The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 11:1-5,
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist."
Jesse was the father of King David. It was from the lineage of David that the messianic king would come, Jesus Christ. Both genealogies of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:6 and Luke 3:31-32 point to Jesse and David as Jesus Christ's forebears. David had been promised by the Lord that a king would sit on his throne from his lineage for perpetuity.
This passage in Isaiah is a prophecy about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Paul, in Romans 15:12 quotes it in pointing out that Jesus Christ is Messiah for both Jews and Gentiles.
In Isaiah's prophecy the "shoot" from the stump of Jesse is a reference to Jesus Christ. In a moving and inspiring description of him, Isaiah points to three couplets of perfections, each following "the Spirit''.
Jesus Christ has the Spirit of wisdom and understanding.
Jesus Christ has the Spirit of counsel and might.
Jesus Christ has the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
What captures my attention this morning in verses 3-4 is that his judgment will not be guided by what he sees or what he hears, but by righteousness. Geoffrey W. Grogan says, in the Expositor's Bible Commentary, that "Verse 3b does not mean that right judgment ignores evidence available to the senses but rather that it requires inner qualities of character." My perspective is that perfect judgment requires much more than what is seen and heard, but that judgments brought by perceptions are perfected by a righteous evaluation of what it is we see and hear. Jesus Christ is perfect in righteousness, therefore his judgments are perfect.
Perhaps there is a clue here for me. Rather than simply relying on what I see and hear, I need to be aware that wisdom, as perfected in righteousness, is required for good judgment. Perhaps that is why we see so many differing opinions floating around so much these days.
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist."
Jesse was the father of King David. It was from the lineage of David that the messianic king would come, Jesus Christ. Both genealogies of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:6 and Luke 3:31-32 point to Jesse and David as Jesus Christ's forebears. David had been promised by the Lord that a king would sit on his throne from his lineage for perpetuity.
This passage in Isaiah is a prophecy about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Paul, in Romans 15:12 quotes it in pointing out that Jesus Christ is Messiah for both Jews and Gentiles.
In Isaiah's prophecy the "shoot" from the stump of Jesse is a reference to Jesus Christ. In a moving and inspiring description of him, Isaiah points to three couplets of perfections, each following "the Spirit''.
Jesus Christ has the Spirit of wisdom and understanding.
Jesus Christ has the Spirit of counsel and might.
Jesus Christ has the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
What captures my attention this morning in verses 3-4 is that his judgment will not be guided by what he sees or what he hears, but by righteousness. Geoffrey W. Grogan says, in the Expositor's Bible Commentary, that "Verse 3b does not mean that right judgment ignores evidence available to the senses but rather that it requires inner qualities of character." My perspective is that perfect judgment requires much more than what is seen and heard, but that judgments brought by perceptions are perfected by a righteous evaluation of what it is we see and hear. Jesus Christ is perfect in righteousness, therefore his judgments are perfect.
Perhaps there is a clue here for me. Rather than simply relying on what I see and hear, I need to be aware that wisdom, as perfected in righteousness, is required for good judgment. Perhaps that is why we see so many differing opinions floating around so much these days.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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