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The Root of Jesse Isaiah 11:1-9
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
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 of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears;
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Let's review. Israel is not split between the Northern Kingdom (10 tribes) called Israel and the Southern Kingdom (2 tribes) called Judah. The Northern Kingdom's capital city is Samaria and the Southern Kingdom's capital is still Jerusalem. Both are in captivity for their disobedience to God.
The Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The old covenant is based on the Law of Moses. The new covenant based on God writing his law upon our hearts through the power of the His Spirit.
We read, recently, about the prophecy of Jeremiah the prophet who first warned Judah that if they did not change their wicked ways, they would be destroyed. Jeremiah also prophesied that God would plant His word in the hearts of all mankind. And He would eventually bring Israel and Judah back to Himself. “I will forgive their sin and remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:34.
In today's study, we will hear the prophecy of Isaiah. We learn that Isaiah is specifically speaking of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and His healing and mending power.
This passage of scripture calls attention to a rod (Jesus) coming forth out of stem. The lesson before talked about what would happen to Judah because of their disobedience. God will reduce their nation to a stump or stem. Then God says out of the stem of Jesse, a Branch shall grow out of his roots. In other words, this branch will be blessed with the guidance of the “Spirit of the Lord”. In the Old Testament we know that God gave His spirit to certain ones to complete a specific task. But to this Branch coming out of the stem of Jesse, the Spirit would rest upon Him. This indicates the continual guidance of the Spirit of God.
God also shows us that He will administer justice based on a higher standard than that of the kings of old. He will judge with wisdom that can see into the hearts of men. His judgment will not be based on the sight of his eyes or the hearing of his ears. (Remember the woman that was caught in the very act of adultery, Jesus did not execute surface judgment on her; but He did judge her heart and found that she was truly sorry for what she had done.) This does not mean that the evidence will be ignored, but it simply suggests that judgment will be imposed according to that higher authority and based on the heart.
The expression “gird His loins” indicates that the Branch from the stem of Jesse is preparing for action; but instead of using a belt or sash to gird up His loins, He will gird His loins with righteousness and faithfulness. In other words, peace and controversy may occupy the same space. But peace will overtake the controversy.
The conclusion of this matter is that Isaiah in this passage is giving us a promise and hope of peace in a time when the people of God (Israel and us) are in captivity. His words are a prediction of reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. So what was lost through sin and disobedience is now restored through Jesus Christ.
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About the Book
This book is a group of lessons that I previously taught to my Sunday school class. While teaching, I am also able to hear the Spirit of the Lord and learn from my own teachings. I also realize that the more I learn, the more it becomes evident that this Word is much bigger than the four walls in which I teach. It needs to reach the masses in any way possible. I am simply doing my part to make sure that happens. I believe the Spirit of the Lord has spoken to my heart to put what I am teaching into a book form for you. I would like for those who would not normally have the time to attend a weekly class or small group session to have something to study on their own in a hope that this tidbit of the Word will eventually lead to a greater desire for the fullness of God's Word. So many times we confess that we don't know what the plan of God is for our lives. I would suggest first that we become more familiar with God's Word and allow ourselves to be usable for Kingdom of God. Allow God to move or change your personal will so that His perfect will can be revealed. Whether it's through preaching, teaching, praise and worship, ushering at the door or cleaning the floor, the will of God for your life is to whole-heartedly surrender to Him to be used in whatever capacity He wills. It's my prayer that this study guide will be of some assistance to you in your process to get to where God wants you to be.
About the Author
Darlene Jones is the wife of Stanley J Jones and the mother of two daughters, Tiffany and Natale'. She is the fourth of nine children: Hazel, Leland, Anita, Darlene, Carlos, Tom, Jerri, Karen, and Raymond, all to the same mother, Angeline. She was raised in the city of Campbell, OH and called to the ministry of teaching about 28 years ago. Darlene is now a teacher of the adult Sunday school class at the “Word in Action” ministry in Campbell where Pastor William R. Burney is the senior pastor. She has been employed with the State of Ohio for the past 12 years where she works for the Department of Public Safety. Although Darlene appreciates the blessing of being employed with the State of Ohio, Darlene admits her passion and confidence is in her service to the Lord and in teaching the Word of God.