Isaiah 11:4, commentary and pictures

The verse speaks of Jesus the Messiah, the Branch from Jesse and promised King, who is filled with the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and reverence, and so does not judge by outward sight or hearsay but judges rightly as the Spirit guides. With righteousness and faithfulness He judges the poor and decides with equity for the meek of the earth, defending them in His reign. He strikes the earth with the rod of His mouth and destroys the wicked with the breath of His lips by the power and authority of His spoken word. At His coming the wicked throughout the whole earth are blotted out and consumed by the spirit of His mouth and the brightness of His glory. This just judgment belongs to the promised time of salvation and peace, when wolf and lamb and leopard and kid dwell together led by a child, nothing harms in the holy mountain because the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, the root of Jesse stands as an ensign sought by the Gentiles, and the remnant of Israel and Judah is gathered again with a song of trust and praise.

Spirit-Anointed Messianic Judge

The one spoken of as a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a Branch growing out of his roots is Jesus the Messiah, Christ Himself, the promised ruler and King and Restorer and heavenly teacher. The prophecy of Isaiah 11:4 belongs to Him as that Branch from Jesse. He is the one who judges the poor, decides for the meek, smites the earth with the rod of His mouth, and slays the wicked with the breath of His lips.

Upon Him rests the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Because He is so guided by the Spirit, He does not judge after the sight of His eyes or outward appearance, nor reprove after the hearing of His ears or hearsay. He judges rightly.

With righteousness He judges the poor, and with equity and fairness He reproves and decides for the meek of the earth. In this He defends the poor and the meek. His is a reign in righteousness.

Righteousness is the girdle of His loins and faithfulness the girdle of His reins, girding His rule. Righteousness and faithfulness mark His character as judge and define His rule.

Judgment by Spoken Word

He strikes the earth with the rod of His mouth and puts the wicked to death with the breath of His lips, executing judgment upon the earth and destroying the wicked by the power and authority of His spoken word. His word alone strikes and brings the wicked to their end, without judging by outward appearance or hearsay but judging rightly. In this He judges the poor with righteousness and defends and treats the meek of the earth with equity and fairness. Those who abide in Him follow His ways and speak with His Spirit.

At His coming the wicked throughout the whole earth are blotted out, consumed by the spirit of His mouth and the brightness of His glory. The earth is thus left empty of its inhabitants.

This just judgment belongs to the promised time of salvation and peace under the Spirit-filled reign of wisdom, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord, girded with righteousness and faithfulness. Then comes a peaceful kingdom where wolf and lamb, leopard and kid, calf and lion dwell together led by a little child, and nothing hurts or destroys in the holy mountain because the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Then the root of Jesse stands as an ensign sought by the Gentiles, the remnant of Israel and Judah is gathered a second time, and a song of salvation, trust and praise to the Holy One of Israel is sung.

Prophecy Fulfilled and Applied

The prophecy sets forth His work as Restorer in reforming a world held under the power of sin and Satan, judging the poor with righteousness and defending the meek with equity while bringing judgment against the wicked by the power of His word. It is fulfilled in Christ as the heavenly teacher who came to reveal God and lived among humanity, judging righteously rather than by outward appearance or hearsay, defending the poor and deciding for the meek with fairness, destroying the wicked by His word, with righteousness and faithfulness marking His rule. It foretells Christ whose coming John the Baptist preached and whose divine authority was confirmed at His baptism, as the Messiah who judges the poor with righteousness and treats the meek with equity and destroys the wicked by the power of His word.

It was recalled as referring to Jesus the Messiah as the promised ruler whose mission Mary did not yet fully understand. The verse belongs to the prophecy of the Spirit-filled reign of wisdom, counsel, might, knowledge and fear of the Lord, girded with righteousness and faithfulness, where He does not judge by sight of eyes or hearing of ears but with righteousness for the poor and equity for the meek of the earth, smiting the earth with the rod of His mouth and slaying the wicked with the breath of His lips, bringing peace to creation, full knowledge of the Lord in the earth, the standing of the root of Jesse as an ensign sought by the Gentiles, the second gathering of the remnant of Israel and Judah, and the song of salvation, trust and praise to the Holy One of Israel. It is given for consideration by those assembling to blend together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to be solemnly investigated in order to unify in the name of the Lord. Those who abide in Christ follow His ways and speak with His Spirit, while He judges the poor with righteousness and treats the meek with fairness and His words bring judgment on the earth and put the wicked to death.