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Christ and His Kingdom In Isaiah 9
Isaiah 9
One of the best ways to introduce the book of Isaiah is to use the first verse.
In that first sentence some of the basic matters about the book are given. "The
vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in
the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah."
The word "vision" here - as used in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament - is
equal to DIVINE REVELATION; so this book called Isaiah contains that which the
Lord revealed to this prophet, who was the son of Amoz.
These things concerned "JUDAH AND JERUSALEM." At this time, there was the
northern kingdom, called Israel. And some of the things that pertain to the
northern kingdom do come up in the prophecies of Isaiah. However, Isaiah's
message was directed primarily to God's people in Judah and Jerusalem.
As to the time when Isaiah lived and prophesied, this verse says, "in the days
of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah." The basic facts about
this O.T. book are given right here in the first verse.
Another verse we can use to introduce this book is Isaiah 6:8, where the call of
Isaiah is reported. It says there, that Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord,
saying: "WHOM SHALL I SEND, AND WHO WILL GO FOR US?" Then this man, Isaiah,
replied: "HERE AM I! SEND ME." This indicates two things: One, that this man was
called of God to prophesy these things. Two, that he was ready and willing to
serve in this capacity. You might be interested to know - the book of Isaiah is
quoted 83 times in the N.T., 12 of those quotations in the book of Matthew. With
these things in mind we turn our attention to chapter nine.
THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In Isaiah, chapters seven through twelve - the prophet is dealing with what
could be called THE ASSYRIAN CRISIS.
You remember - from verse 1 - that one of the kings in Isaiah's time was Ahaz.
Well, in the days of Ahaz, the king and his people were "worried to death"
because, just north of their border, the Northern kingdom and Syria were joining
forces and it seemed like they were planning to conquer Judah.
Now God - through Isaiah - had something to say about all this. God sent word to
king Ahaz, telling him NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THIS NORTHERN CONFEDERATION. The exact
words are (7:4): "Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted..."
God said, about this confederation or plan, "IT SHALL NOT STAND!" (Isa. 7:7). So
what Ahaz should have done WAS TO BELIEVE GOD. But, he didn't pay much attention
to God. KING AHAZ WENT ON TO FORMULATE AND EXECUTE HIS OWN PLAN OF DEFENSE; a
plan that eventually backfired. King Ahaz hired the nation of ASSYRIA, to come
over and crush this northern confederation. He even agreed to pay them for their
help; he paid them well - in silver and gold from the house of the Lord.
When Ahaz didn't pay attention to God, and when he devised his own plan, he was
guilty of unbelief; and for that unbelief he was to be punished. What happened
was, after the Assyrians had crushed the northern confederation (as Ahaz had
paid them to do) ... THEY JUST KEPT COMING SOUTH, RIGHT INTO JUDAH AND
JERUSALEM, where Ahaz was. So, because of his unbelief, the king got more than
he bargained for.
Isaiah chapters seven and eight tell us about these things: THE ASSYRIAN CRISIS.
Chapter eight tells how God used Assyria to punish both kingdoms, Israel and
Judah. At the end of chapter eight, there is a picture of the gloom and darkness
there would be, as the Assyrians came through with their devastating military
force. The last verse of chapter eight shows the people looking around - and
seeing trouble, darkness, and the gloom of anguish.
As chapter nine opens, the prophet is saying: THIS GLOOM WILL NOT LAST FOREVER!
THE PICTURE OF TOTAL GLOOM WHICH CLOSED THE
PRECEDING CHAPTER GIVES WAY TO A PICTURE OF BRILLIANT LIGHT. Things would be
bad, in the aftermath of this Assyrian crisis -- BUT, THEY WOULDN'T BE BAD
FOREVER!!
There was still reason for hope, as to the future. God's plan would be carried
out! A time would come, Isaiah says, WHEN DARKNESS WOULD BE DISPELLED BY LIGHT;
GLOOM WOULD BE REPLACED BY DARKNESS, AND GOD WOULD HAVE A NATION OF PEOPLE,
RULED BY A
PERFECT KING.
These things, I'm persuaded, refer to Christ and the church.
ISAIAH 9:1-7
Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is
distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the
land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the
sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in
darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of
death, Upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation And
increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As
men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his
burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of
Midian. For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in
blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His
name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon
the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with
judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD
of hosts will perform this. (Isa. 9:1-7, NKJV).
There isn't any doubt in my mind, this passage is Messianic. I believe Isaiah is
giving a prophecy of Christ and the church. I say that with such boldness for
these reasons:
MATTHEW, in Matt. 4:12-17, QUOTES THIS PASSAGE - AND HE APPLIES IT TO CHRIST! In
the absence of any New Testament reference, it is sometimes difficult to locate
the specific fulfillment of an O.T. prophecy. But in this case we have an
inspired commentary, or inspired interpretation: MATTHEW, WRITING BY
INSPIRATION, TELLS US that these things in Isaiah nine pertain to Christ!
Matt. 4:12-15ff...Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He
departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which
is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of
the Gentiles: (Matt. 4:12-15, NKJV).
Secondly, in Isaiah 9:2, it says that "the people who walked in darkness HAVE
SEEN A GREAT LIGHT; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon
them a light has shined." Isaiah is using what is called, "the perfect of
prophetic certainty" -- that is, HE IS DESCRIBING EVENTS TO COME AS IF THEY WERE
ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED; he was so certain these things would happen, he spoke of
them AS IF THEY HAD ALREADY HAPPENED: "upon them a light has shined." But what I
want us to see is: THIS GREAT LIGHT! This great light can be none other than
Jesus Christ. {See Lk. 2:32; Jno. 1:4; Jno. 12:46; Col. 1:13}.
In addition, THIS GREAT "NATION" THE PROPHET FORESAW WOULD NOT DEPEND UPON
CARNAL WEAPONS! Look at verse 5: "For every
warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, and garments rolled in blood, will be
used for burning and fuel of fire." You see, Isaiah was looking to a time when
the equipment and weapons of carnal warfare would be thrown away, rolled up and
burned. This is like what Isaiah had said about the kingdom of Christ earlier -
back in 2:4, where he talked about beating swords into plowshares and spears
into pruning hooks. This looks to the spiritual kingdom, that is not of this
world - Jesus said, in Jno. 18:36. And, on two occasions, Paul made the point -
that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (2 Cor.10:4, and Eph. 6:12).
So we have the evidence of Matt. 4, the mention of the "great light," and this
statement about no carnal weapons. All of this pointing to the object of this
passage in Isa. 9 -- Christ and His church.
I submit a fourth point of evidence: I BELIEVE VERSE 6 IS ONE OF THE PLAINEST
REFERENCES TO CHRIST YOU'LL FIND ANYWHERE IN
THE PROPHETS.
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be
upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Here we have a clear picture of the birth
of the Messiah; the character of His person, the nature of His reign and His
eternal deity. Some orthodox Jewish commentators and modernists will say THIS
WAS HEZEKIAH, who reigned after Ahaz. Well, Hezekiah was a better man than Ahaz;
Hezekiah carried out some good plans and policies BUT HE WASN'T GOD; he wasn't
"everlasting Father!" Verse 6 is one of the clearest references anywhere in the
Bible, POINTING TO THE MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST. And, one more point: I BELIEVE WE
SEE IN VERSE 7, Jesus reigning over His kingdom! Hezekiah's reign came to an end
- in fact, not a very pleasant end.During His reign, Isaiah prophesied of the
Jews being carried into captivity in Babylon - and in the reign of Zedekiah,
THAT HAPPENED. Even though - after 70 years - God let them go back to Jerusalem,
the Jewish city re-fell in 70 A.D. BUT HERE IN ISA. 9:7, reference is made to a
kingdom that would never end! Another point that lends support to the belief
that this passage is a prophecy, ABOUT
CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH.
A LITTLE BIBLE GEOGRAPHY LESSON
In the first two verses of Isaiah 9 - the prophet talks about how oppressed the
land of Zebulun and Naphtali were in the aftermath of the Assyrian crisis - BUT
A TIME WOULD COME WHEN A GREAT LIGHT WOULD SHINE "IN GALILEE OF THE GENTILES."
The land allocation for Zebulun and Naphtali is the area called Galilee. In
other words the land given to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali after the
conquest of Canaan, WAS LATER CALLED GALILEE. Now - here's the point we want to
look at, in Isaiah chapter 9. In the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom,
this area was turned into a wasteland of gloom and darkness; it was LIGHTLY
ESTEEMED AND HEAVILY OPPRESSED (2 Kngs. 15:29).
BUT ISAIAH WANTS TO SAY: It won't be this way forever! A TIME WOULD COME IN
GALILEE, when the people who were walking in darkness would SEE A GREAT LIGHT.
Now -- WHERE DID JESUS BEGIN TO PREACH AND TEACH? Matt. 4:13 says, "in the
regions of Zebulun and Naphtali!" So - in the Assyrian invasion, this territory
of Galilee was lightly esteemed and heavily oppressed; there was suffering. But,
in this future time of light and joy, THE PEOPLE OF GALILEE WOULD HAVE THIS
GREAT LIGHT SHINED UPON THEM - Jesus Christ.
THE STATEMENTS THE PROPHET MADE ABOUT THE MESSIAH IN VERSE 6It says: "Unto us a
Child is born, unto us a Son is given," then there is this statement: "AND THE
GOVERNMENT WILL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER."
When it speaks of the government being "upon his shoulder," THIS DOESN'T MEAN
WHAT WE USUALLY THINK OF; something distasteful; a trouble or burden we wish we
didn't have. In Isaiah's day -- kings and rulers often wore some symbol of
authority on their shoulder; a golden chain, or article of royal clothing.
Placing something ON THE SHOULDER meant to give power or authority to (Isa.
22:22). So when it says, "the government will be upon His shoulder," THIS HAS
REFERENCE TO AUTHORITY GIVEN TO CHRIST. The passage indicating fulfillment would
be, Matt. 28:18, where Jesus said, "All authority has
been given to me, in heaven and on earth."
SO, THOUGH THERE WOULD BE GLOOM AND DARKNESS UPON THE LAND AND UPON THE PEOPLE,
A FUTURE TIME WOULD COME, when this Child would be born; when this Son would be
given AND THIS PERFECT KING WOULD HAVE ALL AUTHORITY.
Notice what is said about His name:
First, "His name will be called WONDERFUL COUNSELOR." A counselor is a person to
whom you can go, for comfort and strength; for help and guidance. In the word
"counselor" there is the suggestion of wisdom and knowledge. So, Isaiah is
saying: THE MESSIAH WOULD BE A WONDERFUL COUNSELOR.
MIGHTY GOD would be His name. I believe we need to see, in this expression, "a
genuine attribution to deity," (Young). Bro. Hailey, in his commentary: "The
name MIGHTY GOD identifies the Child with the Godhead, both in deity and in
power," (p.#103). In another prophetic passage, Jeremiah says: "He shall be
called: JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS," (Jer. 23:6).
EVERLASTING FATHER. You may read this as "one who is eternally a Father." Or,
you may read this as "the father of eternity," in the sense of - GIVING ETERNAL
LIFE. In either case, Jesus is exalted far above the kings and rulers of men
(and we have further evidence THIS COULDN'T REFER TO HEZEKIAH).
FINALLY, prince of peace. A RULER, WITH PEACE AS HIS MEANS OF GOVERNING. All
through Isaiah, and in the New Testament fulfillment, Jesus is pictured as the
great peace-maker; by Him, peace is made between men and God. When a sinner
comes to Christ He comes to the single One who can impart real peace; true peace
with God.
So the subject of this prophecy is the reign of the Messiah; the nature of that
perfect King; the effect of His work - and in revealing these things, Isaiah was
giving assurance to the Jews of his day -- that the darkness and gloom that was
caused by the Assyrian invasion WOULD NOT LAST FOREVER. A time was coming when a
great light would shine in Galilee.
I would remind you - these things were written about 700 years before Christ
came. This is a good example of DIVINELY INSPIRED PROPHECY, whereby God revealed
history before it happened and these things were fulfilled by Jesus Christ, who
took His place on the throne of David over His Kingdom. Today, we have the grand
opportunity of being saved and being members of a multiplied nation, a joyous
nation and a spiritually armed nation.
By Warren E. Berkley
From Expository Files 3.9; September 1996
