Isaiah 11:6-9

Rachel Workman: ⁶ In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
    the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
    and a little child will lead them all.
⁷ The cow will graze near the bear.
    The cub and the calf will lie down together.
    The lion will eat hay like a cow.
⁸ The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
    Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
⁹ Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
    for as the waters fill the sea,
    so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.

I like this place. I think I will make sure I stay on the straight and narrow path. It does make me realize that everything on earth is under the weight of sin. Including animals. And once that sin is removed forever there will be perfect harmony as God intended.

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John Burnett:   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.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.  I see people post pictures and videos of animals that should be considered prey and predator playing together and this passage comes to mind.  This is what it will be like when Jesus returns to reign over His Kingdom and the curse is lifted.  Come quickly Lord Jesus.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Isaiah 11:10-12

10 In that day the heir to David’s throne[b]
    will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
    and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.[c]
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time
    to bring back the remnant of his people—
those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt;
    in southern Egypt, Ethiopia,[d] and Elam;
    in Babylonia,[e] Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.
12 He will raise a flag among the nations
    and assemble the exiles of Israel.
He will gather the scattered people of Judah
    from the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 11:1-5

Rachel Workman: 11 Out of the stump of David’s family[a] will grow a shoot—
    yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in obeying the Lord.
    He will not judge by appearance
    nor make a decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the poor
    and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
    and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
5 He will wear righteousness like a belt

    and truth like an undergarment.

In contrast to the proud trees that God cuts down is a tender shoot from a seemingly dead stump. Isaiah looked beyond his people’s trials to the glorious kingdom that will be established when Messiah comes to reign. David’s dynasty was ready to end, but out of his family the Messiah would come. A godly remnant of Jews kept the nation alive so that the Messiah could be born. His kingdom will involve righteous rule because the Son of God and the Spirit of God will administer its affairs justly. When the Messiah King speaks the word, it is with power. 

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John Burnett:  11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³ And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.  700 years before Christ is born, Isaiah is prophesying about what Jesus Christ will do and how He will reign.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Isaiah 11:6-9

 ⁶ In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
    the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
    and a little child will lead them all.
⁷ The cow will graze near the bear.
    The cub and the calf will lie down together.
    The lion will eat hay like a cow.
⁸ The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
    Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
⁹ Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
    for as the waters fill the sea,
    so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.

Isaiah 10:27-34

Rachel Workman: 27 In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people.
    He will break the yoke of slavery
    and lift it from their shoulders. And he continues to do that for those that are his.

28 Look, the Assyrians are now at Aiath.
    They are passing through Migron
    and are storing their equipment at Micmash.
29 They are crossing the pass
    and are camping at Geba.
Fear strikes the town of Ramah.
    All the people of Gibeah, the hometown of Saul,
    are running for their lives.
30 Scream in terror,
    you people of Gallim!
Shout out a warning to Laishah.
    Oh, poor Anathoth!
31 There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing.
    The citizens of Gebim are trying to hide.
32 The enemy stops at Nob for the rest of that day.
    He shakes his fist at beautiful Mount Zion, the mountain of Jerusalem.

33 But look! The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    will chop down the mighty tree of Assyria with great power!
He will cut down the proud.
    That lofty tree will be brought down.
34 He will cut down the forest trees with an ax.
    Lebanon will fall to the Mighty One.

He would cut them down like trees in the forest. In the days of Hezekiah, God wiped out 185,000 of the Assyrian soldiers, and the great Assyrian Empire ultimately fell to Babylon in 609 BC.

 

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John Burnett:  ²⁷ And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”^[a]

²⁸ He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through Migron;
    at Michmash he stores his baggage;
²⁹ they have crossed over the pass;
    at Geba they lodge for the night;
Ramah trembles;
    Gibeah of Saul has fled.
³⁰ Cry aloud, O daughter of Gallim!
    Give attention, O Laishah!
    O poor Anathoth!
³¹ Madmenah is in flight;
    the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
³² This very day he will halt at Nob;
    he will shake his fist
    at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
    the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ Behold, the Lord God of hosts
    will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
    and the lofty will be brought low.
³⁴ He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe,
    and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.

Those who oppose God or those who belong to Him will be brought down low.  This not only includes those armies attacking Israel, but those who are proud enough to think that they chose God.  God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.  Those who realize their wretched sinful state and know that there is nothing they can do to be saved but fall at the mercy God shows us by His grace.

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Monday’s reading for Isaiah 11:1-4

11 Out of the stump of David’s family^[a] will grow a shoot—
    yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
² And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³ He will delight in obeying the Lord.
    He will not judge by appearance
    nor make a decision based on hearsay.
⁴ He will give justice to the poor
    and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
    and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
⁵ He will wear righteousness like a belt
    and truth like an undergarment.