Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Pre-exilic Prophets 2 (7)
Pray Psalm 102.12-14.
But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
Sing Psalm 102.12-14.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
But You, O LORD, abide forever in Your place.
Arise and stand on Zion’s side and lavish us with grace!
Revive Your Church, O LORD! Let all her dust and stones
be strengthened by Your mighty Word, and compact be as one.
Read Isaiah 11.1-16; meditate on verses 1, 2.
Preparation
1. Who is coming? How is He described?
2. To whom shall He stand as a banner?
Meditation
Chapter 11 presents a long-term scenario of hope, salvation, blessing, and peace which unfolds in two stages. The key to each stage’s glorious hope is the coming of the Branch.
The Hebrew word for Branch (v. 1) is נֵ֖צֶר, netser, and it is the presumed root of the word, Nazareth. Hence, Matthew’s association of Jesus’ hometown to this ancient prophecy (Matt. 2.23). When the Branch comes, He will be filled with the sevenfold Spirit of God (v. 2; cf. Rev. 4.5). He comes to perform the will of God in righteousness, judgment, equity, and faithfulness (vv. 3-5). The result of His coming will be peace (vv. 6-8), like the peace that obtained in the garden of Eden prior to the fall of Adam and Eve. God’s holy mountain— which will be chief of all the mountains of earth (Is. 2.1-4)—will be a place of safety, from which the knowledge of the glory of the Lord goes forth to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (v. 9).
The Root of Jesse, Who is the Branch, will raise a banner for all the nations, the banner of the Lord’s salvation, and He will call forth His remnant from every nation on earth (vv. 10-15). Even the Gentiles will seek Him and the rest He offers (v. 10). A Highway (Jn. 14.6) will be established on earth by which all the remnant of God’s people shall come out of whatever has held them captive in darkness and sin, to find rest in the promises and Kingdom of the Branch.
It’s not hard to see here the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and both the first flourishing of His Kingdom—in the last days—and the full and final flourishing of it in that time when “His resting place shall be glorious” (v. 10).
These were words the faithful of Isaiah’s day would cling to in hope, just as we should in our day.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Is. 11.1)
“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely;
now this is His Name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23.5, 6).
“In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious…” (Is. 4.2).
“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” (Is. 11.2).
“It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the
Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven,
‘You are My beloved Son, in Whom I AM well pleased’” (Mk. 1.9-11; Matt. 3.16, 17).
“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.
And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.
And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.’
Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.
And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’” (Lk. 4.16-21).
“For He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God,
for God does not give the Spirit by measure.
The Father loves the Son, and
has given all things into His hand.
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and
he who does not believe the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him” (Jn. 3.34-36).
The faithful of the Old Testament believed in the One to come.
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11.13).
The faithful of the New Testament saw and experienced the fulfillment of those promises.
The faithful of today rejoice in the Truth of Jesus and our calling to build His Church for His Kingdom and glory. While we, too, look forward to yet unfulfilled promises of His glorious return and the creation of the new heavens and earth. “Then He Who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Rev. 21.5).
Reflection
1. What is the Good News of the Kingdom? In what ways is that Good News for you?
2. Christ’s banner of salvation has been entrusted to us. For what purpose?
3. Whom will you encourage today in the Good News of Jesus?
The Messiah thus gave early notice that his kingdom was not of this world. But the Holy Spirit, in all his gifts and graces, shall rest and abide upon him; he shall have the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in him, Colossians 1:19; 2:9. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Isaiah 11.1-9
Pray Psalm 102.15-28.
Pray for a great revival among the churches of the Lord. Pray that we will recover our call to be witnesses unto Jesus and that many will come to believe in Him.
Sing Psalm 102.15-28.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
Then let the nations fear the glory of the LORD!
For He shall in His Church appear to heed our sighing words.
Then let our children learn to praise the LORD above.
He hears their groans and knows they yearn to dwell within His love.
Yet let us tell God’s Name and praise His glorious grace;
let all as one His love proclaim together in this place.
Though now our strength is low; though shortened grow our days,
our God will not forsake us so, but keep us in His ways!
Of old You made the earth and heavens by Your hand.
Though they shall perish You endure; forever shall You stand.
They change, yet You remain the same, without an end.
Our children shall Your favor gain, and theirs shall be Your friend.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
