COMMENTARY

Old Testament: Isaiah 11:1-10
This text is related to Isaiah 9:1-6. "The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:3a). In their original context, both passages are believed to be coronation Psalms for God's Anointed One, the king. It is possible that Isaiah composed today's lesson for the coronation of King Hezekiah. Though a king was held to be a direct link between the people and their God, the prophet realized that the righteous rule envisioned in this passage was beyond the range of human possibility and would be accomplished only through the gift of God's Spirit. "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him..." (v. 11:2a). Though Isaiah spoke to a particular situation, the prophetic messages he uttered transcend that time and place. From the beg…