Failed Kings and Future Hope: Advent Lesson from Isaiah 11
Historical Context for Isaiah
The year is around 732 B.C, and the unity that would have once described the 12 tribes of Israel is a long distant memory. In response to the impending doom that was the Assyrian war machine, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had formed an alliance with Syria and menacingly came to stand upon the doorstep of King Ahaz of Judah. Ahaz is met with a hopeless situation; Israel and Syria have threatened to kill him if he chooses not to join their anti-Assyrian alliance. But even if he joins with them, the chances of resisting the overwhelming might of Assyria are bleak at best. Ahaz is a practical king, and so in the face of 3 hostile nations and overwhelming military strength, prophets and prayers hold little sway over his heart. And so Ahaz chooses what is wise in the eyes of the world, but unthinkable in the eyes of God--he seeks salvation through bowing the knee to Assyria’s King.
The prophet Isaiah’s response to Ahaz’s faithlessness comes in chs. 8-12, often known as “the book of Immanuel” (perhaps a familiar title during this season of Advent!). What makes this section of Isaiah profound is that Ahaz’s example as the worst possible king is followed by 5 chapters of God promising the best possible king and kingdom--it is here we find our particular passage. When the nation of Israel (and all its promises) are felled like a great tree due to its own sins and the sins of its king, God promises resurrection for the broken and burnt stump through a shoot of new growth. An impossible reality, but one God intended to ultimately bring about through the life and ministry of Jesus.
The Meaning of Isaiah 11:1-5
The images presented in Isaiah 11 may initially seem foreign and out of place when thinking about Advent--shoot, stump of Jesse, branch, etc.--but looking back at Israel’s story we can see a number of pivotal moments that set us up to understand the full weight of Isaiah’s words. It started in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden with the promise of an “offspring” [literally seed] who would come and crush the head of the deceitful serpent; Gen. 15 where God made a promise to establish Abram’s “offspring” [seed]; and 2 Samuel 7, where God made a covenant with David, promising to establish an everlasting kingdom for David’s “offspring” [seed].
Advent: The Coming Immanuel
Having the benefit of the New Testament, we can see more clearly the hope that Isaiah’s message offered: It is no accident that one of the favorite titles of Jesus that the Gospel writers would use was “Son [offspring] of David” (Matt. 1:1). And when Paul spoke of Jesus as the “offspring [seed] of Abraham” (Gal. 3:16), we can think back upon this promise in Isaiah. Up to this point in the book of Isaiah, Israel had only experienced kings who traded justice and faithfulness for idolatry and oppression. But God had a plan to provide a different kind of king, and this promise went all the way back to the seed that was first promised. This offspring of David, this King, would wear “righteousness” and “faithfulness” as a belt and bring justice to the poor and suffering. He would walk in the way of God's Spirit and offer true salvation. This king would be Jesus.
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