Finally (Isaiah 11:1-5)

For those who love Jesus, Isaiah 11 is a hidden treasure. Here we see Jesus and his attributes on display 700 years before His first coming.

To make the most from this passage, remember that Isaiah served as prophet under one of the most wicked kings of Judah: Ahaz (736-727 BC). Against Isaiah’s warnings, Ahaz practiced child sacrifice, brought foreign gods into the Temple, and sought security from Assyria rather than God. He was a truly wicked king

As Isaiah lived through this wicked king, God wanted him to hope in the future King, Jesus.

Chapter 11 announces the hope of His coming: “A shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse” (11:1). This means the Messiah will be a descendant of Jesse, father of King David. He will be a legitimate king of Israel through the line of David (2 Samuel 7).

Then Isaiah describes three attributes that will make Him greater than all other kings.

First, verse 2 predicts this future King will have a complete spiritual anointing: “The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding…the spirit of counsel and might…and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh” (11:2). It’s likely that Yahweh’s Spirit is mentioned first because this first anointing is the source of the other six. In other words, He will be a Spirit-led King in all He thinks, says, and does.

Second, He’ll bring justice based on God’s will, not merely by what he sees or hears (11:3-4). The judges of Isaiah’s time did “not execute justice for the orphan, nor does the widow’s plea come before them” (Isaiah 1:23). But this future King will judge the poor and afflicted with uprightness (11:4). As He judges, “He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will put the wicked to death” (11:4). The Spirit will give Him the discernment and power to execute God’s will on earth.

Finally, we see two attributes of the Messiah’s character. They are named in verse 5: righteousness and faithfulness. Righteousness describes His inner desire comply with God’s will in all He does in His kingdom. Faithfulness describes His steadfastness and reliability as a king. This future King will be faithful to do God’s will all the time, utterly unlike faithless Ahaz.

Along with all the severe criticisms of Israel, God wanted Isaiah to show Israel the joy of the coming era of the future King. This explanation of the character of the Messiah and the nature of His future judgment would set the worries of the faithful at ease. They would be know a discerning, mighty, and Spirit-led man would one day take the throne of David and make Israel the place it was always intended to be.

I think there’s something to learn from that in our times as well. As Christians, we understand that the world is full of sin today. But we should be careful how deeply we think about such things. If you find that your prevailing emotional state is based purely on concern about the world’s wickedness, you might be drowning out the joy of your future hope. I encourage you to practice thinking often about Jesus’ coming to set the world right. It will bring you the joy God wants you to display to the world.

Pastor David

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