I’ve (by praying and reading) discovered the “impetus,” the “trigger,” the “reasoning” (actually the “blessing”) behind this lovely Psalm, Isaiah chapter 12.

And it is found in the very first verse. “And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.” (Again, this is Isaiah 12:1, King James Version.)

Why this praise?

National (Israel, her surviving remnant anyway) praise!

Because God’s “anger” has been “turned away!”

“Anger” is “aph” in Hebrew, God being “red-hot” in Fury, so very “angry” He (merely a word picture now) “breathes hard through his nose, His nostrils!” That mad!

God’s Wrath!

An eternity in Hell!

Or national chastisement, slavery, and for many thousands … death!

The verb “turned away” is “shub,” in our terminology meaning “turning 180 degrees around!” (An “about-face!”) Reversing one’s direction! (This verb and its substantive cousin are often used to express the Old Testament thought of “repentance.”)

God’s Judgment is gone!

Plus … God now “comforts them!” 

“Nacham” (precisely translated “comfortest”) means “to feel sorrow or pity” for someone. To identify with their trials, situations, heartaches! God has “eased” their distress!

And this is WHY they are praising Him so!

But I have one more question this morning.

What could bring about such forgiveness?

What could possibly induce such comfort?

There is only one possible Answer.

And That is JESUS!

Calvary!

The Blood of the Lamb shed there!

And it is still true, according to the New Testament … “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18

Add: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the WRATH of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

Hallelujah!

Genuine reason to praise God!

Saved!

Saved by Grace!

Tell us again, Isaiah. What will the delivered remnant of Israel say some day in the future, when they lay their eyes on the Coming (Returning) Lord Jesus? “And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.”

Amen!

We ought to be doing the same today, praising our Saviour! Luke 10:20, Jesus preaching: “But rather REJOICE, because your names are written in heaven.”

Yes!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

True, Isaiah chapter 12 is a Psalm!

A Psalm of Praise!

Only 6 verses in length, yet a work of Art!

Beautiful, symmetrical (concentric), inspired and inerrant!

It begins a singular pronoun in the masculine gender.

It ends with a singular noun, in the feminine gender!

In the middle are plenty of plurals!

It has no superscript or subscript, yet its context is critically important.

“And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” Isaiah 12

That’s it, “in toto!” (A Latin phrase meaning “completely, totally.”)

The central Thrust of the chapter is “salvation!” 

As in verse two’s great Proclamation: “God is my Salvation!”

Or verse three’s “drawing waters out of the wells of salvation!” 

This whole Section looks forward (“in that day” of verses one and four) to the Coming of Jesus, not as much His First Coming, as clearly as His Second Return!

When God comes to earth to live among His people (particularly Israel here) … as is depicted in verses five and six: “Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”

The Psalm, considered as a Whole, is a fitting “cap” ( or even “crown”) to the previous chapter, Isaiah 11. Which is, so far, the Prophet’s fullest description of the Millennial Rule of Christ!

In fact, Israel here is not merely “saved” (a poor way of expressing such a miracle) … but is then “witnessing” to the Nations around her the Glories of her great God and King! Read verse four again: “And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.” 

By then Israel (during the Millennium) also will have learned the lesson God (and Isaiah) tried to teach King Ahaz of Judah way back in chapter 7. “I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength ….” Isaiah 12:2, but just in part. But now let me show you what Isaiah to Ahaz: “If ye will not believe (trust), surely ye shall not be established (strengthened).” 

Wow!

I plan tomorrow, the Lord willing, to write one more lesson from Isaiah 12. Just noting some of the details not mentioned today. This Chapter/Poem could nearly be labeled: “The Manifold Results of Salvation!”  

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Honestly, Isaiah 11 could be the Source of a month’s worth of Bible Study Lessons. And even then, we would have just begun! (I plan to have our printer produce a little “Bible Portion” Booklet containing nothing but this glorious chapter. And then I am going, the Lord willing, to preach a whole Revival from its 16 verses!) It is one of the most beautiful of all the Bible’s chapters on the coming Kingdom Rule of Jesus … on this earth. (On the Millennium!)

But today (by the way, Merry Christmas) I’d simply like to quickly survey this chapter, making a few comments that I trust will incite some of you to further study.

I enjoy the way the Holy Spirit is described in the opening Paragraph. “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 of the fear of the LORD.” (Isaiah 11:2) It would be hard to categorize the Holy Spirit in a single Term or Name … so Isaiah elaborates a little! (I count a seven-fold exposition, myself!) Upon which enumeration I think of Revelation 5:6, which again associates Jesus (The Lamb) with “the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” Yes, the dear Holy Spirit! (Even the “fruit” of the Spirit in our lives cannot be singularized! “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.” King James Version, a “cluster” of fruit. But this time, nine-fold!)

I am also impressed with the way Jesus “begins” His Millennial reign. By conquering the enemy … “and He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” Wow, Isaiah 11:4. (Sounds a lot like Psalm 2:8-9, describing the very same Event. “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Or even 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, still at the Second Coming. “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.”)

Jesus indeed “the Prince of Peace,” but only after being the “Mighty Warrior!”

And those Isaianic descriptions of nature during the Millennium, when the “curse” on earth has (obviously) been lifted! Such as: “The wolf (!) also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard (!) shall lie down with the kid (baby goat); and the calf and the young lion (!) and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear (!) shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion (!) shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp (a venomous snake nowadays), and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ (maybe an adder, a snake) den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.” Verses 6-9! (Much like the very “Garden of Eden” being restored!) All sounding so poetic, but to be interpreted literally!

And then Jesus recalling (regathering) the people of Israel! An “inkling” of which we have seen happening in that little Nation since her rebirth in 1948, May 14th to be specific. Isaiah 11:11 … “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.” 

Our Lord even constructing a Highway on which they (the Jews) can return! “And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” Verse 16, chapter’s end! (These Lines are written to sound like a second “Exodus!”) “And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.” Verse 15, Isaiah writing not history, but prophecy!

Wow!

Now I must close.

Last of all, in my estimation … “all intertribal conflict (Jew against Jew) shall cease!” According to Verse 13 … “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.”

Peace indeed, without and within!

Amen!

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20, the Bible’s final prayer!

Yes, Isaiah 11, worth deep study!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Again, this Lesson was written December 25, 2018 (at 5:00 AM). Let’s keep Christ in Christmas, folks! Honor HIM today!

 

I have noticed an interesting facet of Isaiah 11 that I feel compelled to share with you. It has two paragraphs (a fact I had not previously noticed) … each clearly  bracketed with identical “markers.” As if the Holy Spirit wanted us to see His two divisions in this great Piece of Literature, “Holy Writ,” this Portion of the Word of God. (This is a literary device often called “inclusio.”)

Now, let me show you …

First, Isaiah 11:1-10, but for now just concentrate on the highlighted (capitalized) words. See their similarity. Look early and late in the Paragraph.

“1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of JESSE, and a Branch shall grow out of his ROOTS: 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 of the fear of the Lord; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. 10 And in that day there shall be a ROOT OF JESSE, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”

See?

This is the Holy Spirit’s (the True Author of Isaiah) way of demarcating this Section, this first Unit of the chapter, of Isaiah 11. Verses 1 and 11 actually serve as “bookends” or “parentheses” or “brackets” to indicate a single theme of interest! (Jesus, the Greater Son of Jesse!)

Now look again …

“11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from ASSYRIA, and from EGYPT, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. 14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. 15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from ASSYRIA; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of EGYPT.”

Indicating the global impact of the Kingdom Reign of Jesus! (North all the way to Assyria and then south to Egypt!) The global outreach of our Lord’s Magnetism!

We will talk more about the chapter tomorrow, the Lord willing.

But I found this set of “inclusio” markers captivating!

Genuine Effort has clearly been invested in writing this Portion of Scripture!

A lovely chapter, both in composition and content!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Written Monday morning, December 24, 2018 … May each of you enjoy a blessed Christmas! With JESUS in the center of all you deliberations!

 

Yes, Isaiah 11, the entire chapter (all 16 verses) describes Jesus!

Jesus, when He comes again to earth! 

When He returns to rule (reign) as King!

This Thing is so vast one hardly knows where to begin!

Notice verse 1 … “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”

This is simply telling us that the coming King (Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord) will be Davidic. Will by nature (in His humanity) be related to Royalty! (Both Mary the Virgin … and Joseph her legal husband had Jewish blood, specifically descending from the Tribe of Judah, from the heritage of Jesse, David’s father! That’s what the genealogies of Matthew and Luke try to prove to us.)

Jesus is here termed a “rod,” in Hebrew “choter,” basically (etymologically) a “little shoot, a mere twig,” but with great growth potential! The main idea again … Jesus “sprang from Judah,” the ruling (kingly) Tribe of Israel. (Hebrews 7:14 … “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda.”)

The word “stem” means the shortened “trunk” of a cut-down tree. Just the stub!

The Noun (Name) “Jesse” loosely means “I am.” In the sense of “standing out” or “existing.” (Some scholars add the meaning “to possess.”) His name is mentioned 42 times in the Bible, primarily as the father of David.

But now here is the interesting word!

“Branch” (spelled “netzser”) means “sprout,” a synonym to the noun “rod” which Isaiah just penned. Jesus’ (human”) heritage. Or should I say “qualification” for Kingship? But look! “Netzser” is related to the Hebrew word “nazarite” or possibly even “Nazarene!” (The word is derived from a “root” verb meaning “to guard, watch, protect!”)

That’s linkage to Jesus, for sure! (Agreed: our Lord technically was not a “nazarite,” but certainly was a “Nazarene!”) See Matthew 2:23 here … “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a NAZARENE.”

“Shall grow,” is “para” in Hebrew, meaning “bear fruit!” Also “to increase!” (I am thinking of Luke 2:52 now … “And Jesus INCREASED in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”)

Oh yes!

And that last word in verse 1, “roots” can mean “depths!”

Profound!

In fact, Biblically Jesus is said to be both the “Root” of David and the “Offspring” of David! He was “before” David, being everlasting … and will reign long “after” David, both millennially (for 1,000 glorious years) and eternally (generations without end)! Read with me Revelation 22:16 … “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the ROOT and the OFFSPRING of David, and the bright and morning star.”

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell