Isaiah 9:1-7 - The God Who Keeps His Promises

1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Target Date: Sunday, 10 December 2023

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

1 – Galilee – This is the area bordered on the south by the Samarian mountains, through which lies the pass of Megiddo.

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. – Joshua 20:7

Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. – 1 Kings 9:11

In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria. – 2 Kings 15:29

3 – its - לֹא lô – found in Masoretic and translated by the KJV “not”, i.e. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: - All other modern translations follow the Septuagint translation and leave out this negative.

This passage is somewhat obscure, both in itself, and on account of the diversity of interpretations; for it appears to be absurd to say that the joy was not increased, seeing that he immediately afterwards adds, they rejoiced. On this account the Jews interpret לא (lo) not negatively, but as if ו (vau) had been substituted for א (aleph); for sometimes, though rarely, it has this meaning in the Scriptures.

Thoughts on the Passage:

1 - “The three phrases at the end of the verse—’the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles’ or ‘nations’—indicate administrative districts of the Assyrian conqueror Tiglath–Pileser III as a result of the three campaigns he waged in the west around 733 B.C.”

1 - Note, In the worst of times God’s people have a nevertheless to comfort themselves with, something to allay and balance their troubles; they are persecuted, but not forsaken (2 Co. 4:9), sorrowful yet always rejoicing, 2 Co. 6:10.

2 - Many prophetic perfects in Hebrew in this section assure the certainty of the things predicted. In Hebrew, a writer sometimes described as past what was really in the future. He used the perfect verb tense to emphasize that what was future was as sure to happen as if it had happened already.

Matthew 4 – Moved from Nazareth to Capernaum – about 24 miles direct. About the same distance and direction as Sylacauga to Talladega, or Alex City to Wadley (walking).

This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet - Matthew 4:14

Note, this isn’t saying Jesus was FORCING the prophecy to be fulfilled, but that He was fulfilling the prophecy.

Coming of His age and beginning His ministry, it would have been reasonable for Him to move to Jerusalem, the heart if the Jewish teachers. That was, after all, His destination. But instead, He moved to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, to Capernaum, which was still in the province of Galilee and firmly within Isaiah’s prophecy.

Sermon Text:

This week we come to the second passage in Isaiah I would like to look at during this Advent season.

You may remember: for the next few weeks, through Christmas Day, we will be looking at prophecies and passages in Isaiah specifically-related to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh.

You could say it is an ADVENT-ure through Isaiah.

Or you might not say it, because it was a lame joke.

I hope that is not what you remember most from this sermon.

But even though we have interrupted the path we were on in our methodical consideration of this book, this week and next might feel old hat because we will pause in this passage and take a look at it for at least this week and next, God willing.

There is just too much here to look at in a single week, and we are not in a race anyway.

Even limiting ourselves to JUST looking at the things in this prophecy that point directly to Jesus Christ and His Incarnation will take some time.

So it will give us all some time to live with this passage, meditate on it, and allow this portion of the word of God to frame our celebration of this season of remembrance and to proclaim His Incarnation.

Isaiah begins by talking about the area of two specific tribes of Israel: Zebulun and Naphtali.

Now let’s take a moment for just a little geography for us all, because I had to refresh my memory of where these lands are he is talking about.

I knew they were up in northern Israel, but Naphtali is as far north in Israel you can get and still be in Israel.

Zebulun lies immediately to the south of Naphtali.

I am sure you remember most every time someone from one of these two tribes is talked about in the Bible – because there is only really one time.

When the fourth judge in the book of Judges, Deborah, needed a commander for the army of Israel, she called on Barak, of the tribe of Naphtali.

Pretty much every other time we see these tribes mentioned, they are mentioned because all the other tribes are.

We see them in the genealogies and land-distribution, but really nothing else.

So it is odd that Isaiah is talking about these two tribes in particular, especially because they are on the exact other end of Israel.

Isaiah is in Judah, the southernmost tribe, and, at this time, a separate COUNTRY than the Northern Kingdom that kept the name “Israel”.

It would be similar to if Isaiah lived in the United States and was called to preach in Montgomery, but then began to prophesy about what God would do in Vermont and New Hampshire.

And he is doing it FROM Judah (or Montgomery) – he is standing and preaching in the South, not on some preaching tour up north.

It is doubtful that a single person from Naphtali or Zebulun was there to hear him, particularly because by the time he preached this prophecy, they probably had already been invaded and carried off to Assyria.

In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria. – 2 Kings 15:29

So it is reasonable to wonder who in the world cares what goes on way up there in that region so far away.

At the time they were conquered, they were Judah’s ENEMIES.

The Northern Kingdom, AKA Israel, had invaded Judah, and there had been a lot of Naphtali and Zebulun soldiers among the invaders –

Until Judah’s ally, Assyria, invaded Naphtali, and the army of Israel had to move north to stop the greater threat.

At the time Isaiah is saying this, they are still at WAR with Israel because it would be a little while before the entire kingdom was conquered by Assyria.

But here Isaiah is, not CONDEMNING Naphtali and Zebulun, but pronouncing God’s BLESSING on them.

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.

These territories had been conquered, overwhelmed, and their people enslaved, but God had other plans in that area than to let it rot.

In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious…

In the former days, in times past, and up to the present day, God had dealt with the land and its inhabitants the way enemies of God should be dealt with – in judgment, in contempt.

But in the “latter days”, He will glorify this land.

Now, don’t let the past tense there throw you – this is all about prophecy that WILL happen, not about some salvation this area had already seen.

For one thing, they had not seen any.

But the thing we need to understand is the time frame that Isaiah is using as his point of view.

He is speaking AS IF he was standing in those latter days and describing the history as it happened.

He is predicting it, foretelling it by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, but he is telling the story like it is a flashback.

Scholars call this tense “the prophetic perfect” tense.

Isaiah often uses it to describe what will happen in the terms as if it has already happened.

And even that tense carries with it a message:

You can be as sure about this prophecy as you can be about something you just witnessed in the past with your own eyes.

This prophecy is just as reliable as actual historical events.

It WILL happen because it is written by the Lord of hosts.

One quick word on the phrase the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

I have read that most of my life, and really had no idea where the “sea” came into this prophecy.

You might think that this was just three nicknames for this area:

The way of the sea,

The land beyond the Jordan,

And Galilee of the nations (Gentiles).

And the truth is, you are close.

These are actually the names of the three PROVINCES the king of Assyria divided this land into, moving west-to-east.

The westernmost, which bordered the Mediterranean Sea was called “the way of the sea”.

The next area, which included all of Zebulun, and was sandwiched in between the other two was called “Land beyond the Jordan”.

And the third, around the Sea of Galilee, was “Galilee”.

It was this area, officially given to Naphtali in Joshua, that had been given to the King of Tyre by Solomon:

Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. – 1 Kings 9:11

Thus, it is called by God’s prophet “Galilee of the Gentiles”.

But very quickly, I would like to move on to verse 2:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Now those of you who have begun reading through the New Testament over time have undoubtedly run into this passage quoted there:

Matthew 4:12-16 - Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

That is why Isaiah is talking about God’s blessing on the enemy’s land – because that is where the Messiah of God was going to emerge from.

This would be the land where the Messiah would preach His first sermons,

Perform His first miracles,

Call His first disciples,

And meet his first great rejection.

Jesus had gone down to the Jordan River outside Jerusalem to be baptized by John,

Then the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness, but we don’t know where that was.

And then “He withdrew to Galilee” when He heard that John had been arrested.

There are several reasons He might have done so, but the reason Matthew leaves us with is a single reason:

This was the time when the light of the Messiah would begin to be revealed, and it must begin in Galilee.

He was born and raised in the region of Galilee, in the city of Nazareth.

Luke 2:39 - And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

But in preparation for His earthly ministry, He left Nazareth and lived in Capernaum – not only in the large area of Galilee, but in that place that had formerly been the Assyrian province of Galilee.

God left nothing to interpretation or to dispute in fulfilling His promises.

And then Matthew says something we need to look at:

14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled

There is certainly the element here of Jesus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah in doing this, but we should ask why Matthew thought it was remarkable.

I think it is good for us to ask “Where else could Jesus have started?”

If He did not begin in Galilee, where would He have gotten a better start?

After all, even in Jesus’s day, Galilee was pretty far out in the boonies.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” – John 1:46

Pardon me for saying so, but it would be like starting a worldwide movement from Rockford.

If He wanted to get a lot of attention fast; if He wanted to have a huge audience; if He wanted to contend with the Pharisees and Sadducees immediately, the most logical place for Him to appear would have been in the temple court in Jerusalem.

That is where He is always headed, after all.

That is where the great religious thinkers of the day are.

That is the capitol of the province of Judea, and the center of the Jewish religion.

And those are the people who, when He finally did come, He sobbed over:

Matthew 23:37 - O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

But God’s promise through Isaiah is that this land of Galilee would be the first to behold the light of the Messiah,

Would be the first to hear His teachings,

Would be the first to be touched by His miraculous touch.

The people who dwelt in darkness have seen THE great light – the Lord Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.

Galilee was perfect – as is everything in God’s plans.

It was part of the Jewish land;

It was part of the Gentile world.

It had Samaritans, Romans, Greeks, and all manner of other people.

All those who dwelt in darkness.

Jesus came to save those who dwelt in darkness.

To save the Galilean hillbilly,

The Samaritan harlot,

The demon-filled host,

The Jewish hoi poloi.

I don’t suppose we have gotten to the “Christmassy” part of Isaiah 9 yet, but as much as we celebrate that the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there is just as much significance that He grew up in Galilee (and died in Jerusalem).

Everything Jesus did was to bring His salvation to His people, calling them from the darkness they were in.

Calling them into His marvelous light.

Charles Wesley, as he was contemplating the state of his heart before and after the salvation that Jesus Christ brought to him, penned these words:

Long my imprisoned spirit layFast bound in sin and nature's night;

Fast bound in sin and nature's night;

Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;My chains fell off, my heart was free;

My chains fell off, my heart was free;I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

I rose, went forth and followed Thee. 

If you don’t know or follow Jesus Christ, how deep is your darkness?

What sins have imprisoned you, trapping you until you can find little pleasure in them, but no way out?

What has taken you captive and enslaved you?

Or do you think to yourself “I am perfectly free. I am my own boss.”

Are you really powerful, wise, and good enough to be the center of anyone’s universe, even your own?

What will you do when trouble strikes?

To whom will you turn when your money is gone?

Who will heal you when the doctors tell you that your life is ending?

And who will stand with you when you face the holy God of the universe in His terrible wrath over your unbelief?

Perhaps you might say “If God was truly good, if He was truly loving, He would send someone to let us know for sure He is there and to give us some way to live in peace with Him.”

And He did just that – Jesus Christ, the light that shone in the darkness.

Jesus Christ, who paid for sin through His blood for everyone who trusts in Him.

Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead and lives forever.

It is He who can save you – leave your sin behind and trust Him.

What began in Galilee continues through us, the church.

We carry the same light, the same gospel.

We preach the same message: Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is here.

And we carry the same promise – the light has come into the world, and the darkness did not overpower it.

John 1:9-13 - The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.