The darkness of Chapter 8 is in stark contrast to the light of Chapter 9. The remnant are encouraged before but in Chapter 9 the salvation of God is seen as accomplished. As Motyer says, “the future is written as something which has already happened, for it belonged to the prophetic consciousness of men like Isaiah to cast themselves forward in time and then look back on the mighty acts of God, saying to us: 'Look forward to it, it is certain, He has already done it!'” There is a lack of anxiety in Isaiah and his disciples because of this perspective. So Isaiah's personal eschatology or future outlook was bleak but he knew that there is a redeemer coming and with prophetic telescoping or compressing time he saw Christ clearly and trusted in God's salvation. We need to make this a part of our lives so that we will not live as if this life is all there is. People around us may live that way but we need to live in the correct way knowing that eternal life is a reality and our redeemer lives and has prepared a place for us.
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.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. 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. 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. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
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.
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.
Isaiah 9:1-7
God gives a glimpse of the future. First short term and then He telescopes out to Christ's kingdom. First there will be no gloom. Then the light will shine and destroy the oppressor. There will be no gloom for her who was in anguish because we see by faith what God will do. In these verses Isaiah makes reference to the first areas to fall to Assyria with Zebulun and Naphtali but then uses an odd term. Isaiah says “Galilee of the nations” (or gentiles) foreshadowing the work of Christ in uniting men and for the salvation of all sorts of people.
The people who walked in darkness were those living out their lives in darkness. Those living in deep darkness had light shine on them. God's creative power caused them to see light. God takes a remnant and makes a nation out of it. Both harvest and victory over an enemy are God given.
The yoke and rod of oppression point back to Egypt but Midian (Judges 6-8) points to Gideon and appropriately Zebulun and Naphtali were helped by Gideon. In both Egypt and in Midian we see God's initiative and not man's initiative. This is a constant message in Isaiah that if God had not acted there would have been nothing left. God saved a remnant by Grace and God putting an end to war.
In Isaiah 9:6-7 we see the trinity and also we see the last days. The increase of His government will have no end. Eventually we'll see the establishment of His kingdom in a completely and fully. We are commanded to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” by our Lord. So this is the “not yet” aspect of this verse but the Lord of Hosts will do it.
We can see so much in 9:6. First of all, “For to us a child is born” gives us the “Son of Man” and one of Jesus favorite names for Himself. He was a human and had a human mother. However, we also have “to us a son is given” and can see His divinity and that He was, in a sense “given” and not born. Given also on the Cross in atonement for our sins. The yokes of our burdens are taken away since “the government shall be upon his shoulder.” He will rule with authority. He will give supernatural council and be called “Wonderful Counselor” and this is still our blessing as the Holy Spirit guides and teaches us.
He is also “Mighty God” or our God who will battle for us. This is a name for God used for God in Isaiah 10:21. He is “Everlasting Father” in being one with God the Father and the one through whom everything was made. He is also Everlasting Father in His compassion for the lost and mercy for His children. He is “Prince of Peace” in contrast to men who have ruled Israel. Solomon took over after David with bloodshed and he was one of the best kings. However, in a vital sense within our lives, Christ gives peace with God. God, through Him made peace in reconciling all things through the blood of the Cross (Colossians 1:20). In addition, Christ brings peace within us and among us (Philippians 4:7; Ephesians 2:14). So He is the executor or administer of peace; the Prince of Peace.
Some of what we see in verse 7 is in our future and it is an important doctrinal point. We will see Christ's government increase and He will eventually rule all things on earth as it is in heaven and then that will be an eternal situation. This also confirms His promises to David with regard to his descendants and throne.
At 700 BC, how could a son of David be God? This is an Old Testament mystery that God explains in Jesus. However, Jesus wasn't a military ruler and conqueror. The religious leadership of His day rejected Him.
Keep in mind what will accomplish these things. God tells us in the last bit of verse 7. He says that “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” and we tend to try to work out a man made solution to every spiritual need.
The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel; and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart: “ The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down,but we will put cedars in their place.”
Isaiah 9:8-10
It is important to remember that the Northern Kingdom was in rebellion. Ephraim was another name for Israel or the Northern Kingdom. They rejected the leadership of Jerusalem and the throne of David. So while Judah and Ahaz were subject to God's judgment, Israel or the Northern Kingdom was first in line for judgment.
The fallen bricks may be a reference to an earthquake during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 BC). But in the face of judgment, Israel says that even though they have had a few downturns they will rebuild and reforest with better things than they had before. The future is bright with or without God. They will get their act together and pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
Ephraim or Israel had formed an alliance with Samaria (Rezin, Syria, Aram, the Arameans) and had great confidence in this political/military alliance but they were ignoring what God said. This just brought Assyria against their alliance that much sooner.
But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him, and stirs up his enemies. The Syrians on the east and ithe Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
Isaiah 9:11-13
So the Assyrians were stirred up by the alliance of Israel and the Syrians (Arameans, Rezin's people) and Israel was without God and a sandwich between the Philistines who would have still loved to nibble them to death and the Syrians who had essentially devoured them politically. The Syrians were no friend of Israel but were willing to use them as Assyria grew bigger and bigger. But it is God who is judging Israel. The tragedy is that they had the word of the Lord but would not turn to the one who was correcting them or ask God what to do. Notice the name used for God here is a name of power. Repentance would have made a way because the Lord of host, the almighty God could have redeemed them. The problem was not with God's ability but rather the problem was with men who trusted in politics and military strength.
In addition to the obvious message to pray for our nation in this day and age we have some other take home messages for us individually. We will often seek our own solution and ask God to simply “bless this mess”. When we confess Jesus as Lord then we need to remind ourselves periodically what “Lord” means. We are theoretically in submission to Him in all things. We pray for our daily bread to remind us where it comes from. If we don't feel a daily need for His provision then that is an illusion that needs to be shattered in some way. It is like the illusion that the Northern Kingdom labored under while thinking that they could form an alliance to keep them safe even though Isaiah had told them otherwise.
So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Isaiah 9:14-17
Leadership in both political and spiritual areas has become useless. They all spouting lies. The leaders had God's word and didn't need to lead badly. Those who followed had God's word and should not have fallen into sin. So those who would normally be first in God's concern (youth, orphans, widows) have removed themselves from His protection. Motyer says they have, “the practical atheism which believes that life can be lived without God, that God and His word are irrelevant to the 'real world.'”
For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another. They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;each devours the flesh of his own arm, Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Isaiah 9:18-21
Wickedness was growing in response to the difficulty and stress of the nations that were surrounding Judah and Israel. Wickedness is self destructive and our Holy God has made a world in which this is the case. There is pleasure in sin for a season but then destruction. They went through 6 Kings before they fell. Of those 6, 5 came to power by assassination. Everyone was acquiring but no one was satisfied with their acquisitions. Eventually, they devour their own families and their own strength. Ephraim and Manasseh were “brother tribes” that together got the inheritance of Joseph. Now they consume one another and even in the midst of this fight they find the resources to go up against Judah.
Satisfaction with what God has given us is a great thing to have. We surely don't need to participate in our society's glorification of excess and violence. We are about to have another in a long line of films making someone who was greedy and violent look like they weren't all that bad or at least they were someone we could imagine being. We need to keep our heart with diligence because we want to respond to life's situations in a godly manner and not with the greed and violence typical of our world.
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