A New Branch of Jesse’s Offspring as Messiah

Isaiah 11:1-2, NKJV

In chapter 6:9-13 God sent Isaiah to proclaim His divine message of judgment against Judah. They were persistently rebellious and hard hearted. God told Isaiah to tell them that they will hear but won’t listen. They refused to repent; therefore, God’s patience ran out. He used the Assyrians to invade Judah and the Babylonians to carry many into captivity to bring judgment against them (the Southern Kingdom). Still God was merciful and saved a small faithful remnant of Judah. God’s plan never fails. He made a royal covenant with David, the son of Jesse, and it would be fulfilled. In God’s appointed time the Messiah would arise from David’s house. Not only is God merciful, but He is just. After using the Assyrians as His instrument to punish His ungrateful people, He would punish the Assyrians and Babylonians. “³³ Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop off the bough with terror; those of high stature will be hewn down, and the haughty will be humbled. ³⁴ He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One” (Isaiah 10:33-34, NKJV). Because of Assyria’s haughty attitude and cruel treatment of Judah, God would bring them down like a great cedar tree.

Isaiah 11:1 begins with the prophet declaring that a Rod, or Shoot, will come forth from the stem, or stock, of Jesse, and a Branch will grow out of his roots and be fruitful. That small faithful remnant of followers is symbolic of new life springing forth from “a massive terebinth tree or an oak whose stump remains when it is chopped down. The holy seed [the elect remnant] is its stump [the substance of Israel]” (Isaiah 6:13b, AMP). Isaiah continued: “The Spirit of the Lord will 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” (v.2).

The Messiah will bear fruit and the Spirit will empower him. Matthew Henry’s Commentary says that being empowered by the Holy Spirit he will know how to administer the affair of his spiritual kingdom and to the welfare of men. We too must be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the Lord’s work.