A SHOOT FROM JESSE Isaiah 11:1-16 The book of Isaiah 11:1-16 is one of the Messianic texts that uses coded language to predict the coming the Messiah. It is a chapter to offer hope to hopeless people, to project a God who brings something GREAT out of an unexpected source. It reveals a God who is on time, whose intervention comes just when it is needed most. More so, it unveils God’s plan of restoration to His people. The subject matter in Isaiah 11:1-16 revolves around the “The Shoot from the Stump of Jesse.” Who is this shoot? From where would this shoot spring up? At what point in time would this shoot spring up. Isaiah chapter 11 can be divided thus: (a) The shoot from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1-5); (b) The peace and blessing of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:6-10); (c) The gathering of scattered Israel (Isaiah 11:11-16) A SHOOT FROM JESSE (Isaiah 11:1-5) Read Isaiah 11:1-5: There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2The 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. 3His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. (NKJV) First, Isaiah predicts that “A Rod shall come forth from the Stem of Jesse.” Some Bible versions use the word “Shoot coming out from the stump of Jesse.” For instance, New Living Translation reads: “Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot- yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.” (NLT) But who is this Rod/Shoot/Branch? Isaiah 11:10: On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. In Romans 15:12 Paul specifically alluded to (Isaiah 11:10), and acknowledged Jesus Christ as the root of Jesse in whom the Gentiles put their hope: Paul said, “And again, Isaiah says: ‘There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.” (NKJV) Prophet Jeremiah says, “Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, ‘That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” (Jeremiah 23:5). In Jeremiah 33:15, he says, 'In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. (NKJV) And in the book of Revelation 22:16, Jesus calls Himself, “The Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Therefore, Jesus is the Rod/shoot from the stump/Stem of Jesse. FROM WHERE WOULD THIS SHOOT SPRING UP? Internal evidence affirms that this shoot will sprout from stump of Jesse. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a stump as, “The part of a tree that remains in the ground after the tree is cut down or a small part of something that remains when the rest of it has been removed or broken off.” Isaiah uses the imagery of a tree that was cut down leaving its stem/stump to portray Judah. And surprisingly, there comes a shoot from the seemingly dead stump. This brings to mind Daniel 4:10-26 where Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom was likened to a tree cut down by divine judgment, leaving out the stump of the tree. Isaiah 6:13: And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land. With a figment of your imagination, just picture a shoot sprouting from a seemingly dead stump. In other words, this shoot will come from an unbelievable source, from a source that nobody least expected. It will grow as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground (Isaiah 53:2) "And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, Art in nowise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Which shall be shepherd of My people Israel." In context, this shoot would come from the stump of Jesse. Jesse, of course, was the father of King David (1 Sam. 16:1–13) He was a common peasant farmer in Israel. History has it that before the Coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the royal authority of the house of David had lain dormant for 600 years. When Jesus came forth, it was like a new green Branch coming from an apparently dead stump. “We see a bare, withered tree stump, robbed of its trunk and top, and it looks as though the stump will never bear any fruit any more. But, a small shoot sprouts from the root of this dry stump which is the Davidic dynasty. Because of its unsightliness and misery, it is not named after David but after his father. When Christ was born, there was nothing royal about that dynasty. But a new shoot sprang from this old stem.” (Bultema) Lesson: God restores hope from an unexpected source. In Isaiah 11—He raises a shoot from a seemingly dead stump. Trust Him and He would raise hope for you from an unexpected source. AT WHAT POINT IN TIME WOULD THIS SHOOT SPRING UP? One unique element of Isaiah’s prediction in Isaiah 11:1-5 was the time it was made. God will ever be God at all times, He will ever be on time. Internal evidence suggests that due to sin, the anger of the Lord was poured out and His pronouncement made against Judah (Isaiah 9:8-21); from 10:5, 6—God raised the Assyrians as the rod of His anger against Judah, to trample them down. And so, because of disobedience, the nation was to be humbled and taken captive. And thus, it was at this time of hopelessness, and tension that God made the promise to cause a shoot to spring up from the stump of Jesse. So, it is when Israel had been cut down, remaining only the stump as it were that there would spring forth from the seemingly lifeless stump a shoot that will grow and become a branch, and flourish. When it appeared that all that was left of the seed of Jesse was a stump or root, God promised to bring forth a new shoot that would bring life and vitality to God's plans. (Adult Sabbath School Lessons: Incarnation of Grace, Oct-Dec. 1995) pg. 20 Isaiah 4:2: In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped. This message of hope came just when the people needed it most. And the lesson is: “God is always on time.” This concept is captured in the Bible by this expression, “At the fullness of time.” (Galatian 4:4) THE DISTINCTIVE QUALITIES OF THE MESSIAH Isaiah 11:2-5: 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. 3His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. (NKJV) In Isaiah 11:2-5, he creates a beautiful picture of the character, nature and the Mission of the Messiah. 2The 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. This was fulfilled in the life of Jesus. In Luke 4:18, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61, and said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.” In Matthew 3:16, after the baptizing of Jesus, the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove. In Acts 10:38: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We witness Jesus' wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge as He interacted with people. Luke 2:52 attests that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. 3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears. Jesus often pointed to His dependence upon His father, His "fear of the Lord." In John 4:34: Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (NKJV) And unlike other religious leaders of His day, He did not base His judgment of people upon outward appearances but upon their hearts and motives. Human beings are likely to judge according to appearances. 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. The judges were corrupt, taking advantage of the poor and the unfortunate, and the rich were grinding down widows and orphans (Isa. 1:23; 10:1, 2; Jer. 5:28; Amos 2:6; 4:1; 5:10, 11; 8:4-6; Zech. 7:10)" But with righteousness as His standard, the Messiah would fairly judge all, bringing life and salvation to those who accept His righteousness and predicting judgment and death for those who trust in their own righteousness. The spirit of the promised Messiah was in striking contrast with the spirit of the times. Justice, equity, mercy, and a sympathetic consideration for the needs of the poor and downtrodden are the principles constantly set forth as characterizing the ideal king."--SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 158. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. The Messiah is pictured as clothed in righteousness, in other words, Jesus shall be the embodiment of righteousness. In contrast, the Antichrist will work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness (2 Thess. 2:10) THE PEACE AND BLESSING OF THE MESSIAH Isaiah 11:6-10 From verses 6-10, Isaiah describes the peace, and restoration that the Messiah will bring. He says, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's 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. 10"And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious."(NKJV) Lesson: There will be a perfect restoration of relationship in the animal kingdom. There will be no more carnivorous animals, bloodshed, cruelty and fear will be no more. The relationship between man and animal will be restored just like in Eden—a nursing child shall play with wild animals. There won’t be evil anymore because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of God. All these shall come to be because Jesus, the Root of Jesse shall stand as a banner to the people. The authors of The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary also apply the prophecy of Isaiah 11:6-9 to the new earth state (see vol. 4, p. 159). The Spirit of prophecy opines that "This vision describes events to take place at the close of the one thousand years after Christ's second advent. (Revelation 20; 21; 22) Lord! Let your kingdom come! THE GATHERING OF SCATTERED ISRAEL ISAIAH 11:11-16 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 who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. 12 He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth. 13Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, And Judah shall not harass Ephraim. 14But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; Together they shall plunder the people of the East; They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; And the people of Ammon shall obey them. 15 The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, and strike it in the seven streams, And make men cross over dryshod. 16There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt. (NKJV) Lesson: God shall gather the remnant of His scattered people. SUMMARY: In Isaiah 11, we see God at work, restoring his people. He caused a shoot to spring up from the seemingly stump of Jesse—from a royal line which had lain dead for 600 years) This timely intervention came when the people needed it most, at a time when they were pictured as a tree that had been cut down. God will ever be on time! Amen More so, the restoration of Judah is in connection with the coming of the Messiah. Without Jesus—there is no recovery/restoration. God will restore the lost paradise, relationships (animal to animal, man and animal). Just like in the first advent of the Messiah, God will restore all things when Jesus shall come a second time (Revelation 21:5) COMMITMENT: Jesus, the Shoot of Jesse, I accept you into my life. Restore my hope of salvation in you in Christ Jesus! Amen.
