Israel's Messianic Kingdom, Page 4

	Exegesis A Study of Isaiah 11
"Then it will happen on that day that the LORD will again recover the second time with his hand the remnant of His people, who will remain ..." Isaiah 11:11

Israel's Messianic Kingdom, Isaiah 11, Page 4

C. The International Politics of His Kingdom. Isaiah 11:10-16

1. International Allegiance to Israel's Davidic King. Isa. 11:10

a. Nations will gravitate to the Messiah. Isa. 11:10. "Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse"

Actually, the NIV follows more closely the Hebrew word order than does the NASB. It reads as follows: "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious." Nevertheless, we will follow the NASB wording in our comments.

"Then in that day" – the day of the Messiah's Kingdom.

"the nations" – the plural of gôy (1471), here referring to the nations of the world as a collective. God picked the nation of Israel to be His special nation, but from their inception as a nation, He always intended them to be a "kingdom of priests" who would draw other nations to worship the one true God (Ex. 19:5, 6). Historically, the nations of the earth have been hostile against Israel. But in the Kingdom, God's long-term plan will finally be realized. Israel will be a magnet to the nations, drawing them to worship the one true God through the medium of the "root of Jesse" – Jesus Christ!

"will resort" – the Qal Imperfect of dârash (1875), to resort to or frequent, often, as here, with the intent of worship.

"to the root of Jesse" – once again Isaiah speaks of the "root" sheresh (8328) of Jesse (see Isa. 11:1). Jesse, David's father, was merely a humble farmer / shepherd, not a king. According to Constable,

The title "root of Jesse" presents the Messiah as the source of the Davidic line (cf. Gen. 3:15; 17:6), not just the product of that line (v. 1). It also suggests His humble origin, as opposed to being described as coming from a King's line.

b. The prominence of the Messiah as a Rallying Point. Isa. 11:10

"Who will stand as a signal for the peoples"

"Who will stand" – "will stand" is the Qal Participle of the verb ‛âmad (5975), here, perhaps, to "arise, appear, come on the scene" (BDB meaning #6 for the Qal stem).

"as a signal" – "signal" is the noun nês (5251), meaning a "standard, ensign, signal, sign" (BDB). The NASB twice translates this noun as "banner" (Ex. 17:15; Psa. 60:4). We might almost consider it to be a flag. Three times this signal was said to be elevated so as to be highly visible on a hill (Isa. 13:2; 30:17) or on a mountain (Isa. 30:17).

This is metaphorical language (note the Hebrew "as"). The Messiah will not be literally a flag or standard, but He will serve as a highly visible rallying point for the peoples of the earth. Much as the picture of six marines raising the US Flag on Iwo Jima became an iconic rallying point for Americans and the Marines in particular during and subsequent to World War II, so Jesus Christ, triumphant in his vanquishing all enemies and in setting up His eternal Kingdom of righteousness and peace, will be a triumphant rallying point for all the nations of the world!

"for the peoples" – the plural noun "peoples," ‛am (5971) is a synonym for "nations" gôy (1471) in the preceding line (in English).

The magnetism of the Great King is predicted in Isaiah 2:2-4:

2 Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.

Several points are worth noting:

Mount Zion will be the capital not only of Israel, but of all the world. Much as New York City today, the headquarters of the United Nations, is considered to be a chief city of the world, so will be Jerusalem and Mount Zion, but far more so (Isa 2:2).

All earth's nations will travel repeatedly to Mount Zion (Isa. 2:2).

Earth's nations will flock to Mount Zion to the Temple Complex there to learn the ways of God from the Great King, Jesus Christ. They will desire and obtain audiences with the King in order to learn of God's ways from Him. They will desire to guide their respective nations and families in the way of God (Isa. 2:3).

Mount Zion in Jerusalem will be the focal point of disseminating laws and interpretations and policies for the entire community of peoples and nations (Isa. 2:3).

Mount Zion will serve as the World Court. The Great King will function as the Global Supreme Court. The Great King will adjudicate between nations and ethnic groups (Isa. 2:4).

The transformation of nations and peoples into followers of the Great King will be so complete that defense budgets of nations will vanish. No longer will there be a race to obtain a strategic advantage over other nations through possession of the latest jets, rockets, lasers, warships, submarines, and tanks. Instruments of weaponry such as tanks will be turned into tractors to till the earth and produce crops. Peace will be global (Isa. 2:4; 9:6, 7).

c. The spectacular nature of His peaceful regime. Isa. 11:10

"And His resting place will be glorious."

"His resting place" is the noun menûchâh (4496), signifying a permanent place of repose with the flavor of peace because of Messiah's conquest of all His enemies and opponents. An appropriate cross reference is Psalm 132:13, 14. Indeed, Zion will be His resting place.

"will be glorious" – "glorious" is the noun kâbôd (3519). This is a complex noun with layered nouns. According to BDB, some of these that would here apply include 1. abundance, riches. 2. honour, splendour, glory. 3. honour, dignity of position. Meaning #2 includes the flavor of brilliant light, an observable, physical display of light, brilliance, and glory. All of these meanings apply to the resting place of the Great King, which will be earthly Jerusalem during His Millennial reign. Some instructive cross references in Isaiah include the following: Isa. 24:23; 35:2; 60:1; 62:2, 18. Many occurrences in the Pentateuch also convey the idea of an overwhelming display of physical light and brilliance: Ex. 16:10; 24:16, 17; 40:34, 35; Lev. 9:23; Num. 14:10; 16:42. See also 1 Kings 8:11.

So Messiah's kingdom, after He has conquered all His and Israel's enemies will be an ongoing expression and display of riches, wealth, power, honor, and a physical display of glorious light. Jerusalem will be a magnet that will draw all nations.

The eternal city of New Jerusalem, under the co-regency of God and Christ, will manifest such a brilliant physical display of glorious light that neither the sun nor the moon will be needed. New Jerusalem will be like the sun, lighting the earth as bright as day (Rev. 21:10, 11, 23, 24; 22:5).

2. The Second Regathering of Israel. Isaiah 11:11-12

"Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain," (Isa. 11:11).

The time of the regathering: "Then it will happen on that day" – the time of the Great King's reign here on earth from Mount Zion.

The facilitator of the regathering: "the Lord" – 'ădônây (136), Lord, or Master, here referring to God. Used 48 times in Isaiah, as opposed to the more typical yehôvâh (3068), Yahweh, the proper name of God, used 450 times in Isaiah. It may here, in Isa. 11:11 directly refer to the Messiah, who is God-come-in-the-flesh.

"will again" – the Hiphil Imperfect of the verb yâsaph (3254), to add, or increase, do again or more (adapted from BDB).

"recover" – the Qal Infinitive Construct of the verb qânâh (7069), to acquire, get, obtain (Gen. 4:1; Prov. 4:5); frequently to purchase (Gen. 25:10; Jer. 19:1)

"the second time" – the adjective shênı̂y (8145), the ordinal number "second." The combination of "again" and "second" sounds redundant in English, but is perfectly good Hebrew idiom. This means that, from Isaiah's vantage point, there would be two restorations of the remnant. The first would be the restoration of Jewish exiles from Babylon after their seventy-year exile. The second is yet to come. In the Sovereignty of God, the devastating Holocaust provided motivation for Israelis to acquire a homeland and emigrate there. It also provided a Gentile guilt over the Holocaust, providing a brief window of time in which the United Nations, through the advocacy of Christian Britons, would be motivated to authorize a Jewish homeland in the so-called "Palestinian" territory, more biblically, Judea and Samaria. The present day Aliyah is merely God's setting the stage for a future regathering of Israelis from all over the world to the permanent home God has promised them.

"with His hand" – yâd (3027). God does not literally have a hand, for He is Spirit (John 4:24). The expression means, however, that God personally and deliberately will make the effort to regather His people to the land of Israel from all over the world. And He will not be denied!

The focus of His regathering: "the remnant of His people" – "remnant" is the noun she'âr (7605), "rest, residue, remnant." The word "remnant" in Isaiah frequently refers to a faithful, purified residue of Yahweh's people, the people of Israel (Isa. 10:20, 21, 22; 11:11, 16; 28:5); "who will remain" - the Niphal Imperfect of the verb shâ'ar (7604), "who will remain" or "who will be left" or even "who will survive." The horrors of the Tribulation period will be so great that casualties among both Jewish people and Gentiles alike will be horrific. In two plagues alone in the Book of Revelation, a half of the world's population will die (Rev. 6:8; 9:15). In Israel, only a third will survive (Zech. 13:8, 9).

The foreign origins of those delivered: "From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea" (Isa. 11:11).

from Assyria, 'ashshûr (804). Assyria took the Northern ten tribes captive in 722 B.C. There was never any return to Israel. God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from Assyria back to Israel.

from Egypt, mitsrayim (4714). Throughout much of Israel's history Egypt has been an enemy. God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from Egypt back to Israel.

from Pathros, pathrôs (6624). Probably upper Egypt. God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from Pathros back to Israel.

from Cush, kûsh (3568). Originally, Cush was located perhaps in what, after the Flood, became known as Mesopotamia (Gen. 2:13). Later, however, Cush became associated with Ethiopia, south of Egypt. There are occasions in which Egypt and Cush are associated (Psa. 68:31; Isa. 20:3-5; 43:3; 45:14; Ezek. 29:10; 30:4, 9; Nahum 3:9). God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from Cush back to Israel.

from Elam, ‛êylâm (5867). A partially mountainous region of lower Mesopotamia adjacent ancient Babylonia, and bounded on the Southwest by the Tigris River and on the South by the Persian Gulf. Its principal city was Susa (Dan. 8:2). In the days of Daniel, it was a province of Babylon (Dan. 8:2). It was also associated with Media (Isa. 21:2; Jer. 25:25), and later associated with Persia (Dan. 5:28; 6:8).Today, Elam and Persia are loosely equivalent to the country of Iran. Daniel was held captive in Elam (Dan. 8:2). Today Iran is a fierce enemy of Israel.God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from Elam back to Israel.

from Shinar, shin‛âr (8152), land of two rivers, ancient name for Babylonia or Chaldea. References which at least provide some clues as to locale include the following: Gen. 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Dan. 1:2. Today Shinar is known as Iraq, a fierce enemy of Israel. God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from Shinar back to Israel.

from Hamath, chămâth (2574), the principal city of upper Syria in the valley of the Orontes River. Today Syria is a fierce enemy of Israel. God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from Hamath back to Israel.

"from the islands of the sea" – probably a reference to coastlands and perhaps islands of the Mediterranean Sea. The noun 'ı̂y (339) refers to coastlands, shore, region, islands. NASB translates the term as "coastlands" more often than "islands." Isaiah uses this word 17 times, more than any other writer. Here (Isa. 11:11) he links it with the word "sea" yâm (3220). In Isaiah the two words appear in the same context in Isa. 11:11; 23:2; 24:15. God will, in that yet future day, bring Israelis from the coastlands and islands of the Mediterranean back to Israel.

In Isaiah's day, these nations were representative of the known world. The point of this passage is that, in the reign of the Great King, He will bring expatriate Israelis from all over the world back to the land of Israel. Even in the twentieth and twenty first centuries, Jewish people were and are making Aliyah to Israel. This is not really a fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah 11:11, 12 because the Great King is not present. But it is, if you will, a down-payment, God's earnest money that He will make good on Israel's future regathering at the return of the Great King.

Messiah's flag will be a focal point for the nations (Isa. 11:12).

"And He will lift up a standard" – "standard" is the noun nês (5251), "standard, ensign, signal, sign" (BDB). Here, I believe the word refers to a flag or banner. In Isa. 11:10 Messiah Himself would serve as a "signal" or banner or flag for the peoples. Here, however (Isa. 11:12), Messiah will "lift up," Qal Perfect of the verb nâśâ' (5375) a standard, or flag. I believe this will be the Messiah's own personal flag / banner. It will symbolize both the Great King and His Kingdom. I imagine this flag will be carried in Royal processions, and will be flown over the city of Jerusalem, over buildings of the government, over the Temple (Isa. 2:2-3; Ezek. 40:1-44:14), and throughout the world. This is a flag "for the nations" as much as it is for Israelis.

"for the nations" – the plural gôyim (1471), referring to the aggregate of all the nations of the world. This flag will serve as a rallying point for the legitimate United Nations, who will be devoted to learning of the Laws of the King and worshiping in the Temple. (Isa. 2:1-4).

Messiah will regather exiles from Israel, the ten northern tribes (Isa. 11:12). "And assemble the banished ones of Israel,"

"And assemble" – the Qal Perfect of the verb 'âsaph (622), predominantly, in this context "to gather (together);"

"the banished ones" – the Nifal Participle of the verb nâdach (5080), those thrust out, banished, or dispersed. This verb is a synonym for the verb "the dispersed (ones)" in the next line.

"of Israel" – In context this may well refer to the ten northern tribes of Israel, taken captive by the King of Assyria in 722 BC. There was never any return from this exile. Some say the ten northern tribes are lost forever, and that no one of them can possibly know their ancestral genealogy. But God knows, and He will bring them back to Israel! God will reunite the two factions of the nation, divided in the days of Rehoboam. There will be one nation, and they will never again be divided into two kingdoms (Ezek. 37:15-22)!

Messiah will regather exiles from Judah, the Southern Kingdom (Isa. 11:12). "And will gather the dispersed of Judah"

"and will gather" – the Piel Imperfect of qâbats (6908), to gather together, usually [I would say "often"] used of Yahweh gathering together His dispersed people (BDB). For similar uses in Isaiah see Isa. 40:11; 43:5; 49:18; 54:7; 56:8; 60:4. During the Millennium Christ will gather all nations and tongues to come and see His glory (Isa. 66:18)! (Full disclosure: Isa. 49:18; 60:4 are both Nifal Perfects of the same verb.)

"the dispersed" – the Plural Qal Passive Participle of nâphats (5310), literally shattered or smashed ones.The idea here is that when one breaks pottery, it shatters and disperses all over the place. God, in discipline, has shattered, thus scattered the people of Judah all over the globe.

"of Judah" – yehûdâh (3063), here referring to the southern two tribes of Judah and Benjamin that remained loyal to Rehoboam, son of Solomon. As a punishment to Solomon for his following after the gods of his many wives, God tore the northern ten tribes away from Solomon's descendants.

"from the four corners of the earth" – This hardly applies to the Babylonian captivity, which was relatively localized. This refers to the Messiah's regathering of the exiles of the Southern Kingdom literally from all over the globe at His Second Coming.

Taken together, the preceding two lines of the Biblical text in Isa. 11:12 refer to all the physical descendants of Jacob, grandson of Abraham, and son of Isaac, no matter what country they may actually be living in at that time. The reunited (Ezek. 37:15-22) nation of Israel will legitimately possess every square inch of the land God has promised them. Even so, so many Jewish people will return to the land that they will say, "this place is too cramped for me – we need more land!" (Isa. 49:18-21). God will conquer Israel's enemies (Isa. 49:25-26). The end result will be that "all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (Isa. 49:26)!

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(Scripture quotation taken from the NASB.)

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Updated April 13, 2020