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Scripture Reading: Isa. 11; Isa. 12
In this message we will consider the restoration brought in through Christ (ch. 11) and the salvation enjoyed by Jehovah's beloved people (ch. 12).
Most students of Isaiah pay close attention to chapter eleven, which portrays a very pleasant picture of restoration.
Verses 1 through 5 and 10 reveal the coming Christ in restoration.
In the restoration, the coming Christ will be a twig that comes forth from the stem of Jesse and a branch from his roots (v. 1). Israel, especially the house of David, was like a tall tree. However, because of Israel's degradation, that tree was cut down to the very root. This was the situation with the descendants of David. Both Mary and her engaged husband, Joseph, were descendants of David's sons. They were part of the royal family, but they had become poor and were people of a low class, living in Nazareth, a despised city, in Galilee, a despised region. This shows that the house of David had been cut down to the root.
One day, a twig came forth from the remaining part. Christ as a twig came forth from the stem, the stump, above the earth, signifying that restoration is by life and of life. Also, Christ as a branch came forth from the root underneath the earth, signifying the depths of the restoring life, to branch out God and bear much fruit.
The branch and the twig are one. In His birth Christ was a twig. As He grew up, He was a branch. Because of His branching out, the whole world is filled with the fruit of this branch.
Concerning Christ as the twig and the branch, verse 2 goes on to say, "The Spirit of Jehovah will rest upon Him,/ The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,/The Spirit of counsel and might,/The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah." The Spirit of counsel and might here equals the wisdom and power in 1 Corinthians 1:24, which tells us that Christ is God's wisdom and God's power. He is the wisdom which gives counsel and the power which gives might.
The branching out of Jehovah is altogether a matter of the Spirit. Christ was born of the Spirit, meaning that He was constituted of the Spirit. Then He was baptized, anointed, with the Spirit. The Spirit was with Him all the time and was one with Him. He walked by the Spirit and lived a life in, with, by, and through the Spirit. Thus, as John 14 reveals, the Spirit is the reality of Christ.
"He will savor the fear of Jehovah" (Isa. 11:3a). The word savor indicates that Christ will delight in the fear of Jehovah. Moreover, "He will neither judge by what His eyes see,/Nor decide by what His ears hear./But He will judge the poor in righteousness,/And decide with equity for the afflicted of the land" (vv. 3b-4a). Unlike today, there will be no shortage of righteousness and equity. Verse 4b continues, "And He will strike the land with the rod of His mouth,/And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked." Here, as is common in Isaiah's poetic writing, we have a pair: the rod of His mouth and the breath of His lips.
Righteousness will be that which girds His loins, and faithfulness will be that which girds His hips (v. 5). Girding the loins gives one the strength to move, act, and especially to fight. Righteousness and faithfulness are two of Christ's virtues for standing and fighting. He stands with faithfulness and fights with righteousness.
Isaiah 11:10 says, "In that day the root of Jesse,/Who stands as a banner to the peoples — /Him will the nations seek,/And His resting place will be the glory." Here we see that Christ is also the root of Jesse and that His resting place will be the glory. Where He rests, there the glory is. Glory is God's expression. Where Christ is, there is God's expression. The expressed God is Christ's resting place.
On the one hand, Christ as the twig, the branch, and the root of Jesse is connected to humanity. On the other hand, Christ is very much related to God, because where He is, God's expression is. This picture depicts Christ as both God and man, as the God-man.
According to verse 6, in the restoration brought in through Christ, the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a young boy will lead them about. Everything will be peaceful and loving.
In the restoration, the cow and the bear will graze, and their young will lie down together. Also, the lion will eat straw like the ox (v. 7).
Verse 8 goes on to tell us that in the restoration the nursing child will play by the cobra's hole, and upon the viper's den the weaned child will stretch his hand. Verse 9a continues by saying that they will not hurt nor destroy in all Jehovah's holy mountain.
Furthermore, according to verse 9b, in the restoration brought in through Christ, the earth will be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.
The question I have when reading these verses is why in the restoration all the different animals will live together so peacefully, pleasantly, and lovingly. I believe that although God did not create the beasts with a negative element in them, as a result of the fall, a negative factor entered into them. When Adam fell, sin entered into him. Since he, the head of all the creatures, became fallen, something of Satan also entered into them. In the restoration this negative factor will be removed, causing a change not only in outward action but also in nature. The reason for this change is given in verse 9 — the knowledge of God, that is, the knowing of God, will fill the earth. Christ's restoring power will deliver all the creatures from the poisonous element of Satan, and as a result the situation among them will be pleasant, peaceful, and loving.
Verses 11 through 16 speak of the return of the restored remnant of Israel.
In that day the Lord, by His hand for the second time again, will recover the remnant of His people who remain, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea (v. 11).
The Lord will lift up a standard to the nations and will gather the outcasts of Israel. The dispersed of Judah He will assemble from the four corners of the earth (v. 12). This standard which will be lifted up is Christ.
Ephraim's jealousy will depart, and the adversaries in Judah will be cut off. Ephraim (the northern kingdom) will not be jealous of Judah (the southern kingdom), nor will Judah be hostile to Ephraim (v. 13). The Lord will take away the divisive factor, and the two kingdoms will become one.
The restored remnant of Israel will fly down upon the shoulders of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the children of the east. Edom and Moab will come into the grasp of their hand, and the children of Ammon will submit to them (v. 14).
Jehovah will utterly destroy the tongue of Egypt. Also, He will wave His hand over the Euphrates with the scorching of His wind, and He will strike it into seven streams and march men through it dryshod (v. 15). At present, the Euphrates River is a great separation and frustration to Israel. But for the sake of the return of His scattered people to the Holy Land, the Lord will cause this river to become small streams through which the people will easily be able to walk.
According to verse 16, there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of Jehovah's people who remain, as there was for Israel in the day that they came up from the land of Egypt. In the restoration, God will do all these things to make it convenient for the children of Israel to be gathered back to the land of their fathers.
Chapter twelve of Isaiah describes the salvation enjoyed by God's beloved people. The way to enjoy God's salvation as described here exactly matches the way revealed in the New Testament.
Verse 1 tells us what Israel will say in that day. Israel will say, "I will praise You, O Jehovah. You were angry with me;/But Your anger has turned and You have consoled me." The Hebrew word rendered praise here can also be translated give thanks to.
Verse 2 continues, "God is now my salvation;/I will trust and not dread;/For Jah Jehovah is my strength and song,/ And He has become my salvation." This verse clearly reveals that salvation is the Lord Himself. We should never think that the salvation which we receive and enjoy is anything other than the Lord Himself.
Verses 3 and 4a go on to say, "Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing/From the springs of salvation,/And you will say in that day,/Praise Jehovah; call upon His name!" To receive the Lord as our salvation is to draw water from the springs of salvation. As our salvation the Lord is water to us. This is emphasized strongly in the New Testament, especially in John 4 and 7. In John 4:14 the Lord Jesus says, "The water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water welling up into eternal life." In John 7 this spring becomes rivers of living water (vv. 37-39). This indicates that for the Lord to be our salvation means that He is living water.
In Revelation 22:1 and 2 there is the river of water of life and the tree of life. These verses portray the flowing out of the Triune God. God and the Lamb are on the throne, and the river of water of life, a symbol of the Spirit, proceeds out of the throne. The tree of life, signifying Christ, lives and grows in the river of water of life. If the river does not reach us, neither will the tree of life reach us. Since the tree of life is in the water of life, the way to enjoy the tree is to drink the water. When we drink the water of life, we enjoy the Triune God. Today we should not only speak of Christ and teach Christ — we also need to drink of Christ as the life-giving Spirit.
In a recent message on Ephesians 4, I pointed out that Christ is the element of the Body and the Spirit is the essence of the Body. If we have only the element without the essence, what we have will be something merely objective, having nothing to do with us in our experience. No matter how much we may know about Christ as the element, if we do not have the essence, this element will not be related to us subjectively and experientially. But when we have the Spirit as the essence, we will also have Christ as the element. The essence of the tree of life is in the water of life. If we would enjoy Christ as the tree of life, as the element of life, we must drink Him as the water of life, as the essence of life.
Even in the Old Testament time, Isaiah revealed to us that the way to take the Lord as our salvation is to call on His name with rejoicing and praising. Calling on His name is like deep breathing. If we call, "O Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus!" we will be refreshed and revived, and we will become very living. In order to enjoy salvation, we need to realize that the Lord Himself is our salvation, strength, and song and that by calling on His name we may draw water with rejoicing out of the springs of salvation.
Isaiah 12:4b says, "Make His deeds known among the peoples;/Remind them that His name is exalted." This is a matter of preaching the gospel, of letting others know what we have enjoyed by speaking to them concerning Christ and what He has done for us. In our speaking, we need to tell the people that Christ's name has been exalted, that He has ascended and is now in the heavens.
Verses 5 and 6 conclude, "Sing to Jehovah, for He has done something majestic!/Let it be made known in all the earth!/Cry out and give a ringing shout, O inhabitant of Zion,/For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel." Verse 3 speaks of rejoicing, and verse 6, of giving a "ringing shout." A ringing shout is a shout that continues to sound. Joy is inward, but rejoicing involves some activity to express the joy that is within. This rejoicing is related to giving a ringing shout, that is, to rejoicing in a continuing way.
