Isaiah 11

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Isaiah Chapter 11

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Isaiah

Date Penned: (700-681 BC)

Overview: To Tell of God's Salvation through the Messiah (c 1-66)

Theme: Words of Judgment (c 1-39)

Message: A New Branch from Jesse (v 1-16)

Isaiah 11 Commentary

(11:1) The Messiah - Assyria would be like a tree cut down at the height of its greatness (10:33-34), never to rise again. Judah (the royal line of David would be like a tree chopped down to a humble stump. But from that stump, a new branch would grow--the Messiah. He would be greater than the original tree and would bear much fruit. The Messiah is the fulfillment of God's promise that a descendant of David would rule forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

(11:3-5) Quick to Judge - We long for fair treatment from others, but do we give it? We hate those who base their judgments on appearance, false evidence, or hearsay, but are we quick to judge others using those same standards? Only Jesus Christ can be the perfectly fair judge who always rules with righteousness and justice. Only as he governs our hearts can we learn to be as fair in our treatment of others as we expect others to be toward us.

(11:4-5) A Need for Revival - Judah had become corrupt and was surrounded by hostile foreign powers. The nation desperately needed a revival of righteousness, justice, and faithfulness. They needed to turn from selfishness and give justice to those who were poor and oppressed. The righteousness that God values means more than refraining from sin. It requires actively offering exploited people the help they need.

(11:6-10) A Golden Age - A golden age is yet to come, a time of peace when children can play safely with formerly dangerous animals. Not all of this was fulfilled at Christ's first coming. For example, nature has not returned to its intended balance and harmony (see Romans 8:19-22). It seems incredible to think of hostile animals living at peace, and even more incredible for hostile people to live at peace with one another. Such perfect tranquility will be possible only when Christ returns to reign over the earth.

(11:11) A Regathering of God's People - When will this remnant of God's people be returned to their land? Old Testament prophecy is often applied both to the near future of the prophet and the distant future. Judah would soon be exiled to Babylonia, and a remnant would return to Jerusalem in 538 BC at Cyrus's decree. In the ages to come, however, God's people would be dispersed throughout the world. These locations represent the four corners of the known world--Hamath in the north, Egypt in the south, Elam and Shinar in the east, and Pathros in the west. Ultimately God's people will be regathered from all over the world when Christ comes to reign over the earth.

(11:14) The Defeat of Judah - Edom, Moab, and Ammon were three countries bordering Judah (along with Philistia). They were the nations who, when Judah was defeated, rejoiced and took their land.

(11:15-16) A Second Exodus - Isaiah is talking about a new or second exodus when God will bring his scattered people back to Judah and the Messiah will come to rule the world. The Lord dried up the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk through it on their way to the Promised Land (Exodus 14). He dried up the Jordan River so the nation could cross into the land (Joshua 3). And he will again provide the way of return for his people.

Dave Burnette's Life Application
God Will Make a Way

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Isaiah with Chapter 11. In our text today, we see more prophesy as Judah was cut down to a stump, but from that stump, a new branch would grow: the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In applying, we see God makes a way where there seems to be no way. God is in control, and if it is His Will, He can (and will) make a way. How about you? Are you facing challenging circumstances? Let us learn from our text today as we see our Lord fulfill prophecy, making a way for His Will to be done, and knowing this, we understand that God can, and will, make way for His Will to be done on Earth just as it is in Heaven.

Isaiah 11

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Isaiah 11

¹And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

²And 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;

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.

⁶The 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' 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.

¹⁰And 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.

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.

¹³The 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.

¹⁴But 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.

¹⁵And 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 men go over dryshod.

¹⁶And 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.

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