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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Isaiah 11:1 - 11:9
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The Messiah, The Branch out of the Stem Of Jesse
v. 1. And there shall come forth a Rod, a fresh shoot or twig, out of the stem of Jesse, out of the dead stock, the stump, of the former proud tree of the house of David, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots, Zec_3:8; Zec_4:12; Jer_23:5; Jer_33:15, the root-stock being all that was left of the former grandeur of David's house, the renewal of his family by this singular Scion would indeed be a miracle;
v. 2. and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the sevenfold Spirit, Himself God from eternity, lighting or settling upon Him, Psa_45:7, with the fullness of His divine power, the Spirit of wisdom, which searches all things, even the secrets of God, and understanding, able to make the proper distinction concerning all things, the Spirit of counsel, by whom the Messiah is endowed to be the Counselor, and might, for Christ is the mighty God, Isa_7:6, the Spirit of knowledge, by means of which He is familiar with all the mysteries of God, and of the fear of the Lord, which culminates in both adoration and communion, Christ, according to His human nature, praying to His heavenly Father and seeking His fellowship, but according to His divine nature united with Him in an everlasting union, which now exists according to both natures;
v. 3. and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord, literally, His pleasant savor is in the fear of Jehovah, He is highly pleased when men bring to Him the sacrifice of their fear of God; and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears, rendering judgment not according to external appearances, rather according to His understanding of the heart and soul;
v. 4. but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, His Savior's-interest turning especially to the lowly, to those who bear the enmity of the world on account of their faith with the proper meekness, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth, taking the part of those who are persecuted for their confession's sake; and He, in His care for the poor small crew of His Church, shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, rebuking in a most emphatic manner the hostility of the ungodly world, and with the breath of His lips, His Word, which bears almighty power, shall He slay the wicked, overthrowing the power of Satan even here in time, revealing his true character by the preaching of the Gospel, His last condemnation being reserved for the final Judgment.
v. 5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins and faithfulness, upon which His believers may rely with full confidence, the girdle of His reins, holding up His clothes at His hips. Even as the girdle confined the wide garments of the ancients and enabled them to work, run, and fight without hindrance, so the Messiah furthers His cause and makes use of His full strength by righteousness and truth. The conditions of His reign are now described.
v. 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, a figurative representation of ideal spiritual conditions.
v. 7. And the cow and the bear shall feed, all the bloodthirstiness of the latter forgotten; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, his nature so completely changed that he is no longer a carnivorous, but a herbivorous animal.
v. 8. And the sucking child, the unweaned infant, shall play on the hole of the asp, on the entrance of the adder's cave, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den, or, stretch out his arm to touch the sparkling eye of the basilisk, the poisonous serpents having lost all their vicious habits. All this poetic description is now explained:
v. 9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, all the members of the Messiah's kingdom, whose former state was characterized by the comparison with the various animals named above, would lose and lay aside their hostile habits toward one another; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Knowledge of Jehovah, love and fear of God, is the motive in all acts of the believers; because they fear the Lord in truth, because they know Him the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent as the Savior of the world, therefore they, the inhabitants of His holy mountain, the members of His holy Church, give expression of their faith in their entire conduct; therefore they, in the midst of the general hatred and hostility of the world, live together in peace and love.