Israel’s Messiah, the Hope of the World! – Part One

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

Isaiah 11:10

Isaiah 11 speaks about Israel’s Messiah, the hope of the world. In this study we want to speak about the person and power of the Messiah.

When Isaiah prophesied in the eighth century B. C., Assyria was the world superpower. Because she did not realize that she was merely being used by God to discipline other nations, Assyria became very arrogant and eventually mocked the true and living God, the God of Israel. But Israel’s God is the Lord of history, and through Isaiah he pronounced Assyria’s utter destruction: “See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One” (Isaiah 10:33-34). This prediction was literally fulfilled when Assyria was completely destroyed in 609 B.C.

But what about Judah and Israel? In 2 Samuel 7:16 God made a promise to David: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” Yet in 586 B. C. the temple was destroyed and the tree of the Davidic dynasty in the person of Zedekiah was cut down by Babylon. No longer was there a Davidic king ruling in Jerusalem. All that remained was a remnant, a stump. What, then, about God’s promise?

God cannot lie; he keeps all his promises. So in Isaiah 11:1 we read, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Yes, Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and eventually Greece and Rome, were completely destroyed, but God’s people were not. The continuation of the Davidic dynasty was fulfilled in the Anointed One, the Messiah. So Isaiah was seeing the coming of the Messiah.

Who Is the Messiah?

The word Messiah means “Anointed One.” In the Old Testament, all prophets, priests, and kings were anointed as a symbol of the Holy Spirit that they could do their respective work effectively. But all the prophets, priests, and kings in the Old Testament pointed to the one who is Prophet, Priest, and King, the Messiah.

In Isaiah 11 this Messiah is called the Branch: “from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Isaiah 4:2 tells us, “In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.” Jeremiah also speaks of the Branch: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land'” (23:5); “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land” (33:15). Zechariah mentions the Branch twice: “Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch” (3:8) and “Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD'” (6:12). The Branch is not Hezekiah or Zerubbabel, but Jesus Christ himself, David’s greater Son.

In Isaiah 7:14 we read that this Messiah is a virgin-born child, Immanuel. The Messiah is certainly a descendant of David, but he is more than that: he is God. Thus, he is not only David’s son, but also David’s Lord. He is God/man, having two natures in one person.

In Isaiah 9:6-7 we find another description of the Messiah: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.” So the Messiah is going to be a child, a human son. “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This child is also Mighty God, who always brings peace through conquest, never through negotiation. Then Isaiah tells us he is the great King: “Of the increase of his government and peace there is no end.”

In Isaiah 11:10 this Messiah is called the root of Jesse. He gave existence to Jesse and is th source of the entire Davidic dynasty. This again tells us that Jesus is God. But he is also a shoot of Jesse; he is God/man.

We get another view of this Messiah in Isaiah 42 and 53. There God calls him, “my Servant.” Yes, he is Mighty God, perfect man, and the great King. But he is also a servant of God, the Servant par excellence who always obeyed his Lord, even unto death on the cross. That is why he is called the suffering Servant in Isaiah 53.

Before he died, Jacob spoke of the Messiah in his prophecy about his son Judah:

Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness-who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his (Genesis 49:8-10).

Jacob was seeing someone coming from the tribe of Judah who would rule “until he comes to whom it belongs.” Jacob prophesied that Judah was going to rule until someone came “to whom it belongs.” The universal rulership would belong to him who is to come. Then Jacob said, “and the obedience of the nations is his.” The obedience of the nations belongs to the Messiah.

We find the same idea in Ezekiel. Because the kings of Judah had become wicked, they were cut down. In reference to wicked King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, the prophet declared, “O profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was. . . . The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it” (21:25-27). The prophet was seeing the ruin of Zedekiah and Judah. Yet there would be restoration when “he comes to whom it rightfully belongs.”

Messianic Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecies

Seven hundred years later Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled. In Luke 1, beginning with verse 30, the angel Gabriel declared, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. . . .” Almost six hundred years had passed since the fall of Jerusalem. The tree had been cut down and only a stump remained. But God is faithful to his promises, and in the fullness of time he sent his Son, the King, to whom the obedience of the nations belongs. So Gabriel told Mary, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

In Romans 1:3 the apostle Paul spoke about Jesus Christ as God/man: “Regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God.”

In Genesis 3:15 we find an ancient prophecy which encapsulates the gospel: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers.” God was speaking about the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, whom Paul later identified in Galatians 3:16 as Jesus Christ, through whom all the peoples of the world are blessed.

The Fruit of the Messiah

Isaiah 11:1 tells us, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Every descendant of Jesse failed to bear fruit for God. In fact, Isaiah 5 speaks about a vine that bore only bad fruit. But finally there is hope: Isaiah saw a shoot coming out of the stump of Jesse which, despite the miserable condition of Judah, bore good fruit for God.

Isaiah 53 tells us that the will of God will prosper in the hand of the Messiah. In the book of Romans we learn that Jesus Christ is the last Adam. By his perfect obedience, he brought forth fruit, which results in the salvation of God’s people.

Who, then, is this shoot, this Branch? He is the seed of the woman, the son of Abraham, the son of David. He is the Mighty God, the Savior, the Prince of Peace who establishes peace universally by conquest. He is the Messiah whom all must obey.

The Powers of the Messiah

What powers are given to the Messiah to do his job as Prophet, Priest, and King? “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him” (Isaiah 11:2).

The Bible speaks elsewhere of people being endued by spirits. For instance, the antichrist will be endowed with an evil spirit. But the Messiah will be endowed with the Holy Spirit. This was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit will rest on the Messiah; he will not be coming and going. Just as the Holy Spirit came on David when he was anointed by Samuel, even so the Spirit of God will rest on David’s greater Son, and he will do so permanently and without measure. The Spirit of the Lord will give the human Messiah all the abilities and powers he needs to rule and reign.

Later we read, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. . .” (42:1). Why does God delight in the Messiah? He is the servant who obeys God perfectly. He is the one of whom we read, “This is my beloved Son in whom I delight.” “I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations” (42:1). All gifts, abilities, and powers that the Messiah needs come from the Holy Spirit.

In Isaiah 61 we are told again of the equipping of the Messiah:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. . . .

Jesus Christ fulfilled these words, as Luke 3:21-22 tells us: “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.” In Luke 4 we see that when Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth, he understood that the Holy Spirit had come upon him. He read this passage from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me. . . .” Then he said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.” Jesus was publicly declaring, “Here I am, the one to whom belongs obedience of the world.”

The Gift of Wisdom

The first gift listed in Isaiah 11 is the Spirit of wisdom. “The Spirit of wisdom” here means “the Spirit that gives wisdom” to the human Messiah. The Messiah needs wisdom from God to govern justly.

Isaiah 10:13 has a false claim made by an Assyrian king: “By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.” This king was claiming that his success in conquering nations came from his own wisdom and understanding. PGM Nebuchadnezzar made a similar boast, as do all human kings. But Isaiah 11 speaks of a king whose wisdom will help him govern, because it is the true wisdom given by the Holy Spirit.

What is true wisdom? It is the ability to make right, God-pleasing decisions. Luke 2:52 says Jesus Christ he grew up in wisdom. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom as well. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the word of wisdom, according to Corinthians 12:7. James writes, “If any one of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Without wisdom, we will make wrong decisions which will have serious consequences.

Spirit of Understanding

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of understanding, which is deep intellectual insight into persons and situations. It is the power to see the heart of an issue.

The Messiah will not judge on what he hears and sees. First Samuel 16 tells us that God is not impressed by exterior appearance; he looks at the heart. The Messiah sees through outward appearances because he has understanding into the heart. In John 2:24-25 we find this profound statement: “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” What knowledge he had!

Spirit of Counsel

Next, we read that Spirit given to the Messiah is the Spirit of counsel. The Holy Spirit gave counsel to the Messiah. We are not told that Jesus ever asked a human being for advice, but he was given counsel by the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 50:4-5 describes how the Messiah received counsel: “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.”

The Messiah is called Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9). The Holy Spirit gave him a plan to accomplish God’s messianic task so that he knew what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

The Spirit of Power

The Messiah is given power by the Holy Spirit to put his counsel into practice. How many people make plans, but do not have what it takes to execute them! But the Holy Spirit gave the Messiah not only the plan but also the power to execute it. So in Isaiah 9 he is called, “Mighty God,” and in Luke 24:19 we read that Jesus Christ was mighty in deed and in word. He is mighty to save and he is mighty to judge, as the world will find out, because he has been given the Spirit of counsel and of power.

The Spirit of the Knowledge

The Holy Spirit gives this human Messiah true knowledge, which is knowledge of the Lord. If a person does not know the Lord, he is a fool, even if he pretends to be full of knowledge.

This knowledge of God is not merely intellectual. The biblical idea of knowledge includes rational knowledge, but, more than that, it refers to relational knowledge. For example, a husband and wife “know” each other, not only intellectually, but also relationally. In the same way, the knowledge of the Lord is knowledge that comes to us through our relationship with God.

How we need such relational knowledge of God! “The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3). This is not speaking of theoretical knowledge; rather, it speaks of the knowledge that comes out of relationship.

Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” We know nothing of God until we fear him and submit to him with our mind, heart, soul, and spirit. Without such delightful submission, we have no knowledge of God. Psalm 14:4 tells us, “Evildoers have no knowledge.” They are like Eli’s sons, about whom 1 Samuel 2:12 says, “[They] were wicked; they did not know the Lord.”

But the Messiah knows God, and through him we are also given this knowledge. In Matthew 11:27 Jesus said, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” In John 17 Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Thus, knowledge of God is relational knowledge. We can say that knowledge of God is wholehearted love of God. He who loves God in that way truly knows God.

The Fear of the Lord

Though this is a strange idea, the final qualification for the Messiah is that he is given the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.

Some people think that to receive the Holy Spirit means a person can speak in tongues, or have other experiences, even while continuing to live in sin. But when we truly receive the Holy Spirit, we receive the fear of the Lord, which is the realization of God’s holiness and our nothingness. When we know God as infinite, personal, holy, and majestic, our arrogance will vanish, and we will reverentially submit to all God’s will. That is what the Bible means by the fear of the Lord.

Edward J. Young, late professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, said this fear of the Lord “is the heart and core of true religion.” Where there is no fear of the Lord, there is no Holy Spirit and no salvation. In John 8:29 Jesus said, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” That is the fear of the Lord. Because the Spirit of the fear of the Lord was resting upon Jesus Christ, he always did what pleased his Father, even the death of the cross. Hebrews 5:7 tells us, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”

The fear of God is a moral concern always present in the mind of a Christian. In Genesis 20:11 Abraham said he was afraid he would be killed because there was no fear of God in Abimelech’s kingdom.

The fear of God motivates obedience to God. In Exodus 20 Moses told the people that God came in such a terrifying way so that the fear of God would be with them to keep them from sinning.

The fear of God molds right conduct. In Nehemiah 5:9, Nehemiah said, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?” Then in verse 15 he said, in contrast to the unrighteous conduct of the governors before him, “Out of reverence for God I did not act like that.”

The fear of God inspires true loyalty and adoration of God. Psalm 2:11 tells us, “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling,” and Psalm 5:7 says, “But I, by your great mercy, come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.”

In Isaiah 11 we are told that the Messiah will delight in the fear of the Lord. It was not stated that he would delight in wisdom or knowledge or understanding or counsel or power, but only in one thing: the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is not drudgery, misery, or even duty, but delight. The word “delight” is a translation of the Hebrew word which means to smell with pleasure. It is speaking about total satisfaction. The total satisfaction of the Messiah rests upon this one thing called fear of the Lord.

Israel’s Messiah, the shoot from the stump of Jesse, is a person who receives his total joy from the fear of the Lord. This is how we judge the work of the Holy Spirit in personal and church life. Do people delight in the fear of the Lord? Do they have a moral concern? Are they motivated to obey God? Do they deny themselves and take up the cross and follow the Messiah?

The Proof of Fear of the Lord

I recently heard from a man in another city who was attending a church which was charismatic and somewhat Reformed in its teaching. He left the church because many people, including leaders, were living morally disorderly lives, even while claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit and believing the doctrines of grace.

There is a song that goes, “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart!” That song was written in 1914; today many are not interested in having any change in life. How many modern evangelists just demand mental assent to Jesus and never speak of moral change? But that is not the biblical way. To live an autonomous, morally disordered life is to declare our utter spiritual bankruptcy. The evidence of a Spirit-filled life is holiness, for the Holy Spirit is holy. He is the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of holiness, the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.

In John 4 Jesus told his disciples, “My food is to do the will of God and to finish it.” When Jesus came into this world, he said, “I delight to do your will, O my God. Your law is within my heart” (Hebrews 10). We cannot truly live the Christian life without the fear of the Lord. Some people carefully guard their autonomy, building huge walls around themselves so that no one can tell them what God wants them to do. Such autonomy has nothing to do with true Christianity.

I pray that God will pour out his Spirit, especially the Spirit of the fear of the Lord, upon us. The Messiah came, not only to save, but to destroy every autonomous structure-every dominion, authority, and power-opposed to his government. “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” May the Holy Spirit fall afresh upon us and make wonderful changes in our hearts and behavior that we will delight in hearing and doing God’s will. Just as God’s Son brought forth fruit by obeying his heavenly Father even to the death on the cross, may we also bring forth fruit, more fruit, and much fruit, that we may shine as lights in this world. Amen.