Isaiah - Chapter 11

Isaiah 11.1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11.2 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 of the fear of the LORD; Isaiah 11.3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: Isaiah 11.4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Isaiah 11.5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. Isaiah 11.6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11.7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. Isaiah 11.8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. Isaiah 11.9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11.10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. Isaiah 11.11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. Isaiah 11.12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11.13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. Isaiah 11.14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. Isaiah 11.15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. Isaiah 11.16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

Isaiah : Chapter 11

Isaiah's Messianic Vision

The book of Isaiah, particularly chapter 11, paints a majestic picture of the messianic kingdom. What will the Messiah's rule look like? This visionary text describes the "shoot" from the root of Jesse, highlighting his righteous character and his reign of universal peace. Among the evocative images found in this chapter, that of the wolf cohabiting with the lamb is particularly famous. Isaiah 11 offers a glorious vision of the messianic era, filled with hope and redemption.

Five Bible Passages on Eschatological Hope

Let's consider together five biblical passages that are intimately linked to the eschatological hope offered to us by this transformative chapter.

Revelation 5:5

"Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.'" This verse refers to Isaiah 11:1, 10, which identifies Jesus as the promised "descendant" of the line of David. It emphasizes the Messiah's victory and divine authority.

Romans 15:12

"And Isaiah also says, 'The root of Jesse will appear, who will rise to rule over the peoples; in him the Gentiles will put their hope.'" In this quote, the Apostle Paul refers directly to Isaiah 11:10, emphasizing that Christ is the awaited Messiah and that his reign will extend to all nations.

John 7:24

"Do not judge by appearances alone, but judge rightly." This teaching of Jesus resonates with the description of the Messiah in Isaiah 11:3-4, who does not trust appearances, but judges with fairness and discernment.

Ephesians 6:14

"Stand firm therefore, and put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness." The image of righteousness as a garment echoes Isaiah 11:5, where the Messiah is described as being clothed in righteousness, a girdle symbolizing his uprightness and integrity.

Romans 8:21

"In the hope that creation itself will be freed from its current slavery to decay and will find itself in the glorious liberty of the children of God." This verse reflects the vision of cosmic peace found in Isaiah 11:6-9, where even animals live in harmony, illustrating the reconciliation of all creation under the reign of the Messiah.

By meditating on these passages, we can deepen our understanding of Christian hope and welcome with faith the reign of the Messiah, bringer of peace and justice.