Isaiah 9:1-7
It’s a Boy!
Light Shines Thru vs. 1-2
Increased Joy vs. 3-5
The Glory of the Son vs. 6-7
Intro: I Think I’m Pregnant
There is nothing quite like the anticipation of a coming child
I still remember when Jennifer told me she was pregnant with Caleb
It was two days before Xmas We were visiting my dad in Lancaster
Wen were laying in bed wide awake early in the morning and my wife rolls over and looks at me and says “I think I’m pregnant.”
It was one of those wide eyed moments and I said something profound: “Huh?!?”
And it was one of those situations that you couldn’t say anything
I wasn’t going to tell my dad because we weren’t sure
We could’ve told Jen’s family on Christmas but her brother Aaron was getting married in a couple days and we didn’t want to take away from that
So we literally sat on it for over a week
Finally on New Years Eve we went and told her parents
As you could imagine news of the first grand baby created some excitement
I mean not as much as when Prince William and Kate announce they are having a baby but still
Imagine if the announcement came to a country that it’s savior was going to be born
Could you imagine the anticipation Israel had?
Assyria is getting ready to knock down the door of Jerusalem but God sends promise of a savior
In the form of a baby boy he would save the nation
Read Isaiah 9:6-7
Transition:
Isaiah 8 is a real downer because it talks about how Israel’s refused God
Because of that Assyria was coming to bring judgement
That would spill over and affect Judah as well
But through that judgment a special deliverance would come
It would come as a ray of light, Joy in victory, in the form of a son… the chosen one
Isaiah 9 is what we call a Messianic prophecy
That means that it is a word from the Lord that talks about the coming Messiah, Jesus
There are over 300 such prophecies on the OT that reference the Messiah
Very few of them are as specific as Isaiah 9
The Lord promises a son who will reign over this earth
That son has come but his full reign won’t come till his second coming
After Israel hears the gloomy words of the coming of Assyria he then shines a ray of light Hope
Jesus is still that ray of hope in our world
In our dark and gloomy world there is a promise of a savior who can be with us now and who will return as a reigning king who will establish peace
Light Shines Through vs. 1-2
There is nothing like a ray of light on a gloomy day
Israel needs it
Is 8:22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
God describes a darkness they will go into because of this judgment
But take hope because there will be a great light that will shine
East Facing Offices
There is something about the morning sun this time of year
Maybe it's because we can actually see it before noon, but it's bright
It seems that for most of the time of this church my office windows always face east
That means in the morning, most of the year, all I see are grey clouds until the fog burns off
But this time of year the sun is in full force before the time change and my offices get blasted
So much so that I have to have the blinds drawn or work somewhere else
When that light blasts thru the darkness it brings hope
That light in Israel, and in our lives, is Jesus
Vs. 1 Interesting the first to see the gloom, those areas near the sea of Galilee will be the first to see the light
Assyria will first attack Israel in the divided kingdom and the continue on to Judah
When the promised Son comes he will first go to the northern section
When Jesus began his earthly ministry he did it around the Galilee
Matt 4:13 quotes these two verses
The promised light has come, there will be no gloom for those in anguish
In fact Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, prophesied that Jesus would be the light
Luke 1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Jesus came to bring light to all of those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death
That means if there has been a cloud of gloom hanging over you
Or maybe you have contemplated even ending your life, Jesus will be that light who brings hope
When we turn to him he takes that darkness and expels it and makes us a new creation
Eph 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
We then continue to walk in the light by following God’s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit
The Promised Messiah would be a ray of light and Jesus fulfilled this
Increased Joy vs. 3-5
Jesus also does something else… He brings increased Joy
With the coming doom of the Assyrian empire hovering above them God goes even further and promises that
The yoke and the rod would be broken and the oppressor would be defeated
The yoke, bar, and rod were instruments used to dominate people and force them to work physically,
Or they could be used as metaphors to describe a heavy burden put on people through increased taxation or domineering rule.
God “will shatter/break” the oppressive yoke of their enemy
He will replace that with an increased Joy
Psalm 4:7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
The people will rejoice and jump for joy like people do when they see an unusually massive harvest (possibly referring to the joy at the Feast of Weeks; Deut 16:9–12)
Or when they observe the hoards of goods brought home by the troops after an enemy nation is plundered.
The reference to Midian is a harkening back to the battle Gideon won with just 300 men
Why the incredible Joy? Because they have been delivered from Assyria
Jesus promises that Joy to us when he delivers us first from death, then from sin, and finally from any strongholds that keep us from growing
You can just see it when someone comes to Christ
The weight of the world has been lifted and there is the subtle joy
We also experience an increased joy when we are set free from the bondage of addictions
So the Promised Son brings light to our lives and increased joy
Who is this promised son?
The Glory of the Son vs. 6-7
First and foremost he is the Glory of His Father
This positive prophecy comes to a climactic end by announcing the birth of a son who would reign forever as a righteous Davidic ruler (one very different from Ahaz).
The prophet’s message provides information about his (a) birth; (b) role in government; (c) names; (d) reign of peace; and (e) just eternal rule on the throne of David.
It also offers strong assurances that God will accomplish all these things.
vs. 6 For unto us a child is born
This glorious prophecy of the birth of Messiah reminds Israel that the victory-bringing Messiah would be a man.
Theoretically, the Messiah could have been an angel. Or, the Messiah could have been God without humanity.
But in reality, neither of those options would have qualified the Messiah to be our Savior and High Priest as Jesus was.
The Child had to be born. There is nothing more weak, more helpless, more dependent than a child.
Theoretically, the Messiah could have come as a fully grown man, created as an adult even as Adam was created.
But for Jesus to fully identify with humanity, and to display in His life the servant nature that is in God, made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men
The Government will be on his shoulders
Ultimately this will be fulfilled in the Millennium when Jesus will the rule the earth
Vs. 6b His name will be called: The idea isn’t that these will be the literal names of the Messiah.
Instead, these are aspects of His character, they describe who He is and what He has come to do.
Remember that Hebrew names were given to express the person’s character
God gives us four characteristics about Jesus
He was never called any of these characteristics but nonetheless he exhibited these in his life
Wonderful Counselor
He is wonderful counselor
This is actually one phrase, notice there is no comma here to separate the two
The glory of who He is and what He has done should fill us with wonder
“Wonderful Counselor” combines the idea of doing something “wonderful, extraordinary, miraculous” (peleʾ) with the skill of “giving wise advice, making plans, counsel.”
This suggests that this son’s life will somehow exhibit “miraculous acts of God
The Messiah is our Counselor: Jesus is the One fit to guide our lives, and should be the Christian’s immediate resource as a counselor.
Jesus can help you with your problems.
He may use the presence and the words of another Christian to do it, but Jesus is our Counselor.
Is 28:29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
Excellent in wisdom, which means there is none above his counsel
Let’s stop looking to others for counsel and go first to Jesus
Mighty God
Not only is he a
The Messiah is Mighty God: The God of all creation and glory, the LORD who reigns in heaven, the One worthy of our worship and praise.
Can there be a more straightforward declaration of the deity of the Messiah? Y
In Isaiah 10:21, the prophet uses the exact same phrase to refer to Yahweh: The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.
Therefore, this is a clear statement of absolute deity
The second dual name “Mighty God” (ʾēl gibbôr) includes a divine name similar to the name Ezekiel (God will be my strength)
It actually means “God is a mighty warrior,” similar to Deut 10:17; Ps 24:8;
Deut 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe
John Gagliardi
In 2003 the Mount Union Purple Raiders were riding a win streak of 44-0
They were the #1 ranked team as they cruised into the championship game
The game actually started like you would expect with Mount Union moving the ball with ease
Most people expected them to destroy the other team, tiny St John’s College
Except there was one thing, the coach for St John’s John Galiardi
You may have never heard of John Gagliardi unless you are a die hard college football fan
He coached the Div III St John’s college for 60 years, from 1953 to 2012
What is so impressive about Coach Gagliardi? He is the winningest football coach in history
Mount Union seemed impressive but they were no match for Gagliardi
St John’s went on to win the championship
So many times we are so focused on how menacing the enemy is and we forget how mighty our God is
Last time I checked he was undefeated
Everlasting Father
The third name is one word in Hebrew, combining two ideas in one concept.
It is possible to translate “Everlasting Father”, as a sentence “my father [is] eternal,”
The term father is a relatively rare term in the OT even though the Jews are called children of God
He is everlasting, so not only will he live forever but was from the beginning
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever
Psalm 72:17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!
One day he will rule forever
Prince of Peace
This is a term we would expect of a king
He will bring peace when he comes to rule with an iron scepter
Psalm 72:7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
Closing:
God’s answer to everything that has ever terrorized us is a child.
The power of God is so far superior to the Assyrias and all the big shots of this world that he can defeat them by coming as a mere child.
His answer to the bullies swaggering through history is not to become an even bigger bully.
His answer is Jesus.
