The Book Of Isaiah. Day 47, The Branch From Jesse, Part One

In Chapter 11 we will be studying the prophetic message of the coming Messiah. We find Him referred to as the "Branch" and the "Root" of Jesse, which is a reference to Jesse the father of King David, for the Messiah will be of the direct line of succession of King David. 

We have been studying the growing threat of the Assyrian Empire. After our study of the kings of Israel and Judah, we know that the northern kingdom of Israel will fall to Assyria. We know that Assyria will repeatedly plague the southern kingdom of Judah and cause much trouble and destruction there. 

But we also know that Assyria is not the nation that will conquer Judah; that will be the Neo-Babylonian Empire. When the day comes that Judah falls to this enemy, and when all but the poorest of the land are carried off captive by the Babylonian army, from the outward appearance it will seem as if all hope is lost of a revived kingdom and the restoration of a king upon the throne of David. The hope of placing a human king on the throne will appear fruitless, much less the hope of an eternal king reigning from David's throne.

But the Lord's promises regarding these things are not in vain! He uses the metaphor of a tree that's been cut down to its roots, in regard to the royal line of the house of David, and He compares the revival of Judah and the promise of the coming King to a shoot that sprouts up from the roots of a felled tree. "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him---the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord---and He will delight in the fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:1-3a)

When the nation of Judah falls, the royal line of David will not be cut off. In Babylon heirs will be born of that line and that is why the genealogy of Jesus can be traced all the way back to King David and beyond. In the manner of human thinking, it will seem impossible for the Lord to keep the promises He's made regarding an eternal heir to sit on David's throne. But a new empire will be on the rise while the captives of Judah are held in Babylon---the Medo-Persian Empire---and Babylon will itself be conquered; the people it has taken captive will be given permission to return to their homelands. 

The Branch from the root of Jesse is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will rest upon Him and He will possess all wisdom and understanding. He will be the source of righteous counsel and of the power of God on earth. He will be the source of all knowledge of God the Father and He will delight in the fear (in the awesome reverence and obedience of) God the Father. 

Chapter 11 is a treasure trove of information about this coming King and it will take us several days to study the material. The information about the Lord of lords is information we don't want to rush through; we want to meditate upon it and absorb it.