Isaiah 9:1-7 - The Child Promised by God

Introduction

[CONTEXT] In Isaiah 6, Jesus was on the throne ready to judge His people.

They had not loved the Lord God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

They had not loved their neighbors as themselves.

Isaiah was commissioned to speak God’s Word of judgement and offer God’s mercy in forgiveness, but most would not listen.

There was, however, a remnant, a tenth portion that would heed God’s Word.

Likewise, in Isaiah 7, God’s people were not listening to Him or trusting Him.

God’s people were being attacked, and King Ahaz was worried, but God invited the king to ask for any sign as proof of God’s trustworthiness.

Ahaz refused, deciding to trust in a pagan kingdom for help rather than trusting in God.

In response, God said that Ahaz would receive a sign anyway, but it would be a sign of judgment — “the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Emmanuel,” (Isa. 7:14).

Salvation would come to a future generation, but Ahaz and his house stood under judgment.

Hard times then fell on God’s people. In Isaiah 8, the pagan nation they had trusted in for help turned on them, and the wrath of that nation threatened to drown God’s people in misery.

That was God’s discipline on His unloving and untrusting people, but even then God promised to redeem a remnant for Himself for He really was Emmanuel—God with them.

While most of God’s people lived lives of wickedness, the remnant lived lives faithful to the Lord.

They feared the Lord.

They preserved God’s Word.

They sought the Lord.

They looked to God’s Word for instruction.

The remnant lived in a dark time but with the promise of a future Light.

Isaiah 9:1-7 describes that promised Light.

[READING - Isaiah 9:1-7]

Isaiah 9:1–7 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. 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. 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. 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. 6 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. 7 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.

[PRAYER]

[CONNECT] One of the best books I read this past years was The Time of the Child by Niall Williams. In that book, an aging father and adult daughter’s lives are changed as they care for an abandoned child during the Christmas season in a small Irish town.

I want us to take that title, The Time of the Child, as our theme this Christmas season.

Perhaps it’s because I am so childish or because Cheryl and I are in that stage of life were we are raising children, but I tend to think of the Christmas season as the time of the child.

We sit down to read A Christmas Carol to our children.

We think about what we will get the children for Christmas.

We make plans to take the children to see Christmas lights.

In our house and in my mind, Christmas really is the time of the child.

But Christmas is ultimately the time of the child because Christmas celebrates the coming of the Christ child.

This December, beginning today, we want to meditate on this child promised, delivered, filled with the Spirit, born to die, and coming again.

Isaiah 9:1-7 shows us the Christ child promised.

[CIT] In this passage God promised to bring forth a child—His child—, the future Messianic King, to rule over all the earth.

[PROP] This promise was kept in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the King of kings whose Kingdom will never end.

[INTER] So what does this passage tell us about King Jesus, His reign, and His Kingdom?

[TS]…

Major Ideas

First, we notice the effects of the reign of King Jesus (Isaiah 9:1-5)

Effect #1: Light (vv. 1-2)

Isaiah 9:1–2 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. 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.

[EXP] The territories of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were hit hard by the Assyrian invasion. This was “Galilee of the Gentiles (or nations),” and these Galileans knew slavery and despair as they were the first to feel the brunt of invading armies entering the Promised Land.

But with the arrival of King Jesus, Zebulun and Naphtali should not be remembered as the place were foreign enemies first invaded but where Jesus, the Son of God, first invaded the territory of Herod Antipas. Listen to Matthew 4:12-17…

Matthew 4:12–17 NASB95

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Galilee was the heart of Herod Antipas’s kingdom. And yet when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested for telling the truth about Antipas’s adulterous marriage, Jesus courageously marched into Herod’s territory to shine the light on Herod’s darkness.

Herod’s kingdom was a kingdom of darkness, but King Jesus reigns over a kingdom of light.

He fearlessly shines the light on wickedness.

And He faithfully illuminates the way to peace with God.

Effect #2: Multiplication (v. 3a)

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.

[EXP] The nation in this case refers to the faithful remnant in Isaiah’s day. That faithful remnant increased exponentially when Jesus came.

Through faith in Him many more have been counted as faithful.

Effect #3: Gladness (v. 3b)

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.

[EXP] We see multiplication of the remnant and increase of gladness in Revelation 7 too…

Revelation 7:9–12 NASB95

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

But there are a few more effects in vv. 4-5…

Effect #4: Freedom, Peace, and Security (vv. 4-5)

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.

[EXP] The battle of Midian refers to the battle fought by Gideon in Judges 6-8, but Gideon didn’t really fight.

Gideon and his men carried glass pitchers in their right hands and torches in their left. They surrounded the Midianite army’s encampment, and…

Judges 7:22 NASB95

22 When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled...

It was the Lord who set the swords of the Midianites against one another, and it would be the Lord who brought true freedom, peace, and security through His Son, the Messiah.

Every rod of the oppressor broken.

Every blood-stained uniform of war burned for fuel.

God will see to it.

God has seen to it.

[TS] So what are the effects of His reign—Light, multiplication of the remnant, increase in gladness, and freedom, peace, and security—all through faith in the promised Child, Jesus Christ.

But next we notice the qualities of King Jesus as Ruler (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah 9:6 NASB95

6 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.

[EXP] If we didn’t know the end of the story from the beginning, we might be shocked to hear that the effects described in vv. 1-5 will come about through a child, a child born to us, a son given to us. This will be a human child...

..but wait, this Son will be called…

…Wonderful Counselor.

He has the best ideas and the most brilliant strategies.

We should listen to Him.

…Mighty God.

He defeats all His enemies and is defender of His people.

Let’s take refuge in Him.

…Eternal Father.

He forever provides life to His people and protects their life in Him.

Let’s rest in Him.

…Prince of Peace.

He reconciles all things—including us—to Himself by way of the cross.

We should welcome this King!

But when we look at His names in this verse, we realize that this ruler must be God in the flesh.

In fact, He is the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14…

Isaiah 7:14 NASB95

14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Jesus is God with us.

He is the God-man, the child born to us, the son born of the virgin who is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.

Even now, because He has appeared and sits at the Father’s right hand, the government of all things rests on His shoulders.

And works all things according to the counsel of His will.

[TS]…

And finally notice the characteristics of the Kingdom of King Jesus (v. 7)

Isaiah 9:7 NASB95

7 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.

[EXP] There are three characteristics to note about the Kingdom of King Jesus, the one who sits on throne of David as Messiah forever…

Characteristic #1: Everlasting increase

The rule of King Jesus will forever increase.

The peace of King Jesus will forever increase.

When kings expand their rule, it usually means the opposite of peace, but the everlasting increase of the Kingdom of King Jesus will mean the forever-expansion of peace for those who trust in Him.

Characteristic #2: Everlasting justice and righteousness

The kingdom of King Jesus will not start off on the right foot only to eventually take a turn for the wicked.

No, His kingdom is characterized by justice and righteousness from the start and will be characterized by justice and righteousness forever.

Characteristic #3: Everlastingly eternal

“There will be no end to the increase of His government… From then on and forevermore.”

When the angel Gabriel came to Mary, he said of Jesus…

Luke 1:32–33 NASB95

32 “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; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Praise God! The Kingdom of King Jesus will have no end!

Why?

Because the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this!

[TS]…

Conclusion

[ILLUS] Maybe a couple years ago now, Cheryl, the kids, and I went to Blakely State Park in Spanish Fort. It’s the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War, the largest one fought in Alabama.

Sixteen-thousand Union troops fought against approximately 3,500 Confederate troops. In the end, the Union troops overwhelmed the Confederates, which led to the surrender of the City of Mobile.

But an interesting side note to the Battle of Fort Blakeley is that it was fought after the Civil War was over.

Just hours before the Battle at Blakeley, the Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox.

At Blakeley, the Union troops were fighting a battle that had already been decided.

Because Jesus, the Promised Child, has come… because He has lived perfectly and died sacrificially and risen triumphantly—the zeal of the Lord of hosts has decided the battle.

The enemies of Satan, sin, and death have been defeated...

...and the victory is ours because the promised Child in Isaiah 9 has come in Jesus Christ.

[PRAYER]