Isaiah’s description of the Christ matches the life of Jesus.

Isaiah 11:1-5

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“There will come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch will grow out of his roots.” Isaiah 11:1

Isaiah, by the Spirit of God, prophesied during a time when the Israelites were divided between the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. The Assyrian Empire destroyed the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. However, Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom of Judah, remained and was not completely devastated, it was the stem and root of Jesse [Jesse lived about 325 years before Isaiah]. Jesse was from the tribe of Judah, and from that stem would come a Rod and a Branch. The Christ, Jesus, is that Rod and Branch, being from the tribe of Judah. Jesse’s son, David, was of the tribe of Judah also, and was a king who ruled from Judah.

A rod is a sprout coming from a stump and grows into a new branch. Our Lord Jesus is that Rod and Branch who sprouted from the stump of Jesse, from Judah. By the time of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Israelites were under the rule of the Romans, and there was virtually no hope whatsoever of a ruler coming from the lineage of Jesse/David to rule over a Jewish kingdom on this earth. However, Jesus was born and gave new life to the rule coming from the lineage of Jesse/David. Not an earthly kingdom, but an eternal Heavenly Kingdom.

The Jewish people believed that the Christ would restore the glory of Israel on this earth through a descendant of Jesse, to set on the throne of David. Although the Jewish people don’t accept it, Jesus is the eternal Christ whom David prophesied about, as described in Acts 2:25-35. “The Lord has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: “I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body. If your sons will keep My covenant and My testimony which I will teach them, their sons also will sit upon your throne forevermore.” Psalms 132:11-12

There is no earthly Kingdom of God, no earthly Garden of Eden, no restoration of the glory of Israel on this earth. “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21 “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” John 18:36

“The Spirit of the Lord will 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

The Spirit of the Lord rested on His Son, Jesus the Christ in the form of a dove, “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him…” Luke 3:22 A meek and gentle Spirit of peace was upon Him. In the Spirit, He was full of wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, might, and the fear/reverence for His Father God.

All of the qualities of the Spirit mentioned in that verse can be seen in the verses below;

When Jesus was just twelve years of age, He sat in the Jewish temple among Pharisees, scribes, and others who were attending the meetings. While Jesus listened and asked questions, all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers to their questions of Him. “Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” Luke 2:46-47 At the age of twelve, Jesus’ wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, might in the Spirit, and reverence for His Father was already becoming evident.

From that moment, at the age of twelve, Jesus continued to grow in all the qualities mentioned above, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52

By the time Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30, this is written of Him, “When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” Matthew 13:54 Jesus was taught by the Spirit, with might and authority, “…the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28-29

“Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” John 7:14-15 Our Lord Jesus did not have a formal education in the Scriptures, was never a scribe [lawyer], never a Pharisee, and never a Sadducee. Jesus was the word made flesh, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears…” Isaiah 11:3

To fear the Lord is to have reverence for His Spirit, and for our body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 The reverence for His Spirit means that judgment doesn’t come by looking at how well a person is groomed or speaks, nor how poorly a person is groomed or speaks. Judgment does not come by the sight of the eyes nor by the hearing of the ears.

Our Lord Jesus did not judge by what He saw nor by what He heard, but His judgment came according to the content of the heart, as quoted, “Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:26-28

Jesus says this, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:15-20

“But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth…” Isaiah 11:4

An excellent verse to describe how Jesus judged the poor with righteousness and rendered equality to the meek of the earth, is as follows, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” Luke 21:1-4

Matthew 5:1-12 is excellent scripture on judging the poor with righteousness and rendering equality to the meek.

Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4

“He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4

The Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees tried many times to find something in the words of Jesus that would prove Him to be guilty of a crime, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.” Matthew 22:15. Each time, Jesus slayed the wicked by the word of His mouth, and they quit even trying to entrap Him in His words, “And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” Matthew 22:45-46

When our Lord Jesus Christ returns, He will conquer with the two-edged sword coming from His mouth, “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp two-edged sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelations 19:15-16

“Righteousness will be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.” Isaiah 11:5

Righteousness and faithfulness is the belt of His loins and waist. His righteousness and faithfulness was not outward appearances and smooth sounding words, but was the righteousness of the Spirit of God and faithfulness to the will of God, His Father. Jesus says, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven…Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:20, 8

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1