The Branch of Yishai (Jesse) ~ Part 1 ~ Yesha’yahu 11:1-9

In my last post, we concluded our exploration of Yesha’yahu 10 by learning about The Remnant of Isra’el in verses 20-34. In this post, we begin a new series on The Branch of Yishai (Jesse) ~ Part 1 in Yesha’yahu 11:1-9.

In chapter eleven Yeshua is portrayed as the Root and Branch of David, the logos to whom chosen sinners must be gathered, and that one by whom we have both the Spirit of God and the glorious rest of faith and salvation.

¹ But a branch will emerge from the trunk of Yishai; a shoot will grow from his roots.

Judgment in Yesha’yahu is often described as a cutting down of trees (see Yesha’yahu 6:13; 10:33-34). The trunk of Yishai indicates that the Davidic line has also been cut down, but the tree is yet living. The shoot that springs up shows that David’s line will have new life. It will be restored and will once again bear fruit. The association of the trunk of Yishai rather than David indicates that there is a new beginning here, a going back to origins, and a distancing from the later corrupt kings of Y’hudah.

² The Spirit of Adonai will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and fearing Adonai –

At His baptism, the Spirit of Adonai descended upon Yeshua in the form of a dove, and He was empowered for ministry and service. He was already filled with the Spirit, conceived by the Spirit – and yet now He was empowered for ministry.

How I hope and pray that each one of us might seek the anointing and empowering of the Spirit of Adonai. The Messiah’s coming would bring justice and righteousness (11:4), peace (11:8), and the extension of the Kingdom to the nations (11:10; see also 32:15-16). The promised Messiah would have great wisdom and understanding, like Solomon, as well as knowledge and the fear of the Adonai (see 1 Kings 3:28; 4:29; Proverbs 1:1-7; 2:6-7). The Spirit of counsel and might alludes to Yesha’yahu 9:6. The Messiah will be full of wisdom and will have the power to execute his righteous rule.

³ He will be inspired by fearing Adonai. He will not judge by what His eyes see or decide by what His ears hear, ⁴ but He will judge the impoverished justly; He will decide fairly for the humble of the land. He will strike the land with a rod from His mouth and slay the wicked with a breath from His lips.

The foremost responsibility of a king in the ancient world was to establish justice. The brilliance of his insight assessed the wisdom of a king into complex cases, and his suitability for the throne was evaluated by his commitment to providing for the vulnerable classes of society. The ability to resolve difficult cases was believed to be divinely endowed (compare Solomon) and therefore was not dependent solely on the evidence that could be presented in court (see Proverbs 16:10). The wicked kings of Israel and the ancient Near East exploited and took advantage of the weak, but this king will rule with justice and protect their rights.

The fear of the Adonai is the fundamental characteristic of a wise, godly person (Proverbs 1:7). The fear described here is not terror but awe. This thoughtful, Spirit-filled person will not judge according to external appearances, but he will cut to the heart of the truth.

⁵ Justice will be the belt around his waist, faithfulness the sash around his hips.

The same word belt and sash is used in both lines of this verse, but one item is a wrap around the thighs, while the other winds between the legs. These are the most necessary articles of clothing, and without them, an individual would be naked.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard lie down with the kid; calf, young lion and fattened lamb together, with a little child to lead them. ⁷ Cow and bear will feed together, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. ⁸ An infant will play on a cobra’s hole, a toddler put his hand in a viper’s nest. ⁹ They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be as full of the knowledge of Adonai as water covering the sea. ~ Yesha’yahu 11:1-9 (CJB)

Here, we see the peace of the kingdom. The future rule is described in terms associated with the Garden of Eden where there is no animosity among God’s creatures. The knowledge of the Lord will permeate this future ideal world ushered in by the branch … from the trunk of Yishai.

If you look at creation, you can see something of God. But nature doesn’t give a full revelation of God because, although we can gain insight into His ingenuity and creativity, we won’t see His love since nature is always at war with itself through the survival of the fittest and the devouring of one animal by another. Nature can’t tell us of the love of God because Adam’s fall affected all of nature. That, however, will be reversed when Yeshua comes back – for then a little child will be able to lead a menagerie of otherwise deadly animals.

In my next post, we begin to explore Yesha’yahu 11 by learning about The Branch of Yishai (Jesse) ~ Part 2 in Yesha’yahu 11:10-16.

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