The Gift of a Promise
The Gifts of Christmas • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsGod gives us a promise of redemption but requires that we put our hope in him.
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Last week, we looked at God’s gift of life, and our responsibility to use it in obedience to his commands. Today, we'll look at another of God’s precious gifts: the gift of a promise. Stand with me as we read Isaiah 9.
This is God’s Word, and if you will let it, it will change your life.
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.
Pray
Historical condition of Israel in 732 BC
Assyria devastated Galilee, as well as the coast and Transjordan
Oppression of the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser
The destruction of these areas and seizure of residents had this people “walking in darkness”
The “darkness” was spiritual before it was physical (cf. Isa 8)
19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?
20 To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
21 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.
22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
We have a spiritual condition that has become so corrupt, so rotten to the core that it has necessitated a physical punishment. The exile being brought upon the Northern tribes by Assyria is judgment for their continued sins. These peoples eyes have been darkened for a long time prior to the rule of foreign oppressors.
This is what often happens with God - he judges his people’s sins for a season to purify them and restore them to himself.
And we see that become evident right in verse 1:
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.
Those same areas which were the first to bear the yoke of God’s judgment will be the first to receive the relief of God’s relenting. Zebulun and Naphtali, the tribes harshly yoked by the earliest Assyrian attacks, will soon be released from their bondage and be glorified by the same God who pronounced their judgment.
Then Isaiah begins a poem to tell the story of how there can be “no gloom for her who was in anguish.”
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.
There is within this great darkness yet a reason for hope. You see,
God Gives Us a Promise of Restoration...
God Gives Us a Promise of Restoration...
Look at the way that God describes this restoration, beginning in verse 2:
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.
You can already hear the hope - Isaiah is using past tense verbs. For the prophet, this outcome is so guaranteed, so beyond question that he goes ahead of real time to describe this future promise in terms of a past fulfillment. God has said it, so it is as good as done. By the way, that’s what the writer of Hebrews means when he declares:
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
You don’t have to have already seen it happen to be certain of its truth. That’s the role of faith - to provide tangible evidence of the promises of God.
There are times that we wonder through life, almost in darkness. I have a friend who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He describes episodes as being “in deep darkness.” The depression hits so heavily that he cannot function - he cannot go to school or work, he can hardly care for his basic needs.
There are so many examples of darkness that have been borne out in the last year. In some counties, failure rates among students have nearly doubled (and in some counties they have doubled). Suicide rates among teenagers have also risen, and it is suspected that instances of abuse and neglect may be skyrocketing in these times in which we live. We are a people living in darkness.
J. A. Motyer wrote a great commentary called The Prophecy of Isaiah. He writes about this verse:
The Prophecy of Isaiah The Word to Judah
The darkness is true but it is not the whole truth and certainly not the fundamental truth.
You see, the darkness in which we sometimes live is, despite the worst intentions that may have brought it, an avenue of God’s gracious redemption. God uses that darkness as a means of bringing us to his amazing grace. It’s in the darkness that the light shines.
That’s why Matthew quotes from this verse:
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.”
And then says:
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
It was the coming of Christ to these areas - the same ones that were the subject of Isaiah’s prophecy - that Matthew sees as that prophecy’s fulfillment. When Christ walked in the land of darkness, preaching the good news of God’s present Kingdom, he was the light shining on those living in darkness.
Isaiah continues describing this promise of restoration:
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.
Even through suffering we find a hope for a better future - a hope that brings genuine joy. Calvin wrote:
“Even in darkness, nay, in death itself, there is nevertheless good ground of hope; for the power of God is sufficient to restore life to his people, when they appear to be already V 1, p 299 dead.”
No matter how bad things are, no matter how deep the darkness might be in which you find yourself, know that the very darkness that stokes your fears and seems to separate you from God is not too great to be overcome by the light of life emanating from the Glorious One.
Not only does God’s promise of restoration bring hope of a better future, it also brings the kind of joy that is not predicated only on the current scenario. It brings a joy that can see beyond the difficulties of the day and borrows tomorrow’s rejoicing for today.
That promise of restoration can also be seen in it’s upcoming effects, that once again are listed as though they are already realized:
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.
That “for” at the beginning shows us that this verse is a direct result of the promise described in verses 2-3. The yoke and staff represent the current oppression by Assyria. They were be broken.
He mentions Midian. Do you remember the story of Gideon? Israel has fallen far from God in Judges 6. So God allows them to be overpowered by the Midianites for seven years. Every time they plant crops, the Midianites would devour them “like locusts” (Jdg 6:4). The Bible even says that “Israel was brought very low because of Midian” (Jdg 6:6).
So God calls Gideon to rise up, to break the yoke of Midian, and to restore Israel. But when the battle approached, God systematically reduced the army down to 300 men. There was no room for a mighty man of valor or a large, powerful army to win this battle. God was to be glorified, for he was the one breaking Midian’s yoke.
And now, in Isaiah 9, God is once again removing his wrath from his covenant people and bringing judgment on their oppressors. And once again, he will be the one glorified. But that’s not the only result of this promise of restoration:
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.
There is coming a day in which war is obsolete. So much so, that even military equipment such as warrior’s boots and garments will be burned in the fire - they will be good for nothing but roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. The burdens of the bullies will be broken, and the implements of the infantry will be incinerated.
But what will bring about all this? What is it that will spark this promise - that will bring about the restoration upon which the prophet is basing his hope?
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.
This “for” points us to a cause rather than an effect. The promise of restoration that God offers to Israel, and that same restoration that God offers to us today, rests on the birth of a child - the giving of a son.
The child is born, for this one will be a human
The son is given, for he is also God’s only begotten Son
While our shoulders are freed from our burdens, his shoulders bear the burden of government (and they are more than strong enough to carry the load!)
The names given show his character:
Wonderful Counselor - as God is the one who “works wonders” (Ps 77:14) and whose counsel “stands forever” (Ps 33:11), so also will this child be a “wonder of a counselor”
Mighty God - if there is any doubt of the divine nature in this one to come, he is called “Mighty God;” only one could possibly deserve that name
Everlasting Father - His reign has no end, for he has no end; he is the father in the sense of being the origin of all things as well as the authority over all things (Col 1:16)
Prince of Peace - Christ is our peace, bringing us into reconciliation with both God and men (Eph 2:14)
(Verse 7a) At the birth of this child, a new day dawns. It is a day of an everlasting kingdom, fulfilling God’s promises from the Garden of Eden to just outside of the Ark, to promises made to Abraham, Moses, and David. His character and his power will cause his efforts to prosper more and more as eternity continues.
“The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Just as the prophet has already made clear, God states with absolute certainty: he will make sure it happens. That only leaves one observation:
...But God Requires Us to Put our Hope in Him
...But God Requires Us to Put our Hope in Him
So, will you? He’s given you the promise of restoration. Will you trust him?