The Branch from Jesse
Study note
Chapter 10 ended with a forest being chopped down, representing the fall of proud nations. But from the stump of Jesse, the father of King David, a new shoot will grow. This Branch will be filled with the Spirit of the Lord in every way: wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and reverence for God. Unlike human judges who are fooled by appearances, this ruler will judge with perfect fairness, defending the poor and punishing the wicked. Righteousness and faithfulness will be as natural to him as a belt around his waist. Christians believe this prophecy points to Jesus Christ.
1 A new green shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse's family tree. A fresh branch will grow up from his roots and produce fruit. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him. It is the Spirit of wisdom and insight. It is the Spirit of wise counsel and power. It is the Spirit of knowledge and deep respect for the Lord. 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 He will take delight in honoring the Lord. He will not judge based on what things look like on the outside, and he will not make decisions just from what he hears people say. 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 Instead, he will defend poor people with fairness and make right decisions for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the words of his mouth, and the breath from his lips will destroy the wicked. 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 Everything he does will be wrapped in righteousness, and faithfulness will hold him together like a belt. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
The Peaceable Kingdom
Study note
Isaiah paints an extraordinary picture of the world under this future king's rule. Natural enemies will live in peace: wolves with lambs, leopards with young goats, calves with lions. A little child will lead them all. Even poisonous snakes will be harmless to children. The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as water fills the sea. This vision of perfect peace and harmony represents the complete reversal of the curse that came through sin.
6 Wolves will live peacefully with lambs, and leopards will lie down next to young goats. Calves and lion cubs will eat together, and a little child will lead them around. 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 Cows and bears will graze side by side, and their babies will lie down together. Lions will eat hay just like cattle. 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 A baby will play safely next to a cobra's hole. A toddler will reach right into a poisonous snake's den without any danger. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 Nothing will cause harm or destruction anywhere on my holy mountain. For the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth the way water fills the ocean. 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.
The Regathering of God's People
Study note
On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples. Nations from around the world will come seeking him. God will reach out a second time to gather the remnant of his people from every direction: Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coastlands. The old rivalry between the northern kingdom (Ephraim) and the southern kingdom (Judah) will finally end. God will make a highway for his people to return, just as he did when he parted the Red Sea during the exodus from Egypt.
10 When that day comes, the descendant of Jesse will stand like a flag that all the nations can see. Peoples from everywhere will come looking for him, and the place where he lives will be filled with glory. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 When that day comes, the Lord will reach out a second time. He will bring back his people who are left. They are scattered in Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the far-off islands. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 He will raise a flag for all the nations to see, and he will gather the scattered people of Israel. He will bring together the exiles of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 Then the jealousy between Ephraim and Judah will vanish. Ephraim will stop being jealous of Judah, and Judah will stop picking fights with Ephraim. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 Together they will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west. Together they will take over the people in the east. They will seize control of Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will submit to them. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea completely. With a scorching wind, he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River and split it into seven shallow streams that people can walk right through. And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
16 There will be a wide-open road for the rest of his people who are left in Assyria. It will be just like the road Israel had when they walked out of Egypt. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.