The Righteous Reign of the Branch
11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And 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 the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or 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 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim. 14 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. 15 And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and he will lead people across in sandals. 16 And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt Meditation How much time do you spend listening to people as you try to prepare for the future? Do you listen to experts in politics, sports, news, the economy, weather, or social trends? Do the words of experts form you? Today’s chapter is a prophetic word that should grab your attention and form your present more than any expert. “There shall come…” is a chapter introduction captivating our attention. The context has been dark, the difficult intervention of the Lord through discipline and judgment. Hope dawns through the prophetic forecast- glory is coming! The stump of Jesse will blossom a branch fertilized by the Spirit of God to bear the fruit of wisdom, counsel, and knowledge. (1-2) The Branch will bring righteous judgment to the poor, bless the meek, and destroy enemies of God. (3-4) The Branch will wear righteousness and faithfulness (6) and His rule will bring peace seen even in the animal kingdom (6-8). The prophet predicts the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (9) and to reinforce the prediction Isaiah repeats an anticipatory phrase, “In that day…” (10-11) Resting places will be recovered and the remnant of God’s people will return. When the weather forecaster predicts rain you take an umbrella or raincoat. When the prophet makes this prediction will you have hope? Jesus has already fulfilled a portion of the prophetic promise. Jesus is the Branch with the Spirit of the Lord resting upon Him. And He will come again, establishing His righteous rule over all the earth and removing His enemies forever. Dwelling Richly -Do you listen more to experts in politics, sports, news, the economy, weather, or social trends more than you listen to the proclamation of the prophet? Why? -How does knowing the righteous rule of the Lord will cover the earth, removing the enemies of God, shape your steps today? Do you walk in victory or defeat as a believer? -Jesus has fulfilled some of the promises of the prophet and in Him all the promises of God are “yes!” (2 Corinthians 1:20) How can the faithfulness of God through Jesus Christ form your discernment of the future? Does it help with anxiety and fear of the unknown? He will return and make all things new! Key Verse 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Comments are closed.
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AuthorPastor Mitchell celebrates twenty-five years of marriage with Lisa & together they have four adventurous children. |