Key Verse:
Isaiah 9:1 NKJV
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Matthew 2:1-2 NKJV
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
Hail to the Messiah, He who was born King! Amen!
Where to begin?
I am going to detour from the lesson text to preface this week’s lesson, so as to add context to the lesson and for future reference to myself for the sake of documentation. In essence, I’m using this space as my own personal notepad. So to begin: Note to self …
Isaiah 7:3-4 NKJV
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4 and say to him: [d]‘Take heed, and [e]be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.
“...meet Ahaz… at the end of the aqueduct… the Fuller’s Field…”
What’s happening here? Ahaz has gone to the Fuller’s field for information, rather than to the Prophet of God. That is telling. Note to self: Don’t go to the local laundry mat for advice. Go to God. The Fuller’s Field was the equivalent of the local laundry mat. That Ahaz was there looking for the latest on the pending invasion speaks to his lack of faith in God to protect Him and the subjects of Judah.
In Isaiah, chapters thirty-six and thirty-seven, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, faced a similar threat some years later at that same Fuller’s Field., but he responded by going to God and pleading His case before the Lord. The Lord answered with a great victory against the King of Assyria on that day.
But on this day Ahaz would fold in fear and unbelief…
Isaiah 7:10-12 NKJV
10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [h]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
After all, God wanted to protect Judah from her attackers. So much so that offered to give Ahaz, the king of Judah, a sign. Not just a sign, but a wonder. God offered to move Heaven and earth on Judah’s behalf to prove His willingness to save His people. But Ahaz refused, He turned Isaiah down and in doing so, he turned away the hand of the Lord. So as to display His displeasure, God did indeed give Ahaz a sign.
The Immanuel prophecy
Isaiah 7:13 NKJV
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
And there it is. The most profound sign that God could give to a nation.To a dying, thirsting humanity. A virgin conceiving a child? The fact of this prophecy is still argued today because it is so unbelievable. So wonderful. So epically confounding.
In the case of Ahaz, this became a prophecy to be categorized as a far event as opposed to a near event. A near prophecy is defined as one that has the element of immediacy. A near prophecy can happen within an hour, a day, a week… up to within a generation. A far prophecy will occur in some distant future. Typically, the major prophecies, especially the Messianic prophecies, contain a near and a far element. However, this particular prophecy contains only the ‘near’ element. In not trusting God, Ahab tempted God and incurred God’s anger. Subsequently, Ahaz was immediately disqualified from the benefit of Isaiah’s wonderful announcement. No, Ahaz would bear the burden of a second pronouncement that was soon to follow. The pronouncement of a second child to be born…
A second birth prophesied…
Isaiah 8:3-4 NKJV
3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; 4 for before the child [b]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the [c]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”
So then, in chapter eight, Isaiah delivers another prophecy to King Ahaz. A prophecy of a second child to be born in Ahaz’s time. Isaiah’s own wife would bear a son whose name would signal the swift destruction of Israel and Syria at the hands of the Assyrians. The companion prophecy to the Immanuel prophecy, this would be the near prophecy that would begin to unfold right before Ahaz’s eyes. You see, Ahaz opted not to trust God, but rather to place his trust in man, specifically, the reigning king of Assyria. Most certainly, he was helped by the Assyrians, but in the process, Israel and Damascus were so completely overrun by the armies of Assyria that they were lost in darkness. This would lead to the exile of the Hebrews from Israel. They would never be heard from again. Additionally, Ahaz and the people of Judah became subservient to Assyria. Ahaz forfeited the economic wherewithal to remain independent. They essentially became a vassal state to Assyria. Imagine giving up the liberty and the freedom that Christ brings for a lifetime of enslavement to … sin. What Ahaz did was something like that. With all of this as a backdrop, let’s proceed to the lesson.
The Lesson
Isaiah 9:1 NLT
1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
And now, with all that we have discussed as a backdrop, Isaiah continues his narrative by returning to the ‘Immanuel’ prophecy first given in Chapter Seven. Indeed, his first words are an assurance that the humiliation of Israel would not be permanent, but that at some point in the distant future the region of Northern Israel that had been lost to Assyria would not be always forsaken, but that God had a glorious reveal in store for the people of that region and indeed for all of the peoples of the world, both in that day and in the ages to come.
Isaiah 9:2 NLT
2
[b]The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,[c]
a light will shine.
The Book of Isaiah is sometimes referred to as ‘The fifth Gospel” because it presents such a clear picture of the coming of Christ and the Grace and Mercy by which He will be accompanied. The verse begins this foretelling by reiterating the thought that the Hebrews who had been ‘lost’ to foreign influence in their own land would one day find themselves in God’s favor. God’s countenance, ‘a great light’ would shine upon a people lost in deep darkness. The thought of deep darkness brings to mind the kind of darkness that one might experience within a cave or some other enclosed space. It would take a ‘great light’ to penetrate such a darkened space. A great light. You can feel the Good News coming, can’t you?
Isaiah 7:3 NKJV
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field,
I failed to mention earlier that the son that accompanied Isaiah to meet Ahaz at the Fuller’s Field (the laundry mat) was called ‘Shear-Jashub’, meaning “The Remnant shall return”. This young man represented the remnant lost to Assyria, whether they were ‘lost’ in exile, or ‘lost’ and abandoned in a land that was no longer theirs but had fallen under Assyrian control. A remnant, strangers in their own land. In this narrative, Isaiah assures his son that God will always be with him. He is God’s own. That same assurance holds for all who have yet to hear the Gospel. More Good News!
Isaiah 9:3 NLT
3
You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
Whatever God intended, it was to be accompanied by rejoicing reminiscent of the harvest times or at a time of victory over an enemy. From the time of Israel’s exile by Assyria, there had been no joyous victories or joyous harvest. Northern Israel would remain a vassal state from the time of Ahaz up to and through the time of the Roman occupation in Jesus’ day. Even the harvests from the fields that were once theirs were not their own. But Isaiah spoke of a day when all that was lost would be restored. Again, Good News!
Isaiah 9:4 NLT
4
For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
You can almost hear Jesus saying, “Come unto me all ye that are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Isaiah, speaking under the unction of the Holy Spirit, spoke of a time when God Almighty would break the yoke of Israel’s oppressors. Not only would He restore His people, but He would lead them. Undefeatable and Infatigueable, He would lead His people and expand their borders. What Good News!
Isaiah 9:5 NLT
5
The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
Isaiah also promised that God would bring peace, everlasting peace. How do I know? Because the uniforms of Israel’s armies would no longer be needed. They were to be burned in the fire. Their swords would be beaten into plowshares. So great would be the rule of their Messiah that the implements of war would no longer be necessary. That kind of majesty could only come from God! That meant Good News for everybody!! Peace on earth! Goodwill towards men!
Isaiah 9:6 NLT
6
For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[d] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
And all of this by the hand of a child; a child who was born King. Heir to the throne of David. Promised to Father Abraham. Declared to Satan in the Garden of Eden. Typified by Noah as ‘Our Consolation’ and by Moses as ‘The Deliverer’, Jesus, God’s only begotten Son would come to save. Not only will He save, but He reigns. He reigns today over His Church, whose governance rests on His shoulders. And as the head of the Church, all of creation has been put under His feet.
Wonderful? When Manoah, the father of Samson asked the Angel of the Lord for His name, the Angel responded that His name was too ‘wonderful’, or rather, ‘wonder’-ful (too full of wonder) to be revealed. That kind of ‘wonder reveals the divinity of our Lord, Jesus, and reminds us that His great name is to be held in fearful wonder and reverence at all times. There is truly no greater name under Heaven or in the earth than His great Name.
Counselor? No greater counsel is afforded us than the precious Holy Spirit, who guided and powered the ministry of Christ during His earthly ministry, then came back to inspire the Church and make us the very Body of Christ, literally making us one with God through Him.
Mighty God? Is there any greater? He is Immanuel; God with us. He rose from the grave with the keys to death and Hell. All of that was done for our sakes and for His glory. To Him honor and power and majesty and glory forever. Amen!
Everlasting Father? Of course! How else could all of this have been accomplished had it not been the purpose and plan of God from the beginning of time? Jesus said it like this, “When you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” Those who question His Deity don’t know Him.
Prince of Peace? Peace as only could be conceived by a child; a child born King! In the Old Testament, King Solomon typified this aspect of Jesus’ eventual rule as the Prince of Peace, in that during His rule, Israel was at peace. Solomon fought no wars and his wisdom, the wisdom gifted to Him by God knew no measure. Yet, Solomon in all his glory only presented a shadow of the promise that Christ would and will fulfill. Not only will Jesus’ reign bring peace, but His shed blood purchased peace for us: peace with God. An everlasting…peace.
Isaiah 9:7 NLT
7
His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
So, there’s one more thing: the topic of justice. A simple way to express the sentiment here is this: Justice generally serves the powerful. That only the powerful receive justice is not justice at all, but rather the gravest injustice in God’s eyes. Unless justice serves the least among us, it is imperfect and incomplete. The promise of the Messiah is a promise that He will reign with fairness and justice. His reign will always be restorative. He will always govern in love. His love will never fail. For eternity, all of eternity will rest in His love. Rejoice!
Selah,
wb
Hebrews 1:8-9 NLT
8 But to the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
9 You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
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