Isaiah 11:10-16 – With God, there is no impossibility

Here in Isaiah 11:10-16, the prophet assured the people of God that there would be a glorious end awaiting them. God would be gathering His people together from all over the places. In verse 10, we are told that, on that day, the root of Jesse will play a key role in that great ingathering. We can safely surmise that here Isaiah was referring to Christ Jesus the Messiah. He would be the standard-bearer. Nations would come to consult Him and in Him, there would be a provision of a place of rest. So we hear Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

In Isaiah 11:11-16, Isaiah went on to talk about the grace of God upon His people in bringing back the remnant. The naming of the various countries was not to say that the people would come from those places. But by way of saying that God’s restoration would be thorough and complete. Wherever they were, God would bring them back. Whether they be in the countries north, south, east, or west of them, the remnant shall return. Verse 12 tells us that the composition of the people God would bring together would comprise not just the scattered people of Israel and Judah, but also the people of the nations. Under the sprout of Jesse, peace would be restored between the people of Israel and Judah. All internal conflict would cease, and Israel and Judah would work in partnership against the surrounding nations such as Philistine, Edom, Moab, and Ammon. The emphasis here is not so much about the battle, as the restoration of the Kingdom under the Davidic Messiah.  

For King Ahaz and his people, the ferocious advancement of Assyria was a real threat.  How could Isaiah’s words be possible?  So Isaiah, in verses 15-16, brought them back to the scene where God delivered the Israelites from Egypt’s captivity in the time of the Exodus. It was an impossible situation but with God, there could never be an impossibility. He used the scorching wind and created a path for the Israelites to walk across the Red Sea. As he did then, He would do it again. God would create a highway to enable the remnant to return. Just as He guided the Israelites through the wilderness, a highway would be created to get the remnant home.

To be sure, it is always hard to visualize a glorious end when one is caught between a rock and a hard place. We need to know that in God’s scheme of things for our lives, He will never lead us into caves but only through tunnels. In His plan, there may come difficult times but there will always be light at the end. We need to know that the issue is never about God’s ability to take us through but our ability to trust Him in the face of adversities.  So we must trust God and the promises He has made in His Word. He promises a glorious future for His people and we must take Him at His word, even in the face of intimidating circumstances. God never fails in a single promise He has made. Trust Him!