Archive for Isaiah 11

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Isaiah 11:6, This Curse Is Not Reversed

Posted in Creation, Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2014 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:6-8 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

What about the role of Satan, the serpent, in all of this? He is the one who enticed the woman in the Garden of Eden. He is the one who suggested to the woman to challenge God’s authority. He is the one who suggested disobedience to God. What does the future hold for Satan and future snakes? Let’s take a look back to the Garden. Satan was successful in the encouragement of the woman’s disobedience. Granted she and Adam made their own choices and are responsible for them.

Satan’s consequences are spelled out in Genesis 3:14, The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life… This is why we see snakes slither around on their belly.

…on your belly you go…The snake was reduced to the lowest of all animals. The snake is the most cursed (judged, condemned, harshly punished in the original Hebrew as noted per Strong’s Concordance) animal on the planet. There are some who conjecture the snake was originally created with the ability to maneuver upright prior to the fall. Notice the last part of the verse. The length of the sentence, punishment, and consequence is all the days of your life…

The context of Isaiah 65:25 is a time when there is peace in the animal kingdom. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD. Despite these changed and improved conditions, the snake is still cursed. Look at the living conditions of the cobra and viper. They are still in the ground on their bellies.

He wanted to exalt himself like the Most High. Micah 7:17 They will lick the dust like a serpent, like reptiles of the earth… His curse will not be reversed.

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Isaiah 11:6 The Curse is Reversed, Part 1

Posted in Creation, Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2014 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:6-8 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

Is this a picture of the animal kingdom in today’s world, February 2014? Look at the pairs of animals: wolf and lamb; leopard and goat, lion and cow. Currently wolves, leopards, and lions are carnivores and predators. Lambs, goats, and cows are herbivores. They are also a meal and prey. I have seen the documentaries on the National Geographic cable channel, I know how these stories end.

Children of all ages, a nursing baby (ages 0-2), a weaned child (ages 2-4), and a small boy (ages 5 plus) are noted in the original Hebrew language. Young children of all ages are represented in these verses. In verse 6, the Hebrew term is na’ar. It means a boy, lad, or youth. In verse 8, the “nursing child” is the Hebrew term yanaq. It is as translated, a nursing infant. The “weaned child” in the Hebrew is gamal. (definitions per Strong’s Concordance). The text states these young children are safely playing around poisonous snake dens. The cobra and the viper are poisonous snakes. I have a nonpoisonous snake that lives under my front porch. I would love to kill it. Apparently, my current attitude would not exist in a future time.

Look at the living conditions. These animals are living together. Prey are living fearlessly with predators. Today, would a goat take a nap with a leopard? A 2-4 year old child is running around with these animals. Would parents allow their children to do this? The lion is described as an herbivore and eating grass, not exactly the image we have of a lion in February of 2014.

This is not the only place where these conditions are promised. Isaiah 65:25 verifies the same harmonious conditions. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox…”

Imagine the impact on animal life with the curse removed. Reproduction in animal life will result in an explosion of population. Radical behavior changes are coming to the animal kingdom.

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Isaiah 11:5 Jesus and His Clothes

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , on January 26, 2014 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.

Isaiah 59:17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

Isaiah and the Old Testament tell what the Messiah will do. The New Testament confirms the promise. Steadiness and firmness are hallmarks of His character. In Revelation 19, the Apostle John confirms Jesus is the identity of the person in Isaiah 11:5 and 59:17.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

As believers, we are called to be Christ-like and follow His example of dress.  Ephesians 6:14-17 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Do not budge. Our faith, our belief in Christ protects us. He is our foundation. His truth and justice should hold us in place just as a belt supports our pants. This is how to protect ourselves from Satan. Jesus is synonymous with the Word. He is called and is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13).

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Isaiah 11:3b-4 Jesus, the Judge

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , on January 19, 2014 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:3b-4 And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

The He is Jesus. He will not rely on His senses, hearing and vision, to make determinations. Righteousness will be the determining factor. The Hebrew word for righteousness is “tsedeq”. It means what is just and right (Strong’s Concordance). It is fair and honest. It cannot be bought or bribed. It is equitable and has integrity. It does not care how much money somebody has.

…and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked… In the Hebrew, the word for slay is muwth. It means to die, kill, or have one executed (Strong’s Concordance).

2 Thessalonians 2:8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming…

The lawless one is the Antichrist. In the Greek, the word for slay is anaireo. It means to take up, to lift up (from the ground), to take up for myself as mine, to take away, abolish, to put out of the way, or kill slay a man (definitions per Strong’s Concordance).

With this definition, the understanding would be Jesus is going to take the Antichrist as a possession and escort him to the Lake of Fire. Revelation 19:20-21 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

The Father is consistent with the expectation and intent of His Son throughout Scripture. Wickedness does not pay.

Psalm 2:9 “You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.”

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Isaiah 11:3a The Smell of Obedience

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 12, 2014 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:3a And He will delight in the fear of the LORD…

The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his smelling is in the fear of the Lord.” (NET Bible).

Reyach is Hebrew for smell. The word is translated as “delight” by the NASB version. It can be translated as scent, fragrance, aroma, odor of soothing (technical term for sacrifice to God). Definition provided by Strong’s Concordance.

He, Jesus, will enjoy and desire to respect and revere the LORD as if it had a pleasant smell.

“Reyach” is the word used as God’s response to the sacrificial system in the Old Testament.

Numbers 15:7 and for the drink offering you shall offer one-third of a hin of wine as a soothing aroma to the LORD.

Leviticus 23:13 ‘Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine. This is a recipe for bread. God delights in the smell of baked bread. This aspect of the sacrificial system is also looking to the future. Notice the elements, bread and wine. The New Testament equivalent is Communion.

Animal sacrifices were required in the Old Testament to be a reminder of sin. These animal sacrifices upon a burning altar produced a soothing aroma to God. The smell of burning animals with spices, God likes the smell of grilled meat. The blood of these animals could not take away sin. But the blood of Jesus could. See Hebrews 10 for detail.

This same word “reyach” is used for “delight” in Amos 5:21 “I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Translation to the religious ones of the day, your religious actions stink. God does not care for performance religion. He wants your heart.

Our response to all of this is to pray. In the throne room of Heaven, prayers are equated with incense. Our prayers are a fragrant aroma to God. Revelation 8:3-4 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Prayers smell good to God and He likes them.

He, Jesus, will enjoy and desire to respect and revere the LORD as if it had a pleasant smell.

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Isaiah 11:2 Jesus, The Spirit Rests

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on January 5, 2014 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

The Gospel accounts of Matthew and John confirm Jesus is the person who the Spirit of the Lord will rest. Matthew 3:16-17 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Jesus is not the first king blessed with the Spirit of God. David was indwelled with the Spirit. This is an example of an Old Testament believer who was indwelled with the Spirit.  1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

Wisdom: chokmah in the Hebrew. It means: skill in war, in administration, shrewdness, prudence in religious affairs, skill in ethical and religious endeavors.

Understanding: biynah in the Hebrew. It means: discernment, faculty.

Counsel: `etsah in the Hebrew. It means: advice, purpose.

Strength: g@buwrah in the Hebrew. It means: strength, might, valor, bravery, mighty deeds (of God).

Knowledge: da`ath in the Hebrew: It means: perception, skill, discernment, understanding, wisdom.

Definitions provided by Strong’s Concordance.

Notice, wisdom and knowledge are different. Biblical wisdom is about the application of a knowledge base. Doing what one knows.

Fear of the Lord: The term yara’ (noted in Proverbs 1:7 and Isaiah 8:12) is the common word for fear in the Old Testament and has a basic three-fold range of meanings: (1) “dread; terror” (Deuteronomy 1:29, Jonah 1:10), (2) “to stand in awe” (I Kings 3:28), (3) “to revere; to respect” (Leviticus 19:3). With the Lord as the object, it captures the polar opposites of shrinking back in fear and drawing close in awe and adoration (NET Bible notes).

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Isaiah 11:1 Jesus, The Branch

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 29, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

The “shoot” or “branch” that will bear fruit is Jesus. His story is the central theme of the Bible. The first mention of His coming and necessity of His arrival is told in the Garden of Eden. The context is the fall of mankind and the choice of sin. God is talking to Satan in Genesis 3:15 “From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” We know this person is going be a male and He will be a human. He is the offspring of the woman.

As the narrative moves forward, we learn the Savior will come from the tribe of Judah of nation Israel. He will be a king. The scepter or sword indicates His military power. Multiple sources indicate Shiloh is a Hebrew word that has an uncertain meaning. Some take it to mean “tranquility” or “secure”. He will be obeyed. Genesis 49:10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

We further learn He will come from a little town in Israel, Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He is eternal. Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

Jesse is David’s father. Other prophets verify He is to come from the line of David. Jeremiah 30:9 But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

The people of Israel, the Jews will be returning to their land. We learn He will come in “the last days”. Note, “the last days” are equated with the Jews returning to the their home land of Israel. By definition, we are in “the last days” as of December 2013. They have yet to seek their king. Hosea 3:5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.

The Apostle Luke verifies Jesus is God’s promised Savior in Acts 13:23 “From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus…

Witnesses in the throne room of Heaven, in the presence of the Trinity, verify Jesus is of the tribe of Judah and of the family tree of David. Revelation 5:5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

Jesus Himself confirms He is the One. Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

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