20/08/17 Isaiah 11:1-9 “Most Christians don’t seem to desire the new world coming”

 

Isaiah 11:1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

 

rod – branch; twig; shoot.

stem – stem; stock; trunk. Often indicated a tree cut down to a small stump.

 

Branchnetser ( sprout; shoot; branch, always figuratively) from the root word natsar (to guard; watch over; keep) but in the sense of green as a striking colour.

It is believed by some to be the same root word from which Nazareth derives.

Nazareth – generally supposed to be the Greek form of the Hebrew netser, a "shoot" or "sprout." Some, however, think that the name of the city must be connected with the name of the hill behind it, from which one of the finest prospects in Palestine is obtained, and accordingly they derive it from the Hebrew notserah , i.e., one guarding or watching, thus designating the hill which overlooks and thus guards an extensive region. (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

Note that the Hebrew “notserah” quoted here appears to be the equivalent of “natsar” which also means “to guard, watch over, or keep”.

 

However, other sources believe that Nazareth derives from Gennesaret from Chinnereth, an ancient town on the Sea of Chinnereth.

Dictionary.com says of Nazareth that it was a town in Lower Galilee, childhood home of Jesus, from Hebrew Natzerath, of unknown origin, perhaps a corruption of Gennesaret "Sea of Galilee." An obscure village, not named in the Old Testament or contemporary rabbinical texts.

 

Other sources say that Chinnereth derives from an ancient Canaanite word which they omit to name, but could be related to “natsar” anyway?

It is very likely that the Sea of Galilee was also known as the Sea of Chinnereth or probably, later on, the Sea of Gennesaret, but this still doesn’t exclude the name Nazareth from ultimately deriving from the Hebrew word “branch”.

 

Many commentaries on Matthew 2:23 (And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.) refer to Isaiah 11:1 as a cross-reference for this prophecy.

Jamieson-Fausset (on Matthew 2:23) – The best explanation of the origin of this name appears to be that which traces it to the word netzer in Isa 11:1—the small twig, sprout, or sucker, which the prophet there says, "shall come forth from the stem (or rather, 'stump') of Jesse, the branch which should fructify from his roots." The little town of Nazareth, mentioned neither in the Old Testament nor in Josephus, was probably so called from its insignificance: a weak twig in contrast to a stately tree; and a special contempt seemed to rest upon it—"Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (Joh 1:46)—over and above the general contempt in which all Galilee was held, from the number of Gentiles that settled in the upper territories of it, and, in the estimation of the Jews, debased it.

 

Thus, there would come forth a growth (descendant) of the stock (genetics) of Jesse (father of David); a Branch (the Messiah, Immanuel) would grow from the stump that remained of the stock of Jesse.

Also note Isaiah 6:13But yet in it [shall be] a tenth, and [it] shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance [is] in them, when they cast [their leaves: so] the holy seed [shall be] the substance thereof.

Romans 15:12And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

 

A seemingly dead stump is all that remains of the house of Jesse (or David), yet from this stump will yet grow a shoot that will become a branch of His ancestor David.

 

Isaiah 11:2And 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;

 

The Holy Spirit will rest (settle) upon him (the Branch, the Messiah), the spirit of wisdom (prudence; shrewdness) and understanding (discernment), the spirit of counsel (wise decisions) and might (strength; power; bravery), the spirit of knowledge (perception; skill) and of the fear (terror; reverence; respect) of the Lord (Yᵉhovah).

The perfect fruit of the Spirit belongs to the Messiah in its entirety. It is the at-least-partial fruit of the Spirit that separates Christians from the world.

 

It is this Spirit resting upon the Branch that defines Him as Jesus the Messiah.

John 1:32-3432 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

 

Wisdom and understanding (plus counsel) were requirements for authority.

Deuteronomy 1:13Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

 

the fear of the LordPsalm 2:11Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. That is, never once ignore the fact that God is God and we are not!

Psalm 111:10The fear of the Lord [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

 

Isaiah 11:3And 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:

 

shall make him of quick understanding – smell; scent; perceive odour; accept, but metaphorically “delight” (from the drawing of one’s breath in, signifying sniffing a scent)

And He shall delight in the fear of the Lord. That is, He will delight in the pleasing of His Father, and His Father likewise in the Son.

Matthew 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

 

He will act according to the will of His Father. In the following, it appears that David is submitting to God’s will, yet Hebrews 10:7 quotes this Psalm as a Messianic saying.

Psalm 40:7-87 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.

Hebrews 10:7-97 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

 

He will not execute judgment according to what He sees, nor will He convict according to what He hears.

John 7:24Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Thus, we walk not by sight but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Luke 22:42Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 

Isaiah 11:4But 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.

 

He will judge the poor with righteousness, in contrast to the references of Isaiah concerning the lack of such righteousness among the rulers of his day.

Isaiah 1:23Thy princes [are] rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Isaiah 10:1-21 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness [which] they have prescribed; 2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and [that] they may rob the fatherless!

 

He will reprove (convict; reprove; correct; rebuke) with equity (level place; uprightness) the meek (poor; humble; afflicted; weak) of the earth. That is, it will be a level playing field, as the saying goes today.

He shall smite (strike; scourge; send judgment upon; punish) the earth with the rod (staff) of His mouth and with the breath of His lips (literally language; speech) He will slay (put to death) the wicked (the guilty ones).

 

This appears to be a statement of the power of God’s voice – or word, (such that He can speak and it is accomplished).

Psalm 33:8-98 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was [done]; he commanded, and it stood fast.

 

God’s word is quick and powerful.

Hebrews 4:12For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

Unless they return to God He will smite the earth (probably as relating to His people) with a curse.

Malachi 4:6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

 

Isaiah 11:5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

 

He will be clothed with righteousness and faithfulness.

loins – or hips; waist.   

reins – loins.

Psalm 145:17The Lord [is] righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

Ephesians 6:14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Deuteronomy 7:9Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

 

Isaiah 11:6The 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.

 

Note where this passage is now leading: They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain (Isaiah 11:9) The consequences of the Branch!

That is, there will be no more hurt nor destruction in the Messianic kingdom yet in the future. Harmful creatures will no longer harm the defenceless. No more pain; no more sorrow.

 

See the parallel with the New Jerusalem: Revelation 21:1-41 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

Creation has been despoiled by sin, but one day there will be no more sin, and thus there will be freedom from the bondage of its corruption.

Romans 8:19-2119 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

 

a little child shall lead them – man’s dominion over creation (Genesis 1:28) is enhanced such that even a little child will have dominion over all, including the previously harmful creatures.

 

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.

 

The picture continues of the hunted eating peacefully with the hunter, without fear. They shall eat together, their young ones will sleep together and the creatures that eat meat (typified by the lion) will no longer be a threat to the previously hunted creatures, for they will no longer eat meat. There will no longer be any such thing as a carnivorous animal in this day, which is either the millennium or, more likely, referring to the new heavens and the new earth which shall be a re-creation of the original creation – the way it was originally meant to be until sin intervened.

 

Note the new heavens and new earth consistency with the following:

Isaiah 65:17-2517 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [in that] which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner [being] an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

2 Peter 3:13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

 

the cow and the bear shall feed – while this clearly speaks of the future perfection of God’s creation, as it once was, Gill (a calvinist) offers the following advice:

And the cow and the bear shall feed,.... That is, together, in one church state, at one table, or in one pasture, upon the wholesome food of the Gospel, the salutary doctrines of Christ; who though before of different dispositions, the one tame and gentle, useful and profitable, dispensing the milk of the divine word, and gracious experience; the other cruel and voracious, barbarous and inhuman, worrying the lambs and sheep of Christ; but now of the same nature, and having no ill will to one another, and being without fear of each other:

It is said that the calvinists prefer analogy to straight-forward interpretation; this appears to be a very good example of such!

 

Isaiah 11:8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

 

The unweaned child will play safely alongside the asp (a most poisonous snake) and the weaned child shall put his hand on (or in) the hole of an adder or viper.

Thus, this signifies the extreme safety now of what would have been called extremely dangerous.

 

Isaiah 11:9They 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 65:25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

 

There shall be no more pain nor sorrow, no more death nor crying (Revelation 21:4) in God’s perfected creation of the future.

 

God’s holy mountain has already been introduced by Isaiah in the following:

Isaiah 2:2-42 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

 

This will only come about when creation has brought to birth the new creation.

Romans 8:22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

 

Habakkuk (a contemporary of Jeremiah, Nahum and Zephaniah) wrote around 100 years later, possibly with Nebuchadnezzar at war with Jerusalem:

Habakkuk 2:14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

As the waters flow into and fill every part of the ocean bed, so does the knowledge of the Lord flow into and fill every part of the earth.

 

There might be a new world coming, but far too many people (including many who call themselves Christians) just don’t want this present world to end! In particular, the church today seems to be enjoying this world so much that a new world might just be a bit of an anti-climax, a let-down, a disappointment!

2 Timothy 4:10aFor Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world ….

this present world – literally “this present age”.

(Note same word used for “forsaken” in Matthew 27:46My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?)

 

I suspect that many who think they will be raptured one day just hope that it doesn’t happen too soon, at least, not until they have “fulfilled” themselves in this present age! And perhaps they might get their wish: they just might get an extra 7 years to fulfil their worldly dreams!

 

And then there are “teachers” like MacArthur who teach their “elect” congregations that they’ll escape the tribulation via the rapture, yet surprisingly also teach their “elect” congregations that they can still be saved even if they take the mark of the beast during the tribulation! No-one really likes to hear that he might be persecuted and tortured in the future; far better to have a good life here and then a good life for eternity! But how does that explain Paul’s teaching to the Romans?

Romans 8:17-1817 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

 

Of course, no-one in their right mind goes out of their way to seek torment; although good catholics and similar have done so with acts of penance such as walking up stairs on their knees. The Scala Sancta (holy stairs) are 28 steps found in Rome. The catholic church in 1817 granted an indulgence of 9 years for each step climbed on knees. In 1908 another indulgence was granted for those who climbed them on knees after confession and mass. Luther climbed these stairs on his knees in 1510 (7 years before his 95 theses), saying the Pater noster (Our Father) on each step, which was then supposed to redeem a soul from purgatory. It is said that Luther had doubts about this which may have led to the preparation of his 95 theses.

 

Others have practised self-flagellation (whipping) in order to redeem their souls from sin. However, the vast majority of alleged Christians (especially Word-Faith) today would rather assess their status of Christian on the value of their enjoyment of the present age. It’s hard to relate this to the following: 2 Timothy 3:12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Somehow I fear that the church today has lost its vision! (And therefore perishing? – Proverbs 29:18Where [there is] no vision, the people perish)!!

 

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