Major Prophets Isaiah

Reign Of Davidic King; Israel Regathered

Discover Jesus as: Immanuel Isaiah 11-13 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 579 of 730
Downloads

Lesson

Watch on YouTube

Audio Only

Teaching Notes

INTRO

Isaiah was a prophet who spoke during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Zedekiah. Isaiah received a vision from the Lord, who called him to speak to the people. Isaiah walked confidently in his calling as he delivered really hard words to his people, the Israelites. Isaiah told those who lived in Judah that because of their disobedience to God and sinful lifestyles, they would be taken into captivity. But Isaiah also gave them a message of hope. Through his prophetic words, he delivered a message about a future that would come to fruition. One of those signs was given in Isaiah 7:14. A virgin would conceive a son and name him Immanuel, which means “God with us.” We know this referred to Jesus. John 1:1–3 tells us “the Word”—Jesus—was “with God in the beginning.” He became flesh and dwelt among men (John 1:14). Isaiah 10 revealed God would use Assyria, an enemy nation, to come in and bring judgement. Even though God would use this enemy to judge Judah, His judgment would eventually fall on Assyria. But the faithful remnant would return to God and faithfully depend on Him (Isaiah 10:20–21).

TEACHING

Isaiah 11:1: MacArthur said, “With the captivity of 586 B.C., the Davidic dynasty appeared as decimated as the Assyrian army. The major difference between the two was the life remaining in the stump and roots of the Davidic line.”1 Even though God put them in captivity, He did not give up on them. God promised to pull life from the remnant. “Branch” is a title for the Messiah (Isaiah 4:2). From the survivors—the remnant—the Messiah would come forth. “The stump of Jesse” is a remarkable picture. Jesse was David’s father. The Messiah would come from Jesse, through his son David (Ruth 4:22 gives the genealogy). In 1 Samuel 16:1, God told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to select a king from his sons. Samuel anointed David as the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:12–13).

Isaiah 11:2: This anointing that comes to the Davidic line is a play on 1 Samuel 16:13, which says, “The Spirit of the Lord took control of David from that day forward.” Isaiah described the characteristics of the One who would function in the power of the Spirit: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding; the Spirit of counsel and strength; the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. Compare these characteristics with Isaiah’s description of the coming Messiah in Isaiah 61:1. Under the anointing of the Lord and the Spirit of God, the Messiah would bring good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners. Isaiah was talking to a people who were going to be in bondage. This was obviously the model Christ fulfilled. In Luke 4:18–21, Jesus said this verse described Him.

Isaiah 11:3–9: Though Isaiah doesn’t name Yeshua, his words clearly describe Jesus. Speaking of the eyes and ears (v. 3), MacArthur said, “These are ordinary avenues for a king to obtain information needed to govern; but, the future King will have supernatural perception beyond these usual sources.”2 Where the leaders had taken advantage of the poor and oppressed, Jesus would now redeem the situation (v. 4). Verse 5 provides an earlier picture of the armor of God. Righteousness and faithfulness are preparation for the end. Remember the three circles we’ve used to understand events described in Isaiah: his nation’s current situation, Jesus’ first coming, and Jesus’ return and the millennial period.

In verses 1–2, Isaiah talked about Jesus’ first coming, but he also said there would be a time of judgment (v. 4), which could refer to Jesus’ return. In verses 6–9, Isaiah described the millennium. In verse 9 Isaiah said, “The land will be as full of the knowledge of God as the sea is filled with water.” What a powerful image! Isaiah’s prophecy just went from a bad situation all the way to the end, when people will know about the Presence of God.

Isaiah 1:10–11, 16: When we talk about “the nations,” we’re talking about the Gentiles. Jesus is Jewish. His people will turn to Him, and so will the Gentiles. His home will be Jerusalem, and His resting place will be glorious. The first time, God gathered His people from Egypt through the Exodus and brought them to the Promised Land. Then they lost the Land. There will be a second time when God blesses them—the “remnant of His people who survive” (v. 11)—with this land. A remnant can be defined as “to remain” or “to be leftover.” MacArthur said this “refers to the few people who survive after a catastrophe . . . [and] mostly refers to the diminished Israelite population who survived the Exile.”3 The prophets used this word to describe the few who remained faithful to God (Amos 5:14–15). Isaiah described the Messiah as one day gathering the remnant from all the nations (Isaiah 10:20–22). This is common language—God wants to use the remnant. In verse 16, Isaiah described “a highway for the remnant of His people who will survive from Assyria” similar to the one used by those who came out of Egypt. God would clearly make a path for His remnant. All they had to do was stay obedient to what God asked them to do.

Through all of this, there is a thread. This thread is the remnant: Noah and his family (Genesis 7), Joseph and his family who survived the famine in Egypt (Genesis 45), Israel in the homeland (Deuteronomy 4), and the 7,000 who did not worship Baal (1 Kings 19). Micah 2:12–13 says God will “collect the remnant of Israel.” The King leads the way for the remnant.4

Isaiah 11:12: Could this verse describe the formation of Israel as a nation in 1948? This verse is an “already but not yet” picture. Compare it with Revelation 20:8, which has a similar mentality. Whether it speaks of a remnant or of all the people, Jesus is always preparing the way for His people.

Isaiah 11:13–15: Isaiah described the millennium. There’s going to a be a time when this remnant leads the restoration of Israel.

CLOSING

Hold on to your faith and let Jesus continue to prepare the way for the remnant of His people. God is making a way through your faithfulness and your willingness to follow Him. And maybe your serving as a remnant for the Lord will serve as a way for the restoration and revival of Israel.

  1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), p. 773.

  2. MacArthur, p. 773.

  3. MacArthur, p. 772.

  4. MacArthur, p. 772.

Questions

  1. Read Isaiah 11:10 in various translations (www.blueletterbible.org). How are Gentiles referred to in this verse (Isa 49:6; Acts 13:47; Rom 15:12) Note the response of the Gentiles in Acts 13:48. Do you feel this same gladness that you have been included in God’s plan of salvation?
  2. Isaiah 11:2 predicted, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him.” What did this fulfillment look like? (Isa 61:1; Matt 3:16; Luke 4:18; 1 Cor 1:30)
  3. he prophecy of Isaiah 11 ended with “and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” Read 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Has this prophecy been fulfilled yet?
  4. The prophet Isaiah wrote about the coming day of the Lord in Isaiah 13:9, which he described in the rest of the chapter. Was only writing about Babylon, or was this also about future events (*Matt 24:29; *Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25; Rev 6:12–13) *Note that in the first two references, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 13.
  5. John wrote about the fall of Babylon in Revelation 18:2. Do you see a connection in Isaiah 13:21? If so, do you think this prophecy is both fulfilled and yet to come?
  6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Isaiah 1113 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Isaiah 11:1–2

“Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”

Isaiah prophesied Jesus would come forth from the line of Jesse as part of the Davidic Covenant. The people thought the line of Jesse had ended, yet Isaiah foretold a “shoot would grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.” The shoot referred to Jesus, and He would be different from other descendants of David. Jesus would carry out His work on earth with the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord.

As a child of God, you have the mind of Christ and the Spirit of the Lord to carry out the work of the kingdom of God. You may feel as though your strength is gone. This is a lie from the enemy! You can do so much more than you think because the Lord’s power is great within you. Therefore, press on! Keep your eyes on Christ. Today, take your mind off yourself, and ask the Lord, “What do You want me to do for Your kingdom?” Trust the Lord for the Spirit of wisdom and understand- ing. Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus, remembering you have the Spirit of counsel and strength, as well as the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is upon you. Walk it out with confidence in Christ.

“Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”

— Isaiah 11:1–2

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • 1 Corinthians 2:16 — “For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
  • 1 Corinthians 12:6–8 — “And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person. A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit.”
  • Philippians 2:5 — “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.”