“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Isaiah 11:1
I love to see how the Old Testament and the New Testament are intertwined, and there is no better way to experience it than by studying prophecies. I know prophecy can be hard to understand sometimes, but if you’ve read today´s Scripture, you´ll see how the prophecy shared in Isaiah was fulfilled in Jesus (which we read about in Matthew).
The Messiah had to come from the line of Jesse, King David´s father. There was no other way. Only from the tribe of Judah. Only from the linage of David. He had to fulfill Isaiah´s prophecy, and Jesus did. He fulfilled it completely.
Have you realized how today´s verses, written thousands of years before Jesus was born, describe His ministry while He was on earth? Isaiah talks about Jesus’ wisdom and understanding, His counsel and might, His knowledge and fear of the Lord. He details how Jesus was righteous to judge, how He stands on behalf of the meek. It’s enough to give me goosebumps!
Heavenly Father, I´m amazed to see how You hold the whole picture and have everything together. Thank You for allowing me to see a glimpse of Your Providence and Sovereignty with the fulfillment of Isaiah´s prophecy. Help me remember how Your promises always come true. Amen.
Love God Greatly,
Fabulous! This draws me right in to this portion of Scripture!!!
The amazing plan of God before the prophecy was ever spoken, was already in motion by the hand of God. I am blessed that He has taken hold of my life & leading me into His plan for me. What a humbling reality!
God is amazing! Everything He plans is always greater than what is expected. Thank you for sharing what He placed on your heart for others to receive.
Angela, What a lovely website you have. With regard to your scripture, the whole of Isaiah 11 is a Messianic chapter (and it leads on beautifully to chapter 12 repeating much of Isaiah’s admonition that it is God (YHWH) Himself who is our saviour). With regard to your verse, have you not wondered why Isaiah does not mention the tree, but only the stump (Jesse) and the branches? Jesse (whose father was David) is the stump from which a great King will come (the messianic king), so why isn’t that messianic king called the ‘tree’? A number of times in the Tanack, the end time King (sometimes called the Prince) is called a ‘branch’ – but why? It is because after the Temple was destroyed in 70CE the Messiah could have come at any time (because it is the end time messianic King/Prince who will rebuild the Temple) – all that was required was that the Children of God, the Jewish people should repent, fulfilling what Isaiah prophesied in Chapter 59:20 – “He shall come as redeemer to Zion, To those in Yaakov who turn back from sin —declares Hashem”. (Note, however, how Paul completely (Romans 11:26) changes God’s word given through Isaiah!). In every generation in the last 2000 years God has prepared somebody (from the family of Judah, from the House of David descended from Solomon) who will step forward to redeem the Nation. Over the past 20 centuries there would have been hundreds if not thousands of such people who God had anointed for such a task, but who have passed on because that generation was not righteous in God’s sight. All those people were branches from the tree that grew from the stump of Jesse. Christianity has Jesus as the ‘tree’, the only one who could be the redeemer, but that was not what Isaiah prophesied otherwise he would have been called ‘the tree’) Since the destruction of the Temple thousands of people of the correct lineage have been ‘branches’ prepared by God to be the ‘great King/Prince’, ready to bring about the redemption of Israel IF that generation deserved it. Nowhere in the Tanack is the end time messianic king/priest named – in fact, nowhere in the Tanack is any person referred to as THE Messiah. There are still, and have been, literally thousands of messiahs – every King, priest and prophet in biblical times was a messiah (even Cyrus the Persian Emperor at the time of Israel’s return from captivity was called God’s messiah, even inanimate objects God referred to as ‘messiahs’ (i.e. the tabernacle, the alter) – why? Because the word ‘messiah’ is not a noun but an adjective – it means ‘anointed’; someone or something who has been anointed for God’s service. A messiah is not ‘divine’. So, Jesus was a messiah because he was obviously ‘anointed’ by God to preach the need for Israel to repent because ‘the Kingdom of God’ could be just around the corner (see Daniel Chapter 9 v 26 and Leviticus 26). They didn’t repent and the Temple was destroyed.