Isaiah 11:1-5 – Jesus the Messiah

In Isaiah 10, God assured His people that Assyria would merely be a rod in His hand. He meant to tell Israel that after He had used Assyria to administer His discipline, He would turn to discipline Assyria for her arrogance and pride which she was oblivious of. As powerful as she was, Assyria would be like a thick forest cleared by the ax of God. Indeed as a nation, she was eventually destroyed and her whole ungodly system annihilated. But God also warned Israel that she would not be spared. He told them that only a remnant of them would be preserved and purified. Here in Isaiah 11, God told them how from the remnant of a stump, He would raise the Messiah and establish the Messianic Kingdom.

In Isaiah 11:1-5. we learn about the Messiah. He would be the righteous stump whom God would raise through the stem of Jesse. In other words, this Messiah would hail from the line of David. From this little stem, a shoot would grow and become a strong fruit-bearing tree. We know that this Messiah is none other than Jesus Christ our Lord.  Referring to the Messiah, verse 2 said that the Holy Spirit would rest upon Him and He would operate under the full endowment of the Holy Spirit. The Gospels made it clear that at Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit like a dove descended and rested upon Him. Throughout His earthly ministry, He operated under that strong anointing of the Spirit. Three pairs of spiritual grace were clearly seen in the Messiah’s ministry. The first pair was wisdom and understanding, the second, counsel and strength, and the third, knowledge and fear of the Lord.

Like none other, Jesus the Messiah operated consistently under the influence of the Spirit. The fear of the Lord motivated His ministry. And He did not need to depend on the outward appearance of men to deal with them. With a keen sense of discernment and perception, He dealt with each man righteously. Unlike human arbitrators, Messiah was fair and judicious. The poor were never exploited, for with equity He dealt righteously with them. Jesus the Messiah came and dealt with the wickedness of the earth. Righteousness and faithfulness marked His life and ministry.  

We are thankful to God for giving us the privilege of knowing Jesus the Messiah. Though He came in obscurity, He has made Himself known to us. Now that we know Him, we want Him to mean more than anything or anyone else in our life. He came to identify with us so that we can become one with Him. As we embrace Him, our weakness shall be made perfect by His power. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!