January 17, 2011
HOW DOES HE SPEAK TO YOU?
Isaiah 11
Lejon Boudreaux
Central Truth
Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah, made 700 years before the birth of Christ, is clear in this passage. He knew what it would mean for Judah and the rest of the world.
Key Verse | Isaiah 11:1–2
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
(Isaiah 11:1-2)
Isaiah 11
The Righteous Reign of the Branch
1
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, 1 11:11 Probably Nubia 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
2
11:15
Hebrew devote to destruction
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the River
3
11:15
That is, the Euphrates
with his scorching breath,
4
11:15
Or wind
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.
Dive Deeper | Isaiah 11
I am always amazed by Old Testament prophecy. For example, Isaiah is writing in 739-686 B.C. about the coming of Christ from the lineage of King David.
Isaiah's foresight and absolute knowledge of God makes me wonder about how the Lord communicated with him and all the other old school prophets. Was it in dreams? Was it through constant prayer and meditation on God's Word? Was it spoken through other people? Was it delivered in a way we are unable even to imagine today?
I often wish I had the gift of clear discernment and communication with the Lord like the prophets. That would most likely make my path absolutely clear, and I would not doubt the direction that He has me going at times. I am often very impatient (more often than I would like to admit) and want to know where the Lord is taking me, when, how I will get there, and with whom.
It is during these times that I have to slow down and remember that growth is a process. That process doesn't happen overnight, but slowly over a lifetime. I remember one of my favorite verses, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
What great verses! I am able to recite them to myself and friends, but truly living them is a challenge. Thanks be to God for His mercy and grace, for sending Christ as the ultimate sacrifice, for giving us the Holy Spirit, and for choosing us into His kingdom when we were spiritually dead in our sins. I've been a believer in Christ for three awesome years. Each year gets deeper, and my assurance is that He continues to grow us until we get to go home and speak with Him directly!
Discussion Questions
1. How do you hear God speak to you?
2. How can you make more alone time to communicate with Him?
3. What is the Lord teaching you this week?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
ISAIAH 11-15 (JAN 17-21)
It’s winter outside. What does your yard look like? Most things are brown and dead. But what happens in the spring when the sun and rain come? The grass that was once brown and crunchy grows soft, lush, green blades. In our reading today, let’s see what Isaiah says about “a shoot” and “a new branch.”
Read Isaiah 11:1-5.
Who is Isaiah talking about in this passage? How do you know?
Read the passage again. How does it make you feel? Why?
What is your favorite characteristic of the One that this portion of Scripture describes?
Compare this description to yourself. What’s different? What’s the same? How can you be more like Jesus in how you live?
Activity: Go outside and gather some dead blades of grass or a stick. Put your items in an envelope. On the outside of the envelope write Isaiah 11:1.
Keep this reminder in your home of the hope you have in Jesus! Keep it through the winter until Easter when the season changes to unveil green leaves, flowers, and fruit! Celebrate the hope we have because Jesus has given us new life in Him!