The Coming King

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.

A Dark Context

By Isaiah’s time, God's covenant people were divided into the North and South. The idolatrous Northern Kingdom never had a godly king and would soon be taken into captivity. The Southern Kingdom was a "hit and miss" with their obedience and godly leadership. Isaiah 8 tells us that the North conspired with Syria to invade the South, but God promised that they would not prevail. A distant kingdom, Assyria, would come and be the solution to discipline the North and protect the South. But in time, both kingdoms would experience the harsh discipline for their covenant unfaithfulness. God sought to restore his rebellious people. But only those who placed their trust in Him and humbled themselves would find His mercy. So when we study this time period, we see a Holy God who is just and loving. He is patient, but He will also bring the consequences of rebellion or humility according to His covenant.

The Former and the Latter: Great Reversal

Chapter 8 ended with the expectation of a dark future for those who reject the Lord, the True King. Isaiah 8:21-22. Chapter 9 continues this theme but announces a great reversal of things. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be made glorious. Historically, these two tribes of the North originally received this area of land as their Promised Land inheritance under the leadership of Joshua. However, they never fully conquered the territory. So it became to be known as Galilee of the Gentiles. In Isaiah's day, 733 BC, Assyria had invaded this area and soon the Northern Kingdom would go into exile in 722 BC. So at the time of this prophecy, things would have seemed very dark for the people of that area.

A Prophetic Future of Change

But God promises that He would reverse the darkness by shining a great light. God would reverse the darkness of sinful rebellion, spiritual depravity, ungodly human wisdom, injustice, and idolatry. The great reversal would include:

An Increase - Instead of a dwindling population of exile, the land would once again flourish with people. They would experience the reversal of the covenant curses and consequences of rebellion.

Freedom - The conquering nations would no longer oppress the covenant people. God would bring about a miraculous victory, just like He did through Gideon with the area of Midian approximately 350 years earlier. Judges 7.

The people would burn the equipment of warfare tools because they were no longer needed.

The Coming Son of David

This glorious future would come as a result of a son being born. We should note how the sign of a new born baby was God’s time marker and teaching tool for the people of God.

Shear-Jashub - A remnant shall return

Immanuel - God is with us

Maher-Shalal-hash-baz - The spoil speeds, the prey hastens

Like Maher-Shalal-hash-baz, this new son has a four-part name. But it has a distinct divine aspect.

Wonderful Counselor - having incomparable wisdom capable of being a wise ruler

Mighty God - Having the power and ability attributed to God alone

Everlasting Father - having an eternal concern and care for His people

Prince of Peace - This coming son would be a king. But not like the previous or any that would come after.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Development

Israelite kingship shared common features with forms of kingship found in the ancient Near East. Ancients viewed kings as representatives of the gods and executors of the divine will. In Israel, this meant that the king was to serve as Yahweh’s vassal, ruling with integrity and righteousness. In reality, the activities of the kings of Israel were less than ideal.

He will rule with justice and righteousness. He would fulfill all the ways that a King ought to rule and lead. God would fulfill his covenant promise to David. A Son of David would come and be the ideal king that the covenant people desperately needed.

God will Do it

This prophetic section begins and ends with the clear statement that God would do all this. It would not be a result of any human action, nor any sign of coincidence. It would be the sovereign action of God Almighty. God will shine the light into the darkness. God will choose the location. God will choose the Son of David. And God will choose the time for this to happen.

The Light Shines Today: The Light of Jesus Christ

Suppose we were to place ourselves in the time of Isaiah. How long would we have to wait from the time of this prophecy? When we look at the history of the Jewish people, we should look for evidence of this fulfillment. The only Sons of David that we see on the throne lasted until 587 BC. The last Son of David to reign in Judah was Zedekiah. He did “evil in the sight of God.” He did not act in any way like this prophecy.

Later in history, we see another monarchy arise in the years 104-37 BC. We know them as the Hasmonean Dynasty. They struggled to maintain their kingdom with the great powers of Greece and finally Rome. These kings were descendants of a priestly heritage. But none of these were Sons of David. And in the 1st Century AD, we find another small dynasty of Kings in the land, but they descended from Herod, a man who was not fully Jewish nor a descendant of David.

From that time until now, there has not been a descendant of David serving as king. But we find something remarkable that occurred in the 1st Century. The New Testament authors tell us the history of one person who fulfilled this prophecy. We know him as Jesus.

New Testament Fulfillment

The writers of the New Testament recognized that Jesus incomparably fit the description of a Son of David and Messiah. The quoted Isaiah and other prophets to describe how Jesus fulfilled this unique place in God's plan. Let’s see what evidence we have that Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 9.

A Son of David

Luke 1:30–33 ESV

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Matthew 21:8–11 ESV

8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

A Light in Galilee

Matthew 4:13–17 ESV

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.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Acts 10:34–43 ESV

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

A King?

When we examine the history and the writings of the New Testament, we recognize that the life and ministry of Jesus challenged the expectations of the people who "saw the light". The gospels tell us that Jesus did things that drew great crowds toward hopeful expectations. He fed them, healed their diseases, cast out demons, corrected the self-righteous piety of the day. He gathered people unto himself, even those most regarded as "outsiders". Yet he never formed gathered a military force to free the Jews from the power of Rome. He never set up a monarchy successor. One might be disappointed that all the wonderful work of miracles and reform that He brought came to a stop when He went to Jerusalem to be handed over to the leaders. He was beaten, crucified, buried, but resurrected from the dead. What kind of King willingly allows himself to be crucified?

We will have to look at other parts of Isaiah, especially Isaiah 53 , to understand the significance of the cross, which we will do in the future. But for now, we can find in the earlier parts of Isaiah the reason. Although the Northern and Southern Kingdoms had enemies, their primary issues were not foreign invasion but a sinful heart that caused separation from God. This was the fundamental problem with humanity since the Garden of Eden. All the covenants that God established were leading up to the New Covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

And the New Covenant would be made through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Instead of starting with Rome or any other enemy of the Jews or humanity, God starts with our fundamental issue. It is the same issue that Isaiah identified in his vision of God in the Temple. "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips..." The only solution for this was for God to send an angel to take a burning coal from the sacrificial altar and apply the atoning power of God. Jesus became the ultimate and final solution for that which would cause us to be "lost". And because he has conquered sin and death, he is enthroned as the true King. The final book of the New Testament gives us this glorious picture of Jesus the King ruling the Kingdom.

The Kingdom Already but Not Yet

As believers in Jesus Christ, we fully declare that the Kingdom is here, and yet we are also told to pray that kingdom would come as in the Lord's Prayer. When we look at the promises of Isaiah 9, we recognize that things are not as they should be. Our government and others around the world are stained by sin. We are under the weight of complicated illnesses and diseases. Justice and righteousness are incredibly absent from our society. We might be tempted to forget that God is King and that Christ has conquered our ultimate enemies.

So we find ourselves in a place of "already, but not yet." We have the present reality of life under King Jesus but we also look forward to the fulfillment of the King's promises. The book of Revelation gives us the completed picture of the return and reign of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But just like Isaiah, we must WAIT. We must HOPE.

Isaiah 8:17 ESV

17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

God Will Do It

It is always a challenge to believe what people tell you. Are they being truthful or just telling lies to cause you to be at ease and trust them? Are they telling us things they never really intend to come through on? Consider the faith of Abraham. He encountered God, who made a covenant with Him. Abraham believed God and God accounted to him righteousness (right standing with God). Abraham did not have any "history" with God. He believed God's word and entrusted his life and future to God. He followed God wherever God led him. We also have a similar circumstance. God has given us His word. He has given us the prophecy of Isaiah and the words of the New Testament writers that tell us that Jesus is the King. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is God. But will we entrust ourselves to him after we have seen the evidence? Will you let God do it in your life?