“And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”
Isaiah 11:3-5 NASB1995
This passage apparently combines the attributes of Jesus when He came the first time as our Savior as well as the power and authority that He will have when He returns. So this is likely a dual fulfillment prophecy. Many of the scholars seem to concentrate on this as a far prophecy, yet to be fulfilled when Christ returns. But Jesus did delight in fear of the Lord and He was righteous in His dealings with people he met, not judging by what His eyes saw.
Let’s look at the commentary from Enduring Word:
a. His delight is in the fear of the LORD: Nothing pleased Jesus more than doing the will of His Father. My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (John 4:34)
b. With righteousness He shall judge: Jesus did not rely on outward appearance, or on the mere words that someone said. He judged with righteousness. He didn’t cheat the poor of justice, and if the poor and the weak are given justice, then everyone will be.
c. He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth: The mere words of Jesus have the power to judge the wicked. He only has to announce a judgment and it is done.
i. Bultema quotes Dr. V. Hepp on with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked: “From of old, the Rabbis have adhered to the first interpretation and seen in this wicked (one)…the Jewish Antichrist…this prediction of the wicked (one) may be unhesitatingly applied to the Antichrist.” Dr. V. Hepp made this remark in light of 2 Thessalonians 2:8: And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
d. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins: The qualities of righteousness and faithfulness are so close to Jesus they are like belts around His waist. Everything Jesus does is touched by His righteousness and faithfulness.
One passage from the New Testament is worth examining with regards to this passage in Isaiah 11, as noted in the Enduring Word commentary. This would be 2 Thessalonians 2:
“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 NASB1995
Paul was telling the believers not to worry yet that they were entering into the last days, as the apostasy has to come first (the man of sin or the Antichrist). This lawless one, when he appears, will be slain by the breath of the Lord (Paul harkens back to the passage in Isaiah 11 and forward to Revelation).
Precept Austin also has interesting commentary from the late Dr. John Valvoord (an expert in eschatological prophecy) about the millennium reign of the Messiah:
From a governmental standpoint, the reign of Christ in the millennium will have three important characteristics.
First, it will be a rule over the entire earth. It was God’s intent from the beginning of the creation of man that the earth should be ruled over by man. Adam sacrificed his right to rule when sin entered the human race, God’s purpose, however, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In Psalm 2:6-9 God declares His purpose to set His king in Zion who will have as His possession “the uttermost parts of the earth.” In Daniel 2:35 a stone which fills the whole earth is an anticipation of the universal rule of Christ. Daniel 7:14 is explicit: “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” This idea is repeated in Daniel 7:27 and becomes a frequent theme of prophecy (cf. Ps 72:8; Mic 4:1-2; Zech 9:10). The title of Christ given in Revelation 19:16, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,” makes it plain that He is supreme ruler over the entire earth.
The second important characteristic of the millennial rule of Christ is that His government will be absolute in its authority and power. This is demonstrated in His destruction of all who oppose Him (cf. Ps 2:9; 72:9-11 ; Isa 11:4). Such an absolute rule, of course, is in keeping with the person and majesty of the King in whom is all the power and sovereignty of God.
The third important aspect of the government of Christ in the millennium will be that of righteousness and justice. Most of the millennial passages emphasize this as the outstanding feature of of the millennium. Isaiah 11:3-5 assures the poor and the meek that their cause will be dealt with righteously in that day. The wicked are warned to serve the Lord lest they feel His wrath (Ps 2:10-12). It seems evident from many passages that no open sin will go unpunished…
Another important characteristic of the millennial rule of Christ is that His government will be absolute in its authority and power. This is demonstrated in His destruction of all who oppose Him (cf. Ps 2:9; 72:9-11 ; Isa 11:4). Such an absolute rule, of course, is in keeping with the Person and majesty of the King in Whom is all the power and sovereignty of God.
Well, that absolute authority and power over all of the Earth will certainly not make the “No Kings” crowd happy, will it? (that’s a little joke). This timeframe starts after the tribulation and before the Great White Throne judgment. I will not try to understand the eschatology involved (it was challenging enough when I studied Daniel), but the more I learn about the Bible, the more I’m convinced of the literal nature of the events that are yet to happen.
Many people are convinced we are in the end times right now and perhaps the Antichrist has already been born. Just like those folks who stared at their screens all day and night yesterday (11/5) anxiously watching the stock markets and futures crash at historic levels, there is nothing you can do about it and, as a believer, you should be assured that your place with Him is already secure. It’s worthwhile to study the prophecies because of the amazing intricacies and perfect track record so far; it also helps us know with great peace that God is on His throne and He holds the ultimate power.
My next devotional examines one of the most delightful passages in the Bible, Isaiah 11:6-9 - The restoration of all creation.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I eagerly await Your return and the coming new age of Earth, where all is restored to peace and harmony with the Creator. Amen.
Citations and Credits:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 11/06/2026 to review commentary for Isaiah 11:3-5.
Biblehub.org was accessed on 11/06/2026 to review commentary for Isaiah 11:3-5.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. At the link referenced, the bibliography used by David Guzik can be accessed.