A Savior is Born, A King is Coming - Isaiah 9:1-7
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday we began this passage in Isaiah, actually beginning in chapter 8 where we learned just how far Judah had fallen from the worship of the true God, idolatry had become common place in every city in Judah. Ahaz, the king of Judah had closed the temple and had stopped the daily sacrifices and had set up altars in every corner of Jerusalem to worship false gods from the nations around them. Isaiah described this idolatry as darkness, they were a people that were walking in darkness, they spoke darkness, their hearts were full of darkness. This darkness had spread to Judah from Israel which had been in darkness even longer because of their idolatry. Last Sunday we saw in the first two verse of chapter 9 that God said through Isaiah that the gloom of anguish would come to an end and it would begin in Galilee of the Gentiles where those living in darkness would see a great Light, those living in the land of darkness would have the Light shine on them. This Light is Jesus Christ and He came to Galilee of the Gentiles to show that He was not only the Messiah of the Jews, but that He came as Savior for both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus Christ is the Light that dispels the darkness by forgiving our sins through His death and resurrection, reconciling us with God.
This morning we want to finish up this passage, the end of this passage should be familiar to us. It is an Old Testament prophecy that is often used at Christmas time. This prophecy by Isaiah reveals both the first and second advents of Jesus Christ, it teaches rich truth about the King of kings, but what is prophesied will not be fully realized until Jesus Christ returns to this earth the second time and reigns over His millennial kingdom.
Let’s pray and then get into the verses of this passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles again to Isaiah 9. This morning I will read verses 1-7, but since we covered verses 1-2 last week we will just be looking at verses 3-7. Please stand, if you are able for the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Isaiah 9:1-7,
“But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:1–7, NASB95)[1]
THE SECOND ADVENT (Isaiah 9:3-5)
Isaiah began his prophecy in verse 1 and this prophecy continues for several chapters, but within this prophecy Isaiah prophesies about several different subjects and so the prophecy can be broken up into sections. In verses 1-2 he prophesied about the coming Light that would make Galilee of the Gentiles glorious. Last week we looked at how Matthew applied those first two verses of prophecy to Jesus Christ and His ministry in Galilee during His first advent.
In verses 3-5 Isaiah jumps to the second advent, and I believe this is because he did not see the full picture, he did not see the gap between the first advent that was to bring about spiritual restoration and the second advent that will bring about political and national restoration.
In verses 3-5 Isaiah speaks of the joy that the people of Israel will have when the Lord Jesus, the Light of the world, the Messiah of Israel returns as King of kings. First, Isaiah says that Jesus Christ will multiply the nation, He will gather the Jewish remnant back to the land of their inheritance, and the borders of the nation of Israel will be expanded to include all the land that was promised to Abraham. He goes onto say that their joy will be inexpressible, they will recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah and they will be joyful in His presence. These verses are speaking of the restoration of Israel as a nation under the rule of their Messiah. The grief and sorrow of realizing that Jesus Christ, whom they crucified is their Messiah will be past and it will be replaced by joy. It will be the joy and rejoicing that comes at the end of a bountiful harvest. It will be the joy that comes at the end of a successful battle and the spoil of battle is divided among the people. The tribulation will be past, the persecution will be over, the Messiah has returned, and He has brought peace and rest for the people of Israel.
The yoke of oppression by foreign nations will be broken, the staff and the rod of their oppressor will be broken, Isaiah says as in the battle of Midian. Isaiah is making reference to the book of Judges and a judge or deliverer that God raised up by the name of Gideon. God supernaturally defeated an army of 135,000 using Gideon and his army of 300 men. They never had to draw a weapon, just blow their trumpets, break the pottery pot covering their torch and stand and watch as God turned the Midianites against one another until 120,000 of them lay dead and the rest had fled. Just as God had brought about this victory the same will be true when Jesus Christ returns, it will be a supernatural victory over the enemies of Israel, those who will oppresse them and seek to destroy them. Then there will be peace and there will be no more war and the boots, the clothing, the implements of war will be used as fuel for the fire, they will burn them because they will no longer need them. This will truly be a glorious time for Israel. These verses tell us what the nation will be like when Jesus Christ returns to reign as King of kings, the kingdom is coming and with it joy, rejoicing, victory, the end of all war, and peace. The rest and security that the world so desperately desires. As we move into verses 6-7 we come to the distinctiveness of the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
THE FIRST ADVENT (Isaiah 9:6)
Verse 6 is the classic prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ. Isaiah begins by referring back to the sign that the LORD had given to Ahaz, remember from Isaiah chapter 7, “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14b, NASB95)[2] In verse 6 Isaiah reminds Israel that this child is coming, he writes, “For a child will be born to us…” (Isaiah 9:6a, NASB95)[3] This phrase speaks of the humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a real human being. The author of Hebrews says that because we are flesh and blood, Jesus had to become like us, become a human so that He could die for us (Hebrews 2:14-18). He was a man and He had to be a man because only a man could die in man’s place. He was and is forever in a body of flesh and blood since the first advent when the virgin was with child.
Isaiah does not end there, look at the next phrase, “a son will be given to us…” (Isaiah 9:6b, NASB95)[4] Not born, but given to us. Given by whom? By God. This speaks of the deity of Jesus Christ, that He is in fact God. God manifest in the flesh. A Son is given because He has always existed as the second person of the Trinity. This is affirmed for us in the Gospel of John where Jesus is referred to as the Word. John writes in John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:1–3, NASB95)[5] John not only affirms for us that Jesus Christ is God, but also but also tells us that He is the Creator. He had to be God, He had to be man to bear man’s sin, but He had to be God to defeat sin and to defeat death. Fully God and fully Man, He came as the Son of God—God in human flesh—to conquer forever sin and death. This is our perfect Savior. He is the perfect One, He is the only hope for our world. Isaiah does not keep Him as a baby in a manger, but immediately goes from His birth to the throne. Isaiah again does not put a gap between the first and second advent, but puts the two together into one, the age of grace and the church was a mystery to the Old Testament prophets.
THE SECOND ADVENT (Isaiah 9:6b-7)
Isaiah tells us that the government will rest on His shoulders and this confirms for us that Jesus Christ will return someday as King of kings. This verse when spoken by Isaiah looked forward to the birth of a child, to the giving of a Son, and then looks forward to a time that is yet future, when Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of David and reign over a literal, earthly kingdom that includes all the kingdoms and governments of the world. Daniel the prophet described it this way in Daniel 7:13-14, “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13–14, NASB95)[6] The prophet Zechariah said this, “And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” (Zechariah 14:9, NASB95)[7]
In that future day, the government of the whole world will rest on His shoulders. Until that day you can let the government of your life rest on His shoulders. Jesus Christ desires to be the Savior and Lord of your life. He becomes your Savior when you agree with Him that you are a sinner and you are helpless to do anything about your sin, but you believe that He died in your place and paid the penalty required by God for sin and that He was buried and rose from the dead three days later triumphant over sin and death. He becomes your Lord when you surrender the control of your life to Him and commit to obey His Word. This is a day by day; often moment by moment commitment that we make to make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives and allow the authority of our lives to rest on His shoulders.
Isaiah then gives us four titles that describe for us the character of Jesus Christ as King of kings. These titles distinguish the Lord Jesus Christ from all other earthly governments. These are titles that we hear at Christmas time, but they truly relate to the second coming of Christ.
Isaiah first tells us that Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor. When Jesus Christ reigns as King of kings His kingdom will be free from confusion. This word translated “wonderful” could also be translated as “exceptional” or “distinguished.” Jesus Christ described himself at the truth in John 14:6, He is the source of all truth and will guide His people with all wisdom. When Jesus Christ reigns on the earth as the Wonderful Counselor people will gladly listen to Him. In His kingdom people will be anxious to hear the Authoritative One teach the ways of God. Isaiah speaking of this kingdom wrote in chapter 2, verse 3, “And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3, NASB95)[8] Jesus Christ is the omniscient One, the One who knows all things and will counsel His people with wisdom and righteousness.
Jesus Christ is today the Wonderful Counselor and wants to bestow upon us His wisdom and truth to help us when we are in need. Not only can we receive counsel and guidance in our times of weakness, but He has sent His Spirit to be our counselor. The Spirit indwells us at the moment that we put our faith in Jesus Christ. As the Counselor sent from Jesus He will teach us from the Scriptures His ways, so that we might walk in them.
The next name that Isaiah gives to Jesus Christ is Mighty God. This title again confirms for us that Jesus Christ is God. This word translated “mighty” is a word that means “champion.” He truly will be the champion of the nation of Israel when He delivers her from all her enemies. Jesus Christ is our Mighty God as well, He is the champion of our salvation. He has won our salvation for us through His death and resurrection, in His triumph over Satan, sin, and death. Only the Mighty God could do this, Jesus Christ is our Mighty God.
Third, Isaiah gives Jesus Christ the title: Eternal Father. Literally translated from the Hebrew “the Father of eternity. He is the Son in relation to the Trinity, the second person of the Trinity, but in relation to man and time, He is the Father of eternity. Jesus Christ fathered eternity, and in relation to Israel His kingdom will never end, it will be an everlasting kingdom. In relation to you and me, Jesus Christ fathered eternal life for all who believe by His resurrection from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ is, for those who believe in Him, the source of everlasting life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NASB95)[9] This was no ordinary baby, He holds eternity in His hand from everlasting to everlasting He is God.
Fourth and finally, Isaiah gives the title of Prince of peace to Jesus Christ. Verse 7 effectively teaches that when Christ comes and sits on the throne of David and rules the nation with righteousness and justice, the outcome will be peace. Isaiah 32:17 says, “And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17, NASB95)[10] The rule of the wholly righteous King of kings will bring peace between all peoples and all things. Nature will be brought back into harmony. For us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, He is our Prince of peace as well. Through His death and resurrection, He has made it possible for us to have peace with God. If we rely on Him and make Him the center and focus of our life He gives us the peace of God that transcends all understanding. Paul says in Ephesians 2:14 that He, Jesus Christ, is Himself our peace.
Jesus Christ will rule the earth because of who He is as described for us in these titles. It is no accident that His titles also fulfill every desire of man. Jesus Christ is the desire of nations, He is the Wonderful Counselor that you need in every trial of life. He is the Mighty God who can make every trial for you a victory. He is the Father of eternity who gives you eternal life. He is the Prince of peace who not only plants peace within your heart, but makes peace between you and God and shall be with you and bring you to reign with Him in His kingdom of peace.
Verse 7 describes for us the outworking of these titles in the Lord Jesus Christ’s Kingdom. Isaiah tells us that there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, it will be everlasting rule and everlasting peace. Why? Because as heir to the throne of David, He will establish and uphold His kingdom with righteousness and justice, because He is righteous and just. How will it be accomplished? By the zeal of the Lord of hosts. This is the pledge and guarantee that all that is prophesied here will come to pass, the Lord of hosts has declared it and it will happen.
CONCLUSION:
Much of what is prophesied in this passage is yet future, to be fulfilled at the second advent of Jesus Christ, when He returns as the risen, glorified, exalted King of kings, what we are building up to in our study of Revelation. We know that God is faithful and we know that these future prophecies will be fulfilled, because Jesus Christ fulfilled all the prophesies of the first advent. “The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:30–35, NASB95)[11] “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:1–7, NASB95)[12] All was fulfilled just as the prophets had prophesied and Jesus Christ lived His life as the Light of the world and went to the cross to bring about the spiritual restoration, so that we could be forgiven for our sins and reconciled to God. So that we could become Children of the Light and tell this dark world about the true Light that was born of a virgin, the Son that was given to us by God so that our lives can be changed, we can be freed from the bondage and darkness of sin by believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead three days later. May the miracle of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, Immanuel never cease to amaze us until the day that we fall at the feet, the nail scared feet of our Savior, our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Father of Eternity and our Prince of Peace.
In the words of composer Henry Ernest Nichol, “We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right, a story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light, a story of peace and light. For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright, and Christ’s great kingdom shall come to earth, the kingdom of love and light.”[13]
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[8]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[9]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[10]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[11]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[12]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[13]Wyse, Eric, editor, The Christian Life Hymnal. Peabody, MA : Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2006, pg. 353