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Overview

The Stump of Jesse. Not a very hopeful image. Now of course, the Davidic line still exists, but its influence is waning and in 586 B.C., the southern kingdom will be conquered and deported to Babylon. But even then, when it seems the most bleak, there will be a shoot, a branch that emerges. The ultimate Davidic king will arise. 

Isaiah 11:1-2

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 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 the fear of the Lord.

The portrait of Messiah is being painted throughout the Old Testament. Isaiah 11 gives us quite a bit more detail. The Messiah will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will be wise. He will give godly counsel. He will have great knowledge. And He will live in the fear of the Lord. 

Isaiah 11:3-5

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

There is no question that the prophetic presentation of the Messiah had obvious political undertones. He will judge the poor. He will strike the earth with the rod. His lips shall kill the wicked. This sounds like what a King would do. But notice—He is different. He is righteous. Finally, there will be a righteous King. Isaiah 9 told us He would be an eternal king. Therefore, it makes sense that the Jews were confused when Jesus of Nazareth did not take the Davidic throne in His FIRST coming. They did not understand that His first coming was to seek and save the lost. But at His SECOND coming, Jesus will return as the righteous King and Judge of the world. 

Isaiah 11:6a, 8-9

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Notice these verses basically allude to a return to a restored Garden of Eden. In this place, wolves are hanging out with lambs. Toddlers are hanging out with cobras. The earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord. There is safety. There is peace. There seems to be a reversal of the consequences of the Fall. The Messiah will usher in this time of eternal peace. I am ready for it. Are you? 

Isaiah 11:10,12

In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah uses the phrase “In that day” a lot. I would again encourage you to release yourself from the task of trying to pinpoint the timing of the Day, but instead be hopeful that this Day will come. There will be a day when the nations will see that Jesus, the Messiah has returned. In that day, He will gather all of God’s people together, ushering in those who are His, bringing judgment to those who are not His. It will be a glorious day. 

Do you stand ready to see Jesus on that Day? If it happened today, would it be glorious to you? 

What an amazing truth! God made a stump grow again. Sometimes life (or our own actions) chops us down. It may seem hopeless, especially in the moment, but please remember that all things are possible with God.