gentiles shall have a part in the millennial Kingdom.

Isaiah 11:11

God shall restore the nation Israel to the land. They were established the first time in the land when Moses led them out of Egypt, and Joshua brought them into the land.

Isaiah 11:12

What is the “ensign”? That ensign is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not be some banner that will be lifted up, but He will be the rallying center for the meek of the earth in that day. That will be the day when the meek will inherit the earth. That is God’s plan. That is His program, and He will bring it to pass.

Isaiah 11:16

A great super highway will extend from Assyria to Egypt over the great land bridge of Palestine. Apparently the nations of the world shall come over this to Jerusalem to worship (see Zec_14:16-18).