Becker Bible Studies Applications

Isaiah 11:1-16 - Messianic Prophecy

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 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; " (Isaiah 11:1-2 KJV)

11:1 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 sucking 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.
10 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Summary of Presentations

Prophets in the Old Testament do not speak prophecy just to predict future events; prophecy is used to confront sin and disobedience of God’s people by warning them of both coming judgment and future restoration. Rather than speaking prophecy with a rote-like, philosophical, or abstract intonation with literal predictions, Prophets speak in poetic, emotional terminology to stress the warnings of God. It is the Prophets job to deliver the message of the LORD God perfectly, coherently, and connect it to the listeners in a way that gets and keeps their attention to God’s message.

The basic rules for interpreting prophecy are invaluable tools that allow a Bible scholar to interpret prophecy from the perspective that it was spoken during the Old Testament event. The rules include:

1. Identify where the oracle begins and ends

2. Determine historical and contextual setting

3. Analyze prophecy in context with surrounding content

4. Analyze the poetry

5. Determine if the passage is foretelling or forthtelling

6. If foretelling, what events are fulfilled and still unfulfilled

7. Examine possibility of more than one fulfillment

This basic approach in analyzing Old Testament prophecy ensures good interpretation with correct exegesis for the perfect handling of God’s Word.

Change of Perspective

I have always been taught that all prophecy spoken in the Old Testament is directing the focus upon the future arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ, or is centered upon Israel’s future events. I suppose in a general way, this is still true, since all prophecy in the Old Testament is dealing with Israel or Christ in one way or another. My perspective is greatly changed concerning the different purposes and layers that exist within prophecy. For instance, I am well-versed in Isaiah 11 and easily recognize the direct Messianic reference and implication; this Scripture has been studied deeply, and I am comfortable with both interpretation and application. However, when I tried to insert the Lord Jesus Christ as the one prophesied in other parts of Isaiah, I was confused, and eventually gave up. Though the words seemed like it might be Him, King Cyrus of Persia is the actual individual spoken about; to my embarrassment in not seeing this before, he is actually named in Isaiah 45:1. The slope of prophecy interpretation becomes slippery when interpretation is not ordered with the basic rules mentioned above.

Also, my perspective has been changed by the stressed need to examine the events before and after, and not just assume that the entire Book of the Bible is speaking about one thing. It was eye-opening that Isaiah captures both the prophecy directed against Israel leading to the Assyrians crisis in Chapters 1-39, and the Babylonian crisis reflected in chapters 40-66. Suddenly, prophecy becomes eye-opening, and everything starts fitting perfectly. There is room for forth-telling that captures the current events, and fore-telling revealing future events, and even more futuristic fore-telling that speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrivals.

Reflection of Basic Features of Isaiah 11

It is difficult for me to remember how I knew with such certainty that it was Christ that was prophesied in Isaiah 11; however, I am certain it was not through careful exegesis that is being taught in this class. I do know that I have always been confident of that prophecy speaking of Christ; particularly, the reference speaking of the “rod out of the stem of Jesse” (v. 1), “Branch shall grow out of his roots” (v. 2), and “with righteousness shall he judge the poor” (v. 4) contributed to His identity.

It is important to note that this messianic identity is confirmed through a careful analysis of prophecy, specifically Isaiah 11:11 that speaks of the Lord of the “Gentiles” (v. 10) recovering the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea. Since these events are future, that makes this prophecy fore-telling; since it is linked so solidly with messianic description, the Lord Jesus Christ can be declared as the identity of the individual spoken about. Thus, merely identifying the historical and contextual settings, and determining the passage as foretelling and unfulfilled, and examining the possibility of more than one fulfillment leads me to be extremely confident in my analysis.

Isaiah makes his message vivid and memorable for his audience by using words symbolic words such as “smite the earth with the rod of his mouth” (v. 4), “with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked” (v. 4), and “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb” (v. 6).

Application

A more solid relationship through a deeper understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ can be gained by Christians through a careful study of prophecy contained in Isaiah 11. It is in this prophecy that the identity of the Spirits that rest upon Him in His human form are identified.

Personally, I, like many Christians, did not form my personal relationship with Jesus Christ blindly. I searched Scripture continuously and deeply to find the answers to my questions such as: How could man kill an omnipotent God upon a cross? What natures of God did Christ have while He walked upon the earth? Why did Christ need to study Scripture and learn the things of God, if He had full omniscience of the LORD God?

Isaiah 11:1-16 was the beginning of my relationship with Christ; it was a powerful, watershed moment for my understanding of my Lord’s nature, and I was able to know that while He walked upon this earth, He did not have the full power of God having emptied himself to become human (Phil. 2:7); rather, He was given certain Spirits to guide His human existence. I did a detailed search, and discovered many different Spirits revealed in the Word of God, and realized that the foretelling prophecy of Isaiah 11:1-16 not only was reflected when Christ came to earth, but that Isaiah 11:2 identified the unique and special nature given to Christ through the specific Spirits of the LORD God. These Spirits of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord, gave the Lord Jesus Christ a deep understanding of His Father and His mission, and provided a foundation for His human walk. I have provided a summary of the different Spirits I found revealed in the Word of God (Attachment 1); note on the third page the differences of the Spirits that rested upon Christ when he was in human form and those that rest upon Christians. When those different Sprits are fully realized, a deeper personal relationship and spiritual understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ can be formed. The foretold prophecy of Isaiah becomes a deep and fruitful instruction into the nature of Christ in human form, which allows a more intimate personal relationship to Him when that nature is understood.

Some Revealed Spirits of the LORD God

Adoption (Romans 8:15) - Makes Christian a child of the LORD GOD and gives the right for inheritance

Bearing (Numbers 11:17) - Upholds worker as he accomplishes the Works of the LORD GOD

Bondage (Romans 8:14) - Maintains those disobedient to God

Burning (Revelation 4:15) - Purges impurities from the righteous and holy

Counsel (Isaiah 11:2) - Teaches path to judgment which leads to knowledge and understanding

Creation (Job 33:4; Genesis 1:1,2; Romans 8:23) - Makes all things to be given life through the touch of the LORD GOD

Deep Sleep (Isaiah 29:10) - Obscures spiritual awareness of Jews to allow salvation to Gentiles

Deliverance (Judges 15:18, 19; Luke 4:18-19) - Enables escape from forces that control or restrain LORD GOD's Works

Discerning Spirits (1 Corinthians 11:10) - Judges and identifies all things spiritual

Evil (1 Samuel 16:14) - Causes trouble to come to a person's life to make him seek refuge in the LORD GOD

Faith (2 Corinthian 4:13) - Implants confidence of Jesus Christ and salvation to all Christians

Fear (2 Timothy 1:7) - Prevents faith and gives control to the Spirit of Bondage

Fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:1-2) - Causes the hatred of evil and paves the way for Spirit of Wisdom

Grace (Hebrews 10:29) - Instills the LORD GOD's influence upon a person's heart and brings salvation

Goodness (Nehemiah 9:19-21; Psalms 143:10) - Teaches the LORD GOD's Will and instructs in the way to go

Hardening (Exodus 10:1-2; John 12:37-41) - Prevents understanding to facilitate implementation of the LORD GOD's Will

Healing (Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 57:15-19) - Makes well and restores to health the physical, spiritual and eternal

Holiness (Ephesians 4:30) - Effects resurrection from death through the giving sacred purity to Christians

Judgment (Isaiah 4:3, 4; 1 Peter 4:4-6) - Determines and judges sins of men and earth through Jesus Christ

Knowledge (Isaiah 11:1-2) - Distinguishes good from evil and measures works through Jesus Christ

Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2) - Causes Christians to walk the way of Jesus Christ, free from sin

Love (2 Timothy 1:7) - Shares agape love with LORD GOD's people and prepares them for other Spirits

Might (Isaiah 11:1-2) - Controls right hand of LORD GOD to accomplish His Works through Jesus Christ

Ministry & Miracles (Galatians 3:5) - Supplies spiritual nourishment to increase LORD GOD's Works

Persuasion (1 Kings 22:14-23) - Manipulates situations to allow man's true character to be revealed

Power (Luke 4:13-14) - Goes forth to accomplish the Works of the Spirit of Might

Promise (Galatians 3:14) - Seals the LORD GOD's Abraham blessing to Christians through Jesus Christ

prophecy (Joel 2:27-32) - Speaks the Word of GOD, foretells events, and testifies on Jesus Christ

Raising (Jeremiah 51:1-11; Ezra 1:5) - Stands up men in higher position over others

Sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15) - Makes and helps maintain purity and holiness

Supplication (Zechariah 12:9-10) - Brings fervent and reverent prayer to the LORD GOD's ears

Sword (Ephesians 6:10-18) - Emits the righteous holy power from the Word of God

Tongues (2 Samuel 23:1-7; 1 Corinthians 14:6-14) - Speaks of mysteries to the LORD GOD in a language not known by man

Interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:1-5) - Interprets mysteries spoken by Spirit of Tongues to man

Truth (John 15:26) - Comforts Christians, provides access to the LORD GOD and Jesus Christ, gives spiritual gifts, reveals truth, convicts world of sin, glorifies Jesus Christ, as the Holy Ghost

Understanding (Isaiah 11:1-2) - Prepares the way to receive the presence of the LORD GOD

Wisdom (Isaiah 11:1-2) - Makes priestly mediators, and gives revelations and knowledge to Christians

LORD GOD's spirits which rest on Jesus

Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-2)
Spirit of Wisdom (Isaiah 11:1-2)
Spirit of Understanding (Isaiah 11:1-2)
Spirit of Counsel (Isaiah 11:1-2)
Spirit of Might (Isaiah 11:1-2)
Spirit of Fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:1-2)
Spirit of Knowledge (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Jesus Christ's spirits which rest on Christians

Spirit of Christ (Philippians 1:19)
Spirit of Truth (John 15:26)
Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2)
Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8:15)
Spirit of Promise (Galatians 3:14)
Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29)
Spirit of Holiness (Ephesians 4:30)

The evil spirits of Lucifer

spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:3)
spirit of divination (Acts 16:16)
spirit of unclean devil (Luke 4:33)
spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11)
spirit of the world (1 Corinthians 2:12)
spirit of error (1 John 4:6)

Cite Article Source

MLA Style Citation:
McFarland, Kathy L. "Isaiah 11:1-16 - Messianic prophecy." Becker Bible Studies Application January 2012. <http://guidedbiblestudies.com/applications/23_011_1.html>.

APA Style Citation:
McFarland, Kathy L. (2012, January) "Isaiah 11:1-16 - Messianic prophecy." Becker Bible Studies Applications Retrieved from http://guidedbiblestudies.com/applications/23_011_1.html

Chicago Style Citation:
McFarland, Kathy L. (2012) "Isaiah 11:1-16 - Messianic prophecy." Becker Bible Studies Applications (January), http://guidedbiblestudies.com/applications/23_011_1.html (accessed )

About the Author

Kathy L. McFarland is a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and Author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Religious Studies from Liberty University, and is currently seeking her Master of Divinity (Professional Ministries Track) degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary & Graduate School. Kathy is a noted expert on Old Testament exegesis, Christian apologetics, and Bible typology and mysteries.

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