This passage is part of the larger section of Isaiah 10:5—11:16, that portrays the defeat of Assyria, the gathering of the remnant of Israel that was deported to Assyria in 721 B.C., and the defeat of Israel’s enemies. Specifically, it deals with the future ideal time, when Israel’s messianic king will rule in a blessed kingdom of peace.

Our word for messiah comes from the Hebrew masiah, which means “anointed,” and it refers to the anointed Davidic king. During the reign of David in the tenth century B.C., God promised that there would never be lacking a Davidic heir to sit upon the throne (2 Samuel 7:13, 16). To realize the importance of that, we must understand that Israel’s life was bound up completely with its Davidic ruler, whose righteousness before God insured that the people were …