Bible Study Lesson for Isaiah 11:4-5: Isaiah Speaks About Jesus' Second Coming

(When I taught my two year long Bible study on Isaiah, I used The Pulpit Commentary Volume 10: Isaiah edited by H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell to give me a starting point and rough outline of the material covered in the chapters. In this article, when you read the phrase "my commentary", I am referring to this volume.)

In the previous verses we were introduced to the Messiah, the Branch from Jesse. Most Christian scholars believe this is referring to Jesus. These next verses in Isaiah appear to be speaking about the Messiah's (Jesus') Second Coming.

Read Isaiah 11:4-5. This is not the meek and mild Jesus who allowed himself to be led to slaughter and died on the cross after his first coming. Jesus will return as judge, warrior and king, and there will be nothing meek about him then. The first part of this section mentions the poor and needy. One of the reasons Israel and Judah were coming under judgment was because they were not treating the poor fairly in the courts. Read Isaiah 1:17, 23.

In fact, some were actively taking advantage of the poor. Read Isaiah 3:13-15

The Messiah, however, will see that the poor are treated with righteousness and justice. If you had mistreated the poor in the past for your own gain, therefore, the Messiah would see that you were held accountable for your actions.

Keep your finger in Isaiah, then turn to Revelation 19:11-16. This is the image of Jesus' Second Coming, as warrior and king. Notice the similarities here between this passage and Isaiah 11:4-5.

Revelation: "whose rider is called Faithful and True"
Isaiah: "Righteousness will be his belt, and faithfulness the sash"

Revelation: "With justice he judges and makes war"
Isaiah: "he will judge", "with justice", "he will strike the earth"

Revelation: "out of his mouth come a sharp sword"
Isaiah: "the rod of his mouth", "breath of his lips"

In both passages what Jesus says, what comes from his mouth (a sword, a rod, a breath), is a weapon. Read Hebrews 4:12

There is great power in Jesus' words. Jesus was there at the beginning: he spoke all things into being. Read Genesis 1:3

He commands the demons and they must obey. Read Luke 4:33-35

He speaks and a man is healed. Read Luke 5:12-13

He speaks and a man is brought back to life. Read Luke 7:11-15

In the gospels, with the exception of dealing with demons, we do not see Jesus using the power of his words to punish the wicked, but rather to show his love and compassion for people. Even his harsh words of rebuke to the Pharisees were actually words of love, as he tried to help them recognize their own sin and folly. When Jesus returns, however, that same power will be used in battle, as we see described in Isaiah and Revelation.

To be continued...

Sources
Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford (notes). The Student Bible. NIV Version
H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell (editors). The Pulpit Commentary Volume 10: Isaiah