Hamas is an organization that has been quoted as saying it would ultimately triumph over Israel because, "We love death more than the Jews love life." It is with this kind of adversary that Israel is now negotiating a deal for the release of a single Israeli soldier. If it happens, the deal will require the release of many convicted terrorist killers for Sgt. Shalit’s return. http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2380713
As we prepare to celebrate the landmark of the end of a decade, we must also take a moment to remember the tragedy that terrorism has inflicted on countless innocents around the world over the past 10 years. The last decade has seen numerous examples of terrorist barbarity: the Mumbai attacks of one year ago, the Madrid train bombings, the London Tube bombings, the hotel attacks in Indonesia, the Chechnya school assault, suicide bombers and terrorist missiles targeting innocent Israeli civilians, and the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The list of senseless carnage and heartbreak continues to grow as innocent men, women and children are victimized around the world, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=2376649
Conflict of course is not a new thing. Scripture itself is a record of thousands of years of conflict between nations. In Isaiah 11Israel has been conquered by Assyria. In chapter 9 the prophet speaks about “the son” to whom the everlasting government will be given and whose throne will be established with justice, righteousness, and peace. Isaiah again takes up the theme of the messianic rule in chapter 11 (Elwell, Walter A.: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1996, c1989, S. Is 11:1).
The Prophet Isaiah makes the point that although Israel’s (and Judah’s) lack of trust in the Lord will have meant nearly total destruction at the hand of Assyria, that destruction is not God’s final word. Assyria, too, will come under judgment and out of that judgment a remnant of Jacob’s descendants will return to God’s land. However, as 8:23–9: suggested, so 11:1–9 confirms that such a return will be under the aegis of an anointed descendant of David. In fact, the root of Jesse will himself be the banner which will signal safe return. Prominent in that return is the sovereign activity of God.
In Isaiah 11, the Messiah is not merely promised or announced but is depicted as ruling. In place of the craven and petty house of David, or the arrogant and oppressive empire of Assyria, here is a king in whose hands the concerns of the weakest will be safe. He will usher in a reign of safety and security to which the weary exiles may come streaming in return.
There is an interplay throughout this passage between Davidic themes and emphatic recognition of Yahweh’s direct gifts and action. While David’s (shoot) appears in vv 1 and 10, the emphasis is on Yahweh’s spirit (v 2), the fear of Yahweh (v 3), and the knowledge of Yahweh (vv 6–9). Vv 4 and 5 are not clearly directed and may be understood to apply to Yahweh or to the king. The ambiguity is deliberate. Davidic ideology was structured to think in terms of God’s work through the king. This passage deftly keeps attention on God’s work (Watts, J. D. W. (2002). Vol. 24: Word Biblical Commentary:Isaiah 1-33. Word Biblical Commentary (170). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.).
As we come to the end of this year, in a world of conflict from interpersonal, relational to individual sin, what peace should we seek?
Is peace just a pipe dream? Isaiah 11 is a picture for us here and now of peace that comes through the coming of the Messiah. It shows us the Triumph of the Savior in 1) The Triumph through His Ancestry. (Isaiah 11:1), 2) The Triumph through His Anointing. (Isaiah 11:2) 3) The Triumph through His Administration. (Isaiah 11:3-5) and finally: 4) The Triumph through His Accomplishments. (Isaiah 11:6-10)
1) The Triumph through His Ancestry. (Isaiah 11:1)
Isaiah 11:1 [11:1]There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Please turn back to Isaiah 9
The ax of God’s judgment will cut down the proud tree of Judah. Isaiah prophesies about the stump that had once been glorious and powerful Judah. The royal line of David would remain; it had to because God had promised that the Messiah would come from the line of David and rule forever (2 Samuel 7:13; Isaiah 9:7). However, the disobedience and rebellion of many of David’s descendants brought God’s judgment. When Isaiah met Ahaz at the Upper Pool on the road to the Washerman’s Field (chapter 7), the prophet foretold a part of the coming judgment. The deliverance for God’s people, Isaiah told the king of Judah, would come from a virgin, not from a powerful and influential royal house (Braun, John A.: Isaiah 1-39. Milwaukee, Wis. : Northwestern Pub. House, 2000 (The People’s Bible), S. 149).
Isaiah 9:1-7 [9:1] But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. [2] The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. [3]You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. [4]For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. [5]For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. [6]For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [7]Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (ESV)
• The description of this son, is parallel with the passage today of Isaiah 11. He is the Wonderful Counselor who is able to make wise plans. He is a ruler whose wisdom is beyond merely human capabilities unlike the foolish Ahaz. Thus, He is the Mighty God. Describing Him as Everlasting Father is in terms of a benevolent protector. This is what the King was supposed to be. Finally He is the Prince of Peace: He is the ruler whose reign will bring about peace because the nations will rely on His just decisions in their disputes.
o He is the Price of Peace fulfilling the calling to Abraham to be the divine channel of blessing to all peoples (Gen. 12:1-3). He fulfills the purpose that the people of Israel had as a whole, to be a missionary nation (Ex. 19:5-6) and finally, He is the messianic hope as an Heir of David who would extend His rule from Israel to the Gentile nations (Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:8-16).
• It may be difficult to discern exactly which time periods Isaiah is referring to because as he refers to the former time in verse one. Isaiah’s vision project his thought out of the tragic present as if it were already past.
• Isaiah here does not promote subjective wishful thinking but an objective joy of God’s grace achieving God’s objectives.
o This is important as we move into 2010. We are not to move into 2010 with general happy thoughts but act with such confidence in God’s promises that we are His willing instruments for His action.
• Notice likewise his description of the child being born in Isaiah 9:4. He presents events as if it were the time of the child’s arrival with an expectation of what the child will achieve.
o God expects us to seize this new year with such a confidence in Him that we expect to see Him working through us changing lives.
This is confidence in the midst of very dark days. The prophet has just depicted Assyria’s swift and sudden destruction. The forest of her pride is nothing but a field of stumps. So, too, with God’s people (6:11–13). Both Jacob and Assyria have fallen under the judgment of God. But there is a difference. When Assyria was finally cut down in 609 B.C. by the combined forces of Babylon, Media, and Persia, nothing ever arose from the stumps again. Not so with Israel. From one of her stumps, as we are told in the call narrative (6:13c), the smallest shoot would venture forth. From that helpless shoot (53:1, 2) would come the restoration of that nation and with it the end of the war (9:4 [Eng. 5]) and the establishment of that which the world has sought but never attained, namely, genuine security.
The use of Jesse is an attempt to downplay the house of David (cf. 7:1, 13). Salvation would not come from the pomp and glory of the royal house. Rather, it would come from the promise of one who could create a royal house from a peasant family. Deliverance is God’s gracious gift, an exercise of his faithfulness. Nevertheless, God’s promise to David stands. It is not merely through any of Jesse’s sons that deliverance will come, but specifically through a descendant of David. Both earlier (9:6) and later exegesis (16:5; 55:4–5; Jer. 23:5; 33:15) make the connection explicit (Cf. also Ezek. 34:23–25; Zech. 12:7–12; 13:1.). It is possible that this use of the term branch provides the ruling interpretation for its use in Zechariah (3:8 and 6:12) and Jeremiah (23:5 and 33:15) where it clearly refers to the Messiah (4:2).
How could peace be comprehended through ancestry and lineage:
Illustration: 5222 Peace Child
In a book entitled Peace Child, Don Richardson records the moving account of how the Sawi people of Irian Jaya came to understand salvation through Jesus Christ. For many months he and his family sought for some way to communicate the gospel to this tribe. Then they discovered the key for which they had been praying. All demonstrations of kindness expressed by the Sawi were regarded with suspicion except one act. If a father gave his own son to his enemy, his sacrificial deed showed that he could be trusted! Furthermore, everyone who touched that child was brought into a friendly relationship with the father. The Sawi were then taught that in a similar way God’s beloved Son could bring them eternal peace. (Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979)
We have seen: 1) The Triumph through His Ancestry. (Isaiah 11:1) and now:
2) The Triumph through His Anointing. (Isaiah 11:2)
Isaiah 11:2 [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 the fear of the LORD.
To say that God’s spirit was upon someone became almost a code phrase for saying that the person was acting out of a capacity which was more than merely human (, cf. Gen. 41:38; Num. 11:17, 25; Judg. 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; Dan. 4:8; 5:11, 14.). This phrase came to be applied supremely to capacity for ethical behavior (44:3; Ezek. 6:25–27). Yet, the Davidic kings had come to manifest a spirit which had little of God in it. Craven, cynical, pompous, they seemed to be spiritually bankrupt, so much so that Isaiah was led to testify that the palace was empty (32:14) and envisioned a day when the Spirit of God would be visited on the people as a whole (32:15) through their leaders.
This verse fits the picture just drawn in a perfect manner. The promised shoot from the stump of Jesse will be characterized by the very breath of God about him. Everything about his leadership will testify to a supernatural endowment for his calling. It is this which is critical. Unless the Messiah is truly endued with the Spirit of God, the results of his rule will be no different from those of an Ahaz.
But Isaiah can look forward to such a Messiah who will be able to perceive things correctly (wisdom) and who will be able to carry out (might) correct decisions (understanding) because of a correct motivation. The basis of this king’s activity will be that kind of experiential acquaintance with God which will issue in the recognition that the supreme reality of life is our accountability to a just, faithful, holy God. It is this understanding which characterizes true faith for the Hebrew. Pious feelings and ecstatic experiences are as nothing unless they are underlain by that pervading consciousness of God’s reality and of our accountability to him. Because the Messiah will be characterized by this fear of the Lord, he can be depended upon to perceive correctly (John 2:24, 25; Mark 2:8) and to act with integrity (Luke 4:1–13). The person who knows God in a full-orbed way and is supremely concerned to please him can be depended upon not to allow self-serving to cloud the issue, to cause him to trample other people. If there should come One in whom God’s Spirit could dwell completely and purely, that person could be the Savior of the world (61:1). The testimony of the NT (Luke 4:14, 18; John 1:14) and of the Christian Church is that Jesus of Nazareth is that person.
Quote: J. S. Baxter said:
What God chooses, He cleanses. What God cleanses, He molds. What God molds, He fills. What God fills, He uses. (Green, Michael P.: Illustrations for Bilical Preaching : Over 1500 Sermon Illustrations Arranged by Topic and Indexed Exhaustively. Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1989)
We have seen: 1) The Triumph through His Ancestry. (Isaiah 11:1), 2) The Triumph through His Anointing. (Isaiah 11:2) and now:
3) The Triumph through His Administration. (Isaiah 11:3-5)
Isaiah 11:3-5 [3]And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, [4]but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. [5]Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
This paragraph moves from the endowment of the Messiah to a description of the manner in which he carries out his rule. He will not govern on the basis of appearances, but rather will operate out of a fundamental righteousness and faithfulness that will give his pronouncements an unshakable moral force.
Please turn to John 18
This individual will not judge by/according to what his eyes see. This appears again to be a reference to a more than merely human character possessed by the Messiah. A human judge can do no more than to make the best use of his or her natural faculties in attempting to reach a fair ruling. Somehow this king will go deeper than that and will pierce beneath appearances to the underlying reality. Absolute justice demands absolute knowledge. In this light, it must be obvious that the king for whom Isaiah looks is more than a new edition of the present monarchy. Rather, he looks for a radically different kind of kingship (cf. John 18:36–38).
John 18:36-37 [36]Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." [37]Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (ESV)
In Isaiah 11:4 is says that this individual will also judge the poor which is an expression of a royal role not only in Israel but across the ancient Near East. The king who did not accept this role, at least in principle, could not hope to survive (Cf. Ps. 72:2; 2 Sam. 23:3, 4; 1 K. 10:9; Prov. 29:4, 14; Isa. 1:23;). The poor, the helpless, and the outcast were to be accorded the special protection of the crown. However, there was a great gulf between the ideal and the actual. For then, as now, the poor lacked political power. Thus, if one’s kingship rested upon the favor and goodwill of the rich and the powerful, primary attention to the needs of the powerless would always remain an ideal. In order for that ideal to become a reality, the king’s authority would have to rest upon something other than political power. In that case, right decisions could be rendered without concern for political ramifications.
This individual will also strike the earth with the rod of his mouth which expresses the moral force possessed by a leader who owes allegiance to no earthly pressure groups. He can say what needs to be said in a given circumstance and the force of the truth is undeniable (Mark 12:34). The word itself becomes his weapon (Heb. 4:12; 2 Thess. 2:8b; Rev. 1:16b; 19:15). The Branch’s rule over the nations will be forceful. The NT uses equivalent terminology to describe the Warrior-King at His triumphant return to earth (Rev. 19:15; cf. 49:2; Ps. 2:9) (MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Is 11:4).
Revelation 19:15 [15]From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. (ESV)
The messiah will execute His wrath by the breath of His lips. Paul draws upon this to tell of the destruction of the man of lawlessness at Christ’s second advent (2 Thess. 2:8).
2 Thessalonians 2:8 [8]And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. (ESV)
When Isaiah tells of this happening to the people of the earth, it referrs to the normal form of Hebrew poetry would suggest that the earth is somehow synonymous with the wicked, and Isaiah does use the word “earth” in this sense several times (13:11; 24:17–21; 26:9, 21; 28:22).
The general sense of verse five is clear. The Messiah will bring justice and equity upon the earth because fundamental to his own character will be two essential qualities: uprightness and dependability born of righteousness and faithfulness. Fundamentally, these are two characteristics of God upon which the whole biblical understanding of life is built (Isa. 5:16; 65:16; Ps. 40:11; 119:75, 142; Zech. 8:8). Because he is as he is, the whole universe can be understood in a coherent and consistent way. If in fact the first principle of existence operated on the basis of arbitrary chance, then nothing could be known and, even more, there would be nothing to which commitment could be reasonably given.
Normally the synonym of “righteousness” (ṣdq) is “justice” (mšpṭ), while the synonym for “faithfulness” (ʾĕmûnâ, root ʾmn) is “steadfast love” (ḥsd). Although their meanings overlap, each contributes a distinctive element. Righteousness is that capacity for doing the right thing in all circumstances and frequently involves keeping one’s promises. Faithfulness comes from the root which means to be dependable or true (TDOT, I:316–320.). So, fundamental to both words is the idea of an integrity or consistency which results in complete dependability. These were the characteristics that the Israelite people saw in their God and longed for in their king. What Isaiah was depicting in the Messiah was someone who would combine divine traits with a human presence.
That these qualities would be the belt of his waist/loins directly referrs it to the belt which was used to gather up the outer robe and into which the bottom hem of the garment could be tucked in preparation for strenuous activity (“gird up your loins,” Job 38:3; Isa. 8:9; cf. also 5:27). However, the same term also applies to the “loincloth” normally worn under the other garments (Job 12:18; Jer. 13:11). These are the characteristics which bring all the Messiah’s other attributes together, giving them dignity and force. The belt, which gathered the loose garments together, is figurative for the Messiah’s readiness for conflict. Applied in the loincloth sense, righteousness and faithfulness are those qualities most basic and fundamental to all the others.
What then is it to be more like Jesus in righteousness and faithfulness. Consider the story of:
Illustration: More Like Jesus
William Howard Doane (who) was a wealthy nineteenth-century industrialist who entered the business world at age sixteen and was president of his own manufacturing company by age twenty-nine. But his real love was music, and he sang solos and directed choirs at various churches around Cincinnati. At age thirty, Doane suffered a terrible heart attack which took him to the edge of the grave. As he recovered, he felt God wanted him to devote more of his time to the ministry of Christian music.
He began compiling and publishing hymn books, and writing musical scores for hymns and gospel songs. But Doane didn’t feel he could compose words suitable to his melodies, and he was always looking for Christian poets who could write lyrics for the Gospel tunes. In November, 1867, in New York, he was asked by Rev. Dr. W. C. Van Meter to write a hymn in celebration of the anniversary of a rescue mission. Doane quickly came up with a melody, but could find no suitable words.
Kneeling in his New York hotel room, he asked God to send him a poem suitable for the anniversary celebration. He also prayed for a poet who could supply an ongoing stream of suitable verse. As he prayed, he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw a messenger boy who handed him an envelope addressed to Mr. William Howard Doane. The letter read: Mr. Doane: I have never met you, but I feel impelled to send you this hymn. May God bless it. Fanny Crosby. The one enclosed in the letter that day was quickly embraced by congregations around the world:
More like Jesus would I be,
Let my Savior dwell in me,
Fill my soul with peace and love,
Make me gentle as the dove;
More like Jesus while I go,
Pilgrim in this world below;
Poor in spirit would I be;
Let my Savior dwell in me.
More like Jesus when I pray,
More like Jesus day by day
May I rest me by His side,
Where the tranquil waters glide.
(Morgan, Robert J.: Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, S. 104)
We have seen: 1) The Triumph through His Ancestry. (Isaiah 11:1), 2) The Triumph through His Anointing. (Isaiah 11:2) 3) The Triumph through His Administration. (Isaiah 11:3-5) and finally:
4) The Triumph through His Accomplishments. (Isaiah 11:6-10)
Isaiah 11:6-10 [6]The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. [7]The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8]The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. [9]They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. [10]In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. (ESV)
With a classic set of images the prophet portrays the kind of security and safety which will result in the rule of the Messiah (Cf. also 35:9; 65:25; Ezek. 34:25). The most helpless and innocent will be at ease with those who were formerly the most rapacious and violent. There are three general implications of these statements. The first is literalistic, looking for a literal fulfillment of the words.
A second means of interpretation is spiritualistic. The animals represent various spiritual conditions and states within human beings (cf. Calvin).
Please turn to Romans 8
The third way of interpreting this passage, and others like it, is the figurative. In this approach one concludes that an extended figure of speech is being used to make a single, overarching point, namely, that in the Messiah’s reign the fears associated with insecurity, danger, and evil will be removed, not only for the individual but for the world as well (Rom. 8:19–21).
Romans 8:19-25 [19]For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. [20]For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope [21]that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. [22]For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. [23]And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. [24]For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? [25]But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (ESV)
The reign of Christ already produces this kind of transformation in the sphere of human character, and will ultimately change the whole creation. We can see this as an earthly expression of the ‘new heavens and … new earth’ (65:17, 25) in which variety will not be enmity, and the weak will be the complement, no longer the prey, of the strong (cf. Hab. 2:14) (Carson, D. A.: New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA : Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, S. Is 11:6).
Now in terms of the particulars of the Isaiah 11 imagery. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb expresses the sense of these verses that the apparently strong become dependent upon the apparently weak. The word dwell is the word used of a stranger whose survival in a foreign land is dependent upon the goodwill of the natives. Likewise, these wild animals are depicted as depending upon the leadership of a child, the one supposedly least able to control their voracious instincts. But this mention of the child fits one of the recurring themes of chs. 7–12: a child, not a strutting monarch, is the one whom God chooses to rule this world’s great. In innocence, simplicity, and faith lie the salvation of a globe grown old in sophistication, cynicism, and violence.
The force of the imagery of verse eight where: The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. illustrates why an author would choose this means of making his point. The contradiction of a child playing about the den of poisonous snakes can almost be felt physically. One wants to snatch the child away from the presence of sudden, arbitrary death. In what more effective way could a writer communicate his conviction that in the Messiah’s day, death itself will be conquered. One thinks of the NT’s appropriation of Hos. 13:14 in 1 Cor. 15:55, “Death, where is thy sting?”
Verse nine describes how the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Everyone will know the Lord when He returns to fulfill His New Covenant with Israel (Jer. 31:34). This describes a situation wehre there will be safety and removal of anxiety because of a relationally based understanding of God and His ways. Attempts to arrive at a just world peace based upon mutual self-interest must finally fail.
Only mutual commitment to the Holy One who is righteous and faithful can produce an environment where human beings can commit themselves to one another in trust (34:14–17). (See also 53:11 and Jer. 31:34.)
Verse 10 appears to be in prose and begins with the formula: It shall be in that day. It makes it plain that the Messiah will be the banner around whom the remnant will gather in God’s grace. Apart from the revelation of the Messiah any return will be but a temporal matter whose ultimate significance is always in doubt.
In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples. The Root of Jesse will also attract non-Jews who inhabit the future kingdom (49:6; 52:10; 60:3; 66:18). Paul saw God’s ministry to Gentiles as an additional implication of this verse (Rom. 15:12) (MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Is 11:10).
The statement in Isaiah 11:10 is contrasted with Isaiah 5:26 where God raises an ensign to call the nations to the dismemberment of his people. Here he raises another ensign to call his people home. Once again, the prophet emphasizes God’s dependability. Not only will he keep his promises to his people, he will also keep his promises to Jesse’s son. Though the hand of God, He will destory His enemies but also redeem His people. This truth is underlined when we look at the full revelation of the Messiah in Jesus Christ. The way in which he was lifted up (John 12:32) is a testimony to God’s faithfulness both to punish sins and also to redeem. So, the nations come streaming to the God who, in himself, has satisfied his love and His justice and has opened for us the way into His presence.
(Format note: Some base commentary from Oswalt, John N.: The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 1-39. Grand Rapids, MI : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1986 (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament), S. 277)
