A Glimpse of the King and His Coming Kingdom (Isaiah 10–12)

A felled forest, a single green shoot, and the promise of a world set right—Isaiah’s vision in chapters 9–12 reads like a map for weary hearts. We walk through Judah’s gamble with Assyria and the heavy price of trusting empire over God, then watch as Isaiah turns our eyes to a different kind of ruler: a Messiah who carries government on His shoulder and cares for His people like a bridegroom committed to protect and provide.

From there, the story widens. Assyria, used as an instrument of judgment, learns that borrowed power is still accountable power. The axe that boasts gets cut down. Out of the stump of Jesse, hope rises: a Spirit-anointed King whose wisdom, counsel, might, and reverent fear produce justice that finally defends the poor and decides with truth instead of appearances. This is leadership with moral depth, the kind that mends what corruption fractures.

Then the vision blooms into something breathtaking. Predators lose their hunger for harm. Children lead lions. Snakes no longer threaten. Creation begins to unwind the curse and move back toward Eden’s peace as the earth fills with the knowledge of the Lord. It’s not fantasy; it’s the future under a real King whose reign reconciles people, land, and creatures. And as the nations watch, a signal is raised and exiles come home on a highway of mercy—Israel regathered, promises kept, covenant faithfulness made visible.

We close with a song that could belong on any believer’s lips today: God is my strength and my song. If you’ve been craving a vision of justice that heals and a hope that holds, this conversation will steady your steps and sharpen your anticipation. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review to help others find this message of judgment, mercy, and the coming peace of the King.

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Transcript

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Well, as we begin our wisdom journey today, we remember the glory of Israel's coming Messiah was described in our last study back in Isaiah chapter 9. There in verse 6, Isaiah prophesied: The government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty

Messiah’s Names And Wedding Imagery

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God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Well, a Jewish wedding during the days of Isaiah would have featured that wonderful moment when the bridegroom lifted the veil from his bride's face. We still do that today in traditional wedding ceremonies, but he would have lifted it up and then off and then draped it across his shoulder. And that signify he was taking responsibility for the provision, the protection, and the care of his bride. So our divine bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, has essentially gathered us who believe in him into his bridal party. He's taken responsibility for us. And let me tell you, when you believe in Christ, you leave the funeral march of the human race. You're now a member of his wedding party. Now, here in the immediate context of Isaiah chapter 9, King Ahaz of Judah isn't all that impressed with the promise of God's protection. Frankly, he'd rather put his faith, his trust in a peace treaty with the Assyrian Empire, and that's going to come back to Bitom, so to speak. So with that as a backdrop and a reminder now, we're at

Judah’s Gamble And Assyria’s Rise

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chapter 10 here, and Isaiah changes his focus from the southern kingdom of Judah to the northern kingdom of Israel. Israel is going to serve as a warning to Judah of the consequences of rebelling against God. See, Isaiah, he's going to warn the rebellious leaders of Israel here in verse 4 by saying, Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. In other words, God is going to use the brutal Assyrian Empire to defeat Israel, execute the judgment of God, and warn Judah. Now, don't think that just because God uses some godless nation to do his will, that the ungodly are going to get away with their sin. No, that's not going to happen. Isaiah says here in verse 12. Isaiah prophesies down here in verse 33 that God will cut off the Assyrian army like a lumberjack cuts down a forest of trees. He says here, the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low. Now this is going to take place a few years later, when God miraculously destroys the Assyrian army as recorded back in 2 Kings chapter 19. Well now Isaiah delivers a message of hope for the people of Israel. He continues with the analogy of a forest that's been cut down, but he points out that there's this stump of a tree, he says here in chapter eleven and verse one. There shall come forth a shoot

Assyria Humbled By God

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from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Well, we know that this tree stump is Jesse, David's father, and that green shoot coming out of it is the royal line of King David from whom the Messiah will descend. In fact, the Apostle Paul effectively declares in Acts 13,

A Shoot From Jesse

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23 that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise of the fruitful branch from the stump of Jesse. Listen to Isaiah describe the Messiah now here in verse two. 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. Now all these references to the Spirit are capital S, they're

The Spirit-Empowered King

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references to the Holy Spirit. There's a lot I could say here, and I agree with one author who writes the church has never sufficiently confessed the influence of the Holy Spirit, which he exerted upon the work of Jesus Christ. Well, Isaiah is saying here that the ministry of the Messiah is going to be saturated with the divine power of the Spirit of God. Not only will the Messiah be divinely empowered, but as king, he will one day rule with perfect justice. Now, here in verse 6, Isaiah begins to describe the future millennial kingdom over which Messiah King will reign when he returns to earth with us in that future day. In fact, one of the glorious aspects of the kingdom is the way the Lord is going to take us back in

Peace In The Coming Kingdom

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some ways to that pristine condition of the Garden of Eden. One very obvious change is going to be the animal kingdom here in this millennial reign. Isaiah writes here in verse 6 about this change. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat. Let me tell you, the you know, the leopard and the young goat don't just naturally take a nap next to one another, but they will in the future kingdom. Isaiah continues saying here in verse 6, the calf and the lion and the fattened calf shall dwell together, and a little child shall lead them. Imagine a little child's going to have a lion as a pet. He's going to lead that lion around like a dog on a leash. And I want to tell you, I don't like cats at all, never have, but a lion is one cat I wouldn't mind having as a pet. Not too long ago, my grandson and I talked about this verse, and we think this would be pretty amazing. Well, now how's this going to be possible? Isaiah tells us here in verse 7. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. Well, the Lord's evidently going to change the digestive tracts, the eating patterns of the animal kingdom. There's no more carnivorous animals to fear. They're going to return to the way they were originally created in the Garden of Eden. Beloved, in the kingdom, Jesus the King will begin the process of reversing the curse on the earth, the redeemed human race, the animal kingdom. How's this for more changes? Isaiah writes now here in verse eight, the nursing child shall play over the whole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. Now I don't like snakes at all, kingdom or no kingdom, but there will be nothing to fear here. Even a little baby is going to be able to play alongside the deadliest serpent. The Lord goes on to describe this kingdom age in verse nine. 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. Well, this millennial kingdom is going to give us just a little taste of what life was like back in the Garden of Eden. Creation, mankind will be reconciled as it were once again. Isaiah now prophesies about the return of Israel to their promised land here in verse twelve. God will raise a signal, that's a rallying point for the nations, and will assemble the banished of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Israel Regathered And Restored

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This means that the Israelite nation will be reunited and joined to their Messiah. Well, as chapter eleven comes to a close, Isaiah prophesies that the Messiah will rally all the exiled Jews in all the world to come back to the land God promised them. He says here in verse 16, there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt. Let me tell you, the highway is going to look like rush hour as the Jewish people from all around the world repent and receive their Messiah and they flood back into the promised land. Listen, beloved, God has not forsaken Israel. The church today has not replaced Israel. There's coming a day when God will literally fulfill all his promises here to that nation and to you and me as his redeemed. Well now Isaiah writes a song of thanksgiving here in chapter twelve, and frankly, every believer to this day can sing it. In fact, we ought to be singing it today. The main stanza goes like this here in verse 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my

A Song Of Salvation

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song, and He has become my salvation. Let me tell you, you can sing this. If you've come to Jesus today as your Messiah, you believe in him as your coming king. You can just go ahead and start singing these lyrics today. Well, with that, we're out of time for today. Until our next wisdom journey, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.