Isaiah 11:1-7

Freedom in This Spirit

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

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.

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,

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.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:1-5, ESV)

What does this say about God?

The Lord has a Spirit. This Spirit shows wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord. The Lord will also be responsible for sending a “shoot [new man] from… Jesse.”

What does this say about man and his world?

Man’s world will have a “shoot” (a person) from Jesse’s family, who will delight in the fear of the Lord. The world is a stump because it has been destroyed by the men before it, but the shoot will bring hope by embodying the Spirit and his characteristics (wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord).

How does God connect to man in his world?

The man in this prophecy is Jesus, who did come as a man, years after this was written, exhibiting these characteristics: He did not judge by what his eyes saw only, or what his ears heard only, but by the wisdom that the Spirit of God gave/gives him. He judged/s rightly. He decided/s equity for the meek. He strikes the earth with a rod, and with his breath kills the wicked. He is a man of right-ness and faith.

After Jesus time on earth as a man was complete, he ascended into heaven, and God sent the Spirit: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26, ESV) This Spirit, when rightly followed, can help us better know God, and do his will. It is not easy for men to see rightly, judge rightly, help the meek, have wisdom and knowledge, but the example of Jesus as a man gives us a picture of what a man-filled-with-the-Spirit can accomplish: self-less living with freedom of the weight of having to figure it all out on our own.