Isaiah 11:1-16 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: That this refers to the Lord Jesus is undoubted. I. HIS DESCENT. Three ideas seem to be involved. 1. Meanness or obscurity. 2. Progression. How decayed soever the tree might appear, yet a Branch was to shoot and grow up out of its roots. For a time, the growth was far from being rapid, but at length it appeared as a Plant of everlasting renown, a Secret and mysterious operation. The metaphor is taken from vegetation, that process of the wonder-working God which none can explain, yet the existence of which none can dispute. II. HIS PERSONAL AND OFFICIAL ENDOWMENTS. 1. Their nature (ver. 2). They were — (1) Diversified in their character. (2) Unlimited in their range. The Spirit was imparted to Him without measure. (3) Continuous in their possession. "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him." 2. The purposes for which them endowments were conferred. (1) That He might discriminate the characters of men. "And shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord," etc. (2) To defend the cause of the oppressed. "But with righteousness shall He judge the poor," etc. (3) To punish the workers of iniquity. "And He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth," etc. III. THE BLESSED STATE OF THINGS WHICH WILL BE REALISED UNDER HIS ADMINISTRATION. We dare not lose eight of the truth, that He is mighty to destroy; but how encouraging is it to remember, that He who speaks and acts in righteousness is also mighty to save. And the concluding portion of this prophecy shows in how signal a manner His saving power will be exerted. 1. The condition described. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb," etc. We have here two leading ideas. (1) Peace and harmony. (2) Security. 2. In order thereto the most marvellous transformations will be effected. 3. The means of this transformation will be the universal diffusion of Divine knowledge (ver. 9).Conclusion — 1. Let us pray that the Redeemer's kingdom may come. 2. To us, personally, the great thing is to possess the knowledge of the Lord ourselves. (Anon.) Parallel Verses KJV: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:WEB: A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. |
    |