The King We Need

In the 2012 movie, The Avengers, the Asgardian villan Loki addresses a crowd of people in a German setting as he forces them to kneel before him. Loki has come to rule this earth and his statement to these people was “humanity was made to be ruled. You crave subjugation.”

While the writers of this movie did not intend any spiritual message there, this is a correct statement. Humanity was made to be subjects and not sovereigns. We were always created to have one who rules over us. Since the beginning of creation, we see God creating all things out of nothing, and upon forming man from the dust of the ground, he placed Adam in the garden. God gave Adam the responsibility to govern that which was given to him, but it was always under the rule and reign of God himself. When he gave him the garden, he also gave him rules to follow. He had the responsibility to name the animals but he could not eat from the fruits from certain trees.

When Adam and Eve rebelled in sin, they usurped the rule of God and humanity has continually spiraled downward into a similar pattern of rejecting the rule of God over their lives. The reality remains that our Creator not only rules continually but that he still rules over those who both believe in him and those who reject him. He is absolute sovereign over all!

Here at Christmas time, we focus our attention on that sovereignty displayed in the person of Jesus Christ. The God child was born of a virgin woman with now known royal connection. He was born in humble surroundings of a cattle stall. He did not come into this world as we might expect a king to come.

But the promises of this child who came were promises that He would be the King that the world needs. He would not just be a Savior but Lord!

Isaiah the prophet was given the promises pf the expected King during his reign as a prophet over Israel. Much of the book of Isaiah is difficult to read because it was God declaring judgment on his people because of their sins and rebellion against God. But in Isaiah, there contains the great OT promises and prophecies about the coming King who would be the hope that the world needs.

For our study today, we are going to look at this prophecy in two parts: Kingdom Blessings and a Kingdom Ruler.

1. Kingdom Blessings (1-5)

Isaiah 9:1 NASB95

1 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.

We will focus on 4 aspects of the blessings that are promised from the coming King.

A. Restoration

In v 1-2, we read of the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and how in earlier times, this land was in anguish and treated with contempt. This area was the northern tribes of Israel that was the first to face the domination of the Assyrian armies in 733 BC. Notice that this anguish contempt was said to come from God. He brought on this contempt and anguish of foreign armies capturing them because of their continual rebellion against God. It was his judgment.

Isaiah 45:5–7 NASB95

5 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, 7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.

If we are to understand our place in this world, we must see that God and his sovereign rule means that He brings about blessing and judgment on those reject him. This was the fate of the divided nations of Israel and Judah as God sent invading armies to crush them. Isaiah calls it “Galilee of the Gentiles” because even in Jesus day, the influence of Assyria when it took Israel captive was still a stain on that culture and area of the Jewish people. Galilee was despised among the Jews for this reason.

But there is a message of hope. The area of Galilee and Damascus that were the first to face invasion, would one day go from being a place of contempt to a place of honor. This is the beauty of God’s restoration that comes with the promise of the King.

When Jesus was born into the world, he was known as a Galilean. Although he was born in the city of Bethlehem, which is in Judea, he was raised in the north, in the town of Nazareth which was in region of Galilee. God chose for Jesus to live in a rejected and dishonored region like Galilee in order that he might restore such a place from dishonor to honor.

Once known to face the judgment of God by the hands of the Assyrians and be dishonored by the remnants of their culture, he ordained the Lord Jesus to be known as a Galilean, thus bringing restoration to a once detested place.

Now consider the spiritual meaning from the region of Galilee. The Savior and Lord Jesus came into the world so that sinners can also be restored back to God in a relationship. All of humanity are in contempt by God because of sin and yet Jesus comes to bring about a change so that we can come to be restored back to the Father through the death and resurrection of the Son.

We will look at these verses in more detail next Sunday but Isaiah gives us a descriptor of the Messiah as “Prince of Peace.” He brings a way in which we can be restored to peace with God and with that peace comes restoration and a new identity.

You have heard people say, “I have done too many bad things to come to God… or be forgiven.” This is a poor understanding of what Jesus came to accomplish because he stores those once under God’s judgment. That which was despised can be honored.

Whatever your past. Whatever your violations against God. He can heal and restore you. He has foreshadowed such restorations in places like Galilee. He can do so in you as well through Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 NASB95

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

B. Illumination

Isaiah 9:2 NASB95

2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.

In verse 2 there is the theme of illumination. This Messiah child who is promised will come to rule. His kingdom will be a kingdom of light that shines brightly in the midst of darkness. For the Jews of Isaiah’s day, the darkness for them was oppression and captivity. They needed rescue and liberation. But the greater need for humanity is not a king who liberates the body. We need one who liberates the soul.

How is the soul liberated? It must have the gift of illumination. The Kingdom of light is ruled by a king who is the light. He comes to cast away the darkness of sin by defeating it upon the cross. Without him, all humanity resides in darkness and wishes to remain in the dungeons of sin.

John 1:4–5 NASB95

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 3:19 NASB95

19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

The watching world does not understand and celebrate the true Jesus because it lives blinded by the darkness. Some acknowledge the idea of Jesus this Christmas season because it is culturally appropriate but they don’t submit to him as Lord and King. They are merely still blinded by the darkness and they are in need of light to be shone in their lives.

Friends, believers in Jesus Christ know that light as Jesus because has illuminated their gastly sin and how gravely wicked we are. But in the same way, it is the source of hope, like light for those trapped in a dark cave. Jesus as the light reveals he is the source of hope, escape. With those hope comes #3.

C. Jubilation

Isaiah 9:3 NASB95

3 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.

There is joy with the promise of the Messiah and all that he comes to accomplish. This king and his kingdom will not be one of tyranny, but love. It will not be one of foolishness, but wisdom. It will not be one of oppression, but righteousness and justice.

Notice that the gladness and joy comes in the presence of the Lord. It is before him and with the Messiah that the true people of God desire to be. If you truly belong to Christ, then there is joy in his presence. You do not just desire the beenfits of his work on the cross, but you long for a relationship with him. This is how we know that our relationship with Christ is real.

Do you spend time with daily in prayer and the word? Do you feel out of sorts when you neglect that time together? It goes as any such relationship. As we spend more time together, the relationship strengthens and grows. With it comes great joy!

The prophet gives two examples of joy that the people of Israel would understand and maybe we can as well. The first is the “gladness of harvest.” I guess if you have never grown a crop or plant from a seed, this idea has less meaning, but for the agriculture person, this phrase is deep. It takes great toil and dedication to prepare the harvest. Preparing the ground. Planting the seed. Trusting the Lord to bring the necessary nutrients and life to the plants. To the seedlings sprout and to know this is a source of provision for one’s table and income for one’s family, this is jubilation.

The second, we also might not relate to personally, but we can understand. When soldiers fight in war and after a long hard battle, they divide the spoil. The riches that belonged to their enemies are now divided up among them and they rejoice.

In both of these illustrations, we look to Christ as the one who has come into the world as the promised messiah and king. He restores and he illuminates the souls of men and they rejoice. He is source of joy in a world that cannot seem to keep a firm grasp on any lasting joy.

Psalm 16:11 NASB95

11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

The psalmist reminds us that in his presence there is fullness of joy and that joy is eternal. We have a joy the world longs for but in their blindness they stumble around in the dark cave groping for it on their hands and knees and cannot find it. The King is the source of restoration, illumination, and jubilation.

D. Liberation

Isaiah 9:4–5 NASB95

4 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. 5 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 Israel, their history had included the yoke of slavery and captivity. Isaiah’s message is a gloomy one at times because of these announcements of God sending judgment upon the people. Yet the hope is the promise that the yoke of burden and oppression will be removed.

Isaiah reminds them of the battle of Israel against Midian in Judges 7. It was there that the Lord sent the people to fight against Midian. To show his strength against the likes of men, the Lord told Gideon that the 22,000 people who would fight were too many. He divided that number to 10,000 and then to 300 men. With those 300 men, the people of Israel defeated the Midian army that was said to be numbered as sand on the seashore.

But the Lord was their victor and he led them to victory over the enemy. Isaiah is pointing all eyes to the promised child. The one who will bring hope through victory over the enemies of God’s people. That enemy we know is a spiritual one. It is the enemy of sin, death, and Satan.

So in this promise of Isaiah 9, we see that through the victory of the Messiah over our enemies, there is both liberation from them and judgment on those enemies. The captives will be set free and the captors will face God’s wrath. These are the promises that are fulfilled in Christ.

Colossians 2:15 NASB95

15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Jesus comes to give his life as a ransom for sinners and through his death and resurrection, we are victors through him. We are freed from our captivity to sin. He has removed our shackles and he has triumphed over sin, death and Satan. The church is not longer enslaved to them.

Finally, the promise comes through v 6

Isaiah 9:6 (NASB95)

6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

This child born of the virgin Mary, both God and man, comes as King over all. The wise men came and they worshipped him as not just a future earthly ruler, but one as God himself. So we too understand that Jesus came into this world as King over all and we must submit to his rule and reign. As we surrender ourselves to him as King, we receive blessings of hi kingdom. We receive restoration, illumination, jubilation and liberation.