A Child Is Born – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Price of Peace
Isaiah 8:20-9:7 NLT
20 Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. 21 They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven 22 and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.
Chapter 9
Hope in the Messiah
1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
2 The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
Message
Merry Christmas!! This year the Christmas’ message is from Isaiah 8:20-9:7.
Why is this world in darkness? Why did our human being need the Savior? See Isaiah 8:20 NLT.
20 Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.
It is because people contradict God’s word. If they don’t look to God’s instructions and teachings, they will much more likely contract God’s word. Even if they look to God’s instructions and teachings, they may still contradict God’s word if they fail to understand, disobey, or forget it.
What’s their darkness like? See v21-22.
21 They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven 22 and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.
In the darkness, they don’t find what satisfies them even if they go from one place to another. So they are weary and hungry. They will be filled with anger and complaints against their leader and God. Wherever they look, they find nothing but trouble, anguish and dark despair.
See Isaiah 9:1-2 NLT.
1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
2 The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.
The solution to the darkness and despair is God’s word. God’s word (Jesus Christ) is coming and will end the time of darkness and despair. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali was invited by the Assyrians and populated by the Gentiles. When Jesus came, He started His ministry in this region called Galilee. Those who walked in darkness saw a great light, Jesus. He was the light that shone for those who lived in this area of deep darkness.
See v3.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
Here, ‘You’ is the Lord. Whoever believes in Jesus becomes spiritually an Israelite (a child of God) (See John 3:12).
See v4.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
The true slavery is the slavery of sin. Whoever sins is a slave of sin (John 8:34). Jesus sets us free from sin (4a, John 8:36). Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil (4b, 1 John 3:8).
See v5.
5 The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
Jesus establishes the Kingdom of God where there is no more war and the warrior’s boots and uniforms are no longer required.
See v6.
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This child represents Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, what Isaiah 9:1-5 mentions took place. And He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Price of Peace.
See 7.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
His Kingdom – the Kingdom of God – is eternal. He will reign it peacefully, fairly and justly for all eternity. This is God’s promise. God keeps His promise. We are sinners but God is passionately committed to making this happen – because He loves us! Hallelujah! Merry Christmas!
