Isaiah 9:8-12:6 "A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse"

The Lord has sent a word against Jacob.

Isaiah 7-12 consists of two messages. The first about Judah, the second about Israel.

But even this second message is designed for Judah's ears.

The message of Isaiah's three children is not yet complete.

There are four parts to our text tonight.

The first, 9:8-10:4, sets up the context of God's relationship with Israel

The second, 10:5-15, declares the judgment that is coming

The third, 10:16-34, promises that a remnant will return

and the fourth, 11:1-12:6, points Judah and Israel forward to the hope of the future

First, God has a quarrel with Israel.

refrain from 9:8-10:4

For all this his anger has not turned away and his hand is stretched out still (echo of ch 5)

9:12, 17, 21; 10:4

Notice the images in the first three sections:

In the first section,

the bricks have fallen down and the sycamores have been cut down

(This probably refers to an earthquake in the days of Jeroboam II),

but rather than repent Ephraim says

We will build with dressed stones and replace the sycamores with cedars.

This was the way that Jeroboam II responded,

and he built up Samaria to be a great and glorious city.

But instead God had brought Syria and Philistia against Ephraim

These were border skirmishes, but they signaled God's displeasure.

"For all this his anger has not turned away and his hand is stretched out still"

In the second section,

Israel again fails to turn to God,

so Yahweh cut Israel's head and tail off-its territory has been diminished.

"palm branch and reed in one day"-again the image of cutting down trees.

But here the trees refer to the elders and prophets,

for the leaders of Israel are being cut off;

because they "have been leading the people astray."

The idea of the prophets as the tails is perhaps a bit of sarcasm:

They claimed to be the spokesmen of God,

but in fact they were tails being wagged by public or royal opinion.

"Therefore Adonai does not rejoice over their young men,

and he has no compassion on their fatherless and widows."

That should tell you how corrupt Israel is.

Even the widows and orphans are godless.

"For all this his anger has not turned away and his hand is stretched out still"

In the third section,

notice what this wickedness does-it consumes briers and thorns;

it kindles the thickets of the forest.

Once again the theme is focused on the trees.

Without godly leadership the nation degenerates into corruption.

Remember at the end of chapter 1, Isaiah refers to how

"the strong shall become tinder, and his work like a spark,"

idolatry contains within itself a combustible combination.

Here Isaiah continues that theme:

"Through the wrath of Yahweh of hosts the land is scorched,

and the people are like fuel for the fire."

Indeed, the destruction is so great that people turn to cannibalism,

even "devouring the flesh of his own arm."

Manasseh devours Ephraim and Ephraim devours Manasseh;

But together they are against Judah!

"For all this his anger has not turned away and his hand is stretched out still"

But then in the fourth section,

Isaiah brings a "woe" upon Israel's rulers:

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,

and the writers who keep writing oppression.

Again idolatry and oppression are blended together.

While even the widows and fatherless are wicked,

still they are the chief examples of those who have been wronged.

But Israel cannot escape the judgment of God.

God's sovereign judgment is coming,

and when it does, "Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners

or fall among the slain."

"For all this his anger has not turned away and his hand is stretched out still"

This is the word that will "fall" on Israel.

How will it fall on Israel?

Through the rod of Assyria.

The long wars with Philistia and Syria will look like nothing

compared to the fury of the Assyrians.

10:5-15 then proclaims the coming judgment.

And here we see the sovereignty of God in the affairs the nations.

While Assyria has his own ideas of what he is doing,

God is going to use him for his own purposes.

Once again we have a clear chiasm.

The framework of the section can be clearly seen in verses 5 and 15

with the two references to the rod

Assyria is the instrument in God's hand that will serve his purposes.

Verses 8-11 report the speech of Assyria as he boasts in his power.

Assyria has defeated Damascus, and now sets his sights on Samaria and Jerusalem

"As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,

whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols,

as I have done to Samaria and her images?"

Verse 12 forms the very heart of the chiasm.

God has his own purposes with Assyria.

He will use Assyria to do his work on Mount Zion,

but when he is finished with Assyria,

"he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the King of Assyria"

Now the chiasm moves backwards in 13-14 and we hear a second speech,

as the King of Assyria boasts of the power of his hand in plundering his enemies.

Remember Maher-Shalel-Hashbaz?

We are not finished with Isaiah's children.

Speed-spoil-haste-booty is coming!

But then verse 15 closes the chiasm by reminding the king of Assyria

that he is but the axe in the hand of Yahweh. (Read verse 15)

Now, while verse 15 closes the chiasm of 10:5-15, through the image of the rod,

it also connects with verse 34 through the image of the axe,

connecting these two central sections of Isaiah's "word" to Israel.

If the King of Assyria is an axe in the hand of Yahweh,

he should remember that an axe is made of wood.

He too comes from the forest-

and the forest is vulnerable to the burning fury of God's wrath.

While God will use the King of Assyria to cut down the forests of Israel and Judah,

once he is finished, God will burn down the forests of Assyria. (Read 16-19)

And In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob

will no more lean on him who struck them,

but will lean on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel in truth.

No more will Israel and Judah be entangled with an Assyrian alliance.

But a remnant will return.

We are not finished with Isaiah's sons.

Shear-Jashub is here.

Shear-Jashub, shear-Jacob, el-El gibor

A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

Do not be afraid when the King of Assyria comes.

He is but the instrument in the hand of God.

Remember what God did to Midian by the hand of Gideon?

That is what God will do to Assyria. (Read 24-32)

You almost feel like a scout watching the Assyrian advance,

and reporting back to the trembling inhabitants of Jerusalem

as the dark hosts of Assyria plant themselves

before the very gates of the city.

But behold, Adonai Yahweh of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power;

the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low.

He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe,

and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One."

When God felled the forests of Israel and Judah,

Assyria was the axe in his hand.

But now who is the axe in the hand of Yahweh?

Yes, God is sovereign over the nations.

He uses the rulers of the world to accomplish his purposes.

But he doesn't need them.

Isaiah 37:36 reports that the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrians.

Now there is no reference to that in the annals of Sennacherib.

It simply says that he came to Jerusalem, beseiged it,

Jerusalem paid some tribute, and he went home.

There's no mention of 185,000 troops dying one night.

Then again, why would you tell the world that your army just died one night?

Not exactly good propaganda for troop recruitment...

Sennacherib made it home, but his sons figured his dramatic loss

would weaken him in the eyes of the generals,

so two of them murdered him, and a third took the throne.

So Maher-shalal-hashbaz, the plunderers will quickly come;

and then shear-jashub-a remnant will return;

but what about Immanuel?

That's what the last section is about.

After all this language of chopping down trees and forests,

we hear of the stump of Jesse.

Isaiah does not say explicitly, "the line of David will come to an end,"

but what else is a stump?

After shear-jashub comes Immanuel.

The son of David will be restored to the throne.

And this last section has three parts:

the son of David (11:1-10)

the hand of the Lord (11:11-16)

and the response of the people (12:1-6)

The Son of David will be a Spirit-filled king.

The Spirit of Yahweh will rest upon him

-the Spirit of wisdom and understanding

-the Spirit of counsel and might

-the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.

Does that sound familiar?

We saw last week that Paul prays that you might receive

the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.

You have been united with Christ-the Spirit-endowed son of David.

And just as he as received this Spirit,

so now he has poured that Spirit upon you,

so that he might have righteous kingdom.

Because He is the righteous Judge.

He is not like an ordinary king who must judge by what his eyes see,

or what his ears hear.

Solomon was a good and wise judge,

but he could only go by what he saw and heard.

But this king will judge the poor with righteousness,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.

This king will know the hearts of men, and therefore will render infallible judgment.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

How do kill the wicked with the breath of your lips?

He will sentence them to death.

Righteousness and faithfulness will characterize his reign,

they will be as clothing to him.

And what, pray tell, will his realm look like?

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat;

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like an ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Yahweh

as the waters cover the sea.

Don't get all literalistic on me.

Does Jesus have a rod in his mouth? (11:4)

This is a picture of what the rule of the Messiah looks like.

Indeed, remember the context?

The nations have been wreaking havoc on Judah for centuries.

Isaiah is no more concerned about cobras than he was about trees.

The nations will no longer hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.

And that's what the conclusion to this initial section of chapter 11 says:

"In that day the root of Jesse,

who shall stand as a signal for the peoples-

of him shall the nations inquire,

and his resting place shall be glorious."

But also in that day, the Lord will extend his hand one more time,

and the remnant of the people shall increase:

"He will raise a signal for the nations"

Remember what happened the last time he did that?

5:26, he whistled for them and they came in judgment against Jerusalem!

But now he raises a signal to bring back his dispersed people.

At this point Isaiah's focus is upon the restoration of the dispersion of Israel.

There is no mention of the gathering of the Gentiles,

but rather of the judgment of the Gentiles (verse 14),

as the nations are made to yield to the rule of Judah.

Yahweh will wave his hand over the River,

"And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people,

as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt." (16)

And just as Israel rejoiced with singing when Yahweh opened the Red Sea

and brought Israel safely through in Exodus 14-15,

so also now "You will say in that day:

I will give thanks to you, O Yahweh, for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Yah, Yahweh is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation."

The song is even drawn from Exodus 15!

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

(Read 4-6)

It would be easy to miss the point of this chapter.

Because English doesn't distinguish between you singular and you plural.

In verses 1 and 6 the you is singular.

In verses 3-4 it is plural.

YOU, the Messiah, will say in that day-

Jesus said "I will give thanks to you, O Yahweh, for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away, that you might comfort me."

Jesus is the one who gives thanks to God for delivering him from death.

He is the one who sings "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid;

for Yah, Yahweh is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation"

The Messiah is the one who must trust in Yahweh and be delivered!

But because did indeed deliver Jesus from death,

therefore we may "draw water from the wells of salvation."

And we may now say:

"Give thanks to Yahweh! Call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples!

Proclaim that his name is exalted!

Sing praises to Yahweh, for he has done gloriously!" - the song of Moses in Ex. 15-

let this be made known in all the earth.

Shout and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion.

Yes, that is singular.

The remnant consists of one person.

The Messiah is the remnant who has returned to Zion!

Sing for joy O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Because Jesus is Shear-Jashub-the remnant who has returned to Zion-

therefore now we may also return to Zion.

Because Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of the Father,

therefore Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in the heavenly places in Christ,

and has seated us in the heavenly places with him!

Isaiah 6-12 began with a vision of the Holy One of Israel,

and the cleansing of Isaiah's lips to speak the message of judgment.

It now concludes with the purified remnant proclaiming the greatness

of the Holy One of Israel,

who has not left his people without a remnant,

but has sent that great remnant of one-

the sprout from the stump of Jesse-

Immanuel, God with us.