|
Prophecy
|
New Testament Fulfillment / Interpretation
|
|
NIV Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
|
The picture that Isaiah paints in 11:1 is the same that Job describes in Job 14:7-9: “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.”
Isaiah describes the coming of the Messiah through the figurative language of a stump, root, and branch. The “shoot/root” and “branch” (rc,nE (n¢ƒer)) signifies the Messiah. The “stump of Jesse” refers to the house of David, all the kingly descendents of David (Jesse was David’s father). What Isaiah is saying is that when the house of David has become seemingly cut off and cut down so that only a dead stump remains, at that time the Messiah will come. Such a time existed at the time of Jesus’ birth. No descendent of David had been King in Jerusalem since the Babylonian Captivity in the Sixth Century B.C.
The New Testament interprets the “branch” of Isaiah to be Jesus.
Revelation 5:5, 22:16
See also Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8
|
|
NIV Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--
|
“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him”
The word for “rest” is x;Wn (nûaµ) and it indicates a permanent settling down. Previously the Spirit would temporarily come upon someone for a specific purpose (e.g., Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 14:6). Unlike anyone who preceded him, the Spirit of Yahweh will permanently rest upon the Messiah.
The New Testament informs us that this happened to Jesus when he was baptized.
Matthew 3:16
John 1:32
The Spirit of Yahweh will impart wisdom and understanding, counsel and power, knowledge and the fear of the LORD to the Messiah.
|
|
NIV Isaiah 11:3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
|
In 11:3-5 Isaiah tells us more about the character and work of the Messiah. He will delight in obeying Yahweh. He will not judge by appearances because he knows the heart. He will judge the the poor and needy with righteousness. He will destroy the wicked upon the earth with his words and breath. He will possess righteousness.
“He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears”
John 2:25
John 7:24
“With the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked”
2 Thessalonians 2:8
|
|
NIV Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
|
In 11:6-9, Isaiah describes what the Messiah’s kingdom will be like. The key thought in this section is found in verse 9: “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain.” In the Messiah’s kingdom, there will be no violence or destruction in God’s creation, even in the animal kingdom. Natural enemies will no longer be enemies. The food chain will become unchained. As it was in Eden, so it will be again (see Genesis 1:30). Commentators are divided about whether to understand these words as pointing to a literal fulfillment or a spiritual one. If literal, it must refer to the new earth. As a cross reference see Isaiah 65:25.
|
|
NIV Isaiah 11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
|
“As a banner for the peoples”
The banner referred to here (sNE (n¢s)) referred to a pole that served as a rallying point for the people. It was often placed up high so it could be seen by all. The pole would sometimes have a banner or symbol attached to it. The pole could be used to summon troops to war, warn of a coming danger, or be an object of hope. The word (sNE (n¢s)) is used in the story of the bronze serpant on a pole in Numbers 21.
John 3:14
John 12:32
“the nations will rally to him”
Matthew 12:21
Romans 15:12
|
