The Gift Promised

Introduction:

So we are told, “It's the most wonderful time of the year”. Which usually means that our focus quickly turns to the perfect present: the one gift we hope to get, or the one gift we spend hours searching for to give to a loved one. We know the joy of a good gift—something thoughtful, something exciting, something that truly lasts. But why do we do this? Did you ever wonder why we frantically search for gifts that do not last and provide only temporary happiness, or plan big holiday meals only to be eaten up in an hour, or decorate outside and inside our homes, only to take it all down when the holidays are over?

Before you label me as Pastor Ebenezer, I want remind those who were with us over the last nine weeks for our sermon series “Christ in the Old Testament”, that we should be well aware of why we are supposed to be celebrating, in fact that series is a great segue into our new advent series.

So the truth of the matter is that the single, most perfect, most valuable, and most ultimate gift has already been given? It wasn't purchased on cyber Monday or wrapped in holiday wrapping paper, or placed in a gift bag, but was planned before the dawn of time, and delivered in the most unlikely place.

Over the next four services, we are going to unwrap the most incredible gift in human history in our new Christmas series, 'The Ultimate Christmas Gift.'

This is not just a story; it's a progression from God's eternal heart to your personal life. We will discover:

The Gift Promised: How God set the stage for this incomparable gift hundreds of years before it arrived.

The Gift Prepared: The perfect political, cultural, and spiritual timing required for the gift's arrival.

The Gift Delivered: The astonishing moment when the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

The Gift Received: The simple, radical, life-changing way you can make this ultimate gift your own.

Get ready to look past the decorations and the shopping lists, and discover the true, incomparable gift that transforms us from the inside out—Jesus Christ, our “Ultimate Christmas Gift."

We will begin to unwrap this by looking at The Gift Promised from the very familiar Christmas passage in Isaiah 9:1-7.

Text: Isaiah 9:1-7

Isaiah 9:1–7 ESV

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.

Main Idea: Because God promised to send the Christ-Child, we are guaranteed that this intervention into human darkness, would establish a righteous kingdom that will never end.

Background:

The Book of Isaiah

Author & Date: Traditionally attributed to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, who ministered in Judah from roughly 740–686 BC during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

Historical Context: Isaiah prophesied during a turbulent period—the Assyrian Empire was the dominant threat, culminating in the destruction of the Northern Kingdom (722 BC) and Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem (701 BC). The book addresses Judah's covenant unfaithfulness, coming judgment, and ultimate restoration.

Major Themes: Judgment and salvation, the holiness of God ("the Holy One of Israel" appears ~25 times), the remnant, the coming Messiah, and eschatological hope.

The Context of Isaiah 9

Who is Ahaz?

Ahaz certainly was no saint, in-fact, though he was a son of David, he did not follow the Lord as David did, we see this described in 2 Chronicles 28:1-4

2 Chronicles 28:1–4 ESV

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, 2 but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, 3 and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

The Historical Crisis (735–732 BC):

Rezin king of Syria and Pekah king of Israel formed an alliance to resist the rising Assyrian threat. When Judah's king Ahaz refused to join their coalition, they marched against Jerusalem with the intent to depose the Davidic king and install a puppet ("the son of Tabeel," 7:6). This threatened not merely Ahaz's throne but the Davidic covenant itself—God's promise that David's line would endure.

The crisis was real, as Isaiah 7:2 says "the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind."

Chapter 7 — The Offer Rejected

God sends Isaiah to Ahaz with assurance: "It shall not stand" (7:7). He even invites Ahaz to ask for a confirming sign—anything, as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven. Ahaz refuses under pious pretense ("I will not put the LORD to the test"), but his real motive is unbelief. He has already decided to appeal to Assyria for help rather than trust Yahweh.

Despite Ahaz's refusal, God gives a sign anyway: "The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This sign has an immediate horizon (a child born in that generation marking the timing of Syria and Israel's downfall) and an ultimate horizon (the virgin-born Messiah). The name "Immanuel"—God with us—becomes the theological thread binding the section together.

Chapter 8 — The Waters Rise

Because Ahaz rejected the "gently flowing waters of Shiloah" (God's quiet provision), God will bring "the waters of the River"—Assyria—flooding over the land. Judah will be overwhelmed, with waters rising "even to the neck" (8:8). Yet even here, the land remains "your land, O Immanuel"—a flicker of hope amid judgment.

The chapter descends into darkness. The people turn to mediums and spiritists. Isaiah's testimony is sealed among his disciples. The final verses are devastating: "They will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness" (8:22).

This is the lowest point. The Davidic throne is threatened, the land is overrun, the people have turned from God, and there is only darkness.

Chapter 9 — The Light Breaks

Then comes the dramatic reversal. The very region first crushed by Assyria—Zebulun and Naphtali, the Galilee area conquered in 733 BC—will be the first to see glory. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light."

The structure is deliberate: chapters 7–8 spiral downward into despair precisely so that 9:1–7 can explode with hope. The darker the night, the more stunning the dawn.

I. The Setting of the Gift (vv. 1–2) - Light breaking into darkness

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.

The geography:

the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. The northern regions of the Promised Land—first to come under attack by foreign invaders who approached by means of the Fertile Crescent (2 Kings 15:29)—are the first to see a glorious new era. Galilee of the nations. The Messiah launched his worldwide mission from Galilee (Matt. 4:12–16). 

Matthew 4:12–16 ESV

12 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.”

in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea. A past-tense verb, because the prophetic eye sees the future in a vision. The people of God finally play the glorious role prophesied in Isa. 2:3 through the triumph of their Messiah.

The condition: a people walking in darkness, dwelling in the shadow of death (2). The Assyrians cast their terrible shadow over the land and the people (cf. Ps. 23:4; 44:19; 107:10).

The people who walked in darkness. Such people as those who refused the appeal of Isaiah 2:5 (“5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”) (cf. also 5:30; 8:22; John 3:19–20). 

The transformation: Yet there is hope…great light has shone upon them (2)

on them has light shined. Not subjective wishful thinking but an objective, surprising joy breaking upon sinners through the grace of Christ. The certainty of that hope is expressed in the “prophetic perfect” (“have seen”), speaking of the future light as if it has already happened.

II. The Effects of the Gift (vv. 3–5) - Joy and liberation

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.

Multiplied joy—like harvest joy, like victory celebration (v. 3)

You have multiplied the nation. God opens up a new future for the humble (29:19) where gloom had previously existed. No longer are the faithful a small remnant.

with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. This new joy finds expression in the metaphors of harvest and of victory (divide the spoil). Contrast 5:10; 8:4.

Broken oppression—the yoke, the rod, the staff (figures of oppression) shattered (v. 4)

day of Midian. A reference to Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites, which was accomplished by God’s mighty power in spite of Gideon’s own weakness (10:26, 27; Judg. 6:7; 7:22–25).

Ended warfare—boots and bloodied garments burned (v. 5)

The debris left from battle can be removed and burned when the fighting stops. God will bring an end to war (2:4; Ps. 46:9, 10; 2 Cor. 10:4).

III. The Identity of the Gift (v. 6) - A Child with divine titles

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.

child … son. The good news is the birth of Jesus Christ. The four royal names express His divine and human qualities, giving assurance that He is indeed “Immanuel” (7:14). Isaiah presents the events as if it were the time of the child’s arrival, with an expectation of what he will achieve.

His humanity: "a child is born" — true man

His deity: "a son is given" — given from the Father

His authority: "the government shall be upon His shoulder", He will carry the burden of rule and authority

His names:

Wonderful Counselor — wisdom beyond human understanding, since “Wonderful” might be more accurately translated “miraculous” because it typically describes God’s mighty works. The role of a counselor is to provide wisdom (Jer. 18:18). This coming King will possess divine wisdom.

Mighty God — divine power. As a warrior, God protects His people (10:21; Deut. 10:17; Jer. 32:18). This attribute of divine power is ascribed to the coming King.

Everlasting Father — eternal care and provision. The coming King possesses divine eternity: He is from ancient times, and He will not need a successor to follow in His footsteps. Ancient kings often referred to themselves as the fathers of their subjects. This name reveals the divine, eternal care that the coming King will have for His people.

Prince of Peace — the bringer of peace. His government brings divine peace to the earth (2:4; 11:6–9; Ps. 72:7; Zech. 9:10; Luke 2:14 ). This is seen as both peace with God at His first coming, and the final peace at the destruction of His enemies at His second coming.

IV. The Reign of the Gift (v. 7) - An eternal kingdom

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.

Its expansion: ever-increasing government and peace

Its foundation: David's throne—covenant fulfillment.

throne of David. He is a descendant of David (11:1 note), and he will establish the kingdom of God in “justice and with righteousness” (1:21 note); his reign will endure forever. No earthly son of David, such as Hezekiah or Josiah, ever lived up to this grand description.

Its character: justice and righteousness

Its duration: from now and forevermore

Its certainty: "The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this". God guarantees that He Himself will fulfill this promise; it will not depend on human power or decisions.

Why This Promise Matters:

It Comes in the Darkest Hour

The promise arrives when all seems lost. Ahaz has rejected God's offer (ch. 7), Assyria is devouring the land, and chapter 8 ends with the people "thrust into thick darkness." Into that hopelessness, God speaks sovereign grace. The promise teaches us that God's salvation comes not because circumstances improve but because He intervenes.

It Reveals the Nature of the Deliverer

This is no ordinary king. The titles in verse 6 force a conclusion: the coming child is both human ("born") and divine ("Mighty God"). The OT rarely gets this explicit. Here is the seed of the woman, the son of David, and Yahweh Himself coming to save. The incarnation is anticipated.

It Is Given, Not Earned

"A son is given"—this is gift language. Israel couldn't produce this deliverer; Judah's kings had failed repeatedly. Salvation flows downward from the Father who gives His Son. The gospel is embedded in the grammar. Similar to John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

It Rests on Divine Zeal, Not Human Faithfulness

The closing line seals everything: "The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this." The covenant promises don't depend on Ahaz, on Judah's repentance, or on human cooperation. God's jealous love for His own glory guarantees fulfillment.

It Anchors All Subsequent Hope

Every later promise in Isaiah—the Servant songs, the new exodus, the new creation—flows from this root. And when Matthew opens Jesus' Galilean ministry, he reaches back here (Matt. 4:15–16): the light has finally dawned.

So What?

Do we realize that Christmas began many years ago as a promise; a promise that at the darkest hour of human depravity, God’s light would shine?

Do we realize that this promise was like no other, it was the promise that the eternal God would become flesh, entering our world from His?

Do we understand that no matter how depraved man was, and no matter how hard the enemy worked, the zeal of God Almighty accomplished this with unrivaled fervor?