Christmas in July-- Day 6

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

Questions:

1. Who was Jessee?
2. Who was David?
3. What did God promise David?
4. Who is this passage about?
5. What rests on him?
6. What is he doing in our passage?
7. Why is he doing this?
8. Why do His people not need to fear His judgment?

1) Jesse was David's father. You probably don't need me to tell you that 2) David was one of Israel's greatest kings. In 2 Samuel, when David decides that he wants to build God a house (temple), God turns it around and says that He will build David a house. God promises that David will have a descendant who will be king forever.

4) This passage in Isaiah is about Jesus. Immediately after we are told His earthly lineage, we are informed that 5) the Spirit of the LORD rests on Him. This is interesting because it implies that He ALWAYS has the Spirit. In the Old Testament, we read about the Spirit coming upon various characters, but it appears to be a temporary thing. For example, the Spirit "rushed" upon Samson in Judges.

After telling us about Jesus' lineage, and His character, Isaiah says that this man is 6) judging. He judges differently than we do. If I am selected as a juror, I have to see the evidence and listen to testimony, and then make a judgment. Jesus can see the intentions of the hearts of people, and it is on this basis that He judges. In our culture, judgment comes from elected or appointed officials, but in Isaiah's time, the king was the primary and ultimate judge. We know as New Covenant believers that Jesus is one person of the Triune God, therefore He is the King of kings. 7) It is because He is King that He is judging.

This last question was my favorite. Judgment is a scary thing. Especially as you begin to grasp the extent of your offense against a Holy God. And although we learn about Christ's character in the beginning of the passage, that is not a huge comfort when you realize that you are one of "the wicked". However, 8) because of Jesus' perfect life and death on my account, and because of God's goodness, I no longer have to fear His judgment. My sin was credited to, and paid for by Christ on the cross, and His holy life was credited to me. Because God is good, He will not charge twice for sin. I am secure in Christ! That's good news!