The Book of Isaiah

Hebrew Study

Explanation

The previous chapter ended in gloom and darkness. Now light breaks in. Isaiah names the very region where it would dawn, "Galilee of the nations," the northern land first overrun by Assyria and looked down upon as a place of darkness. There, of all places, "the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." God would multiply the nation and its joy, breaking the yoke and the rod of the oppressor, for the darkness was about to be scattered by a coming light.

Gospel Focus

Matthew tells us exactly when and where this light dawned. When Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, Matthew quotes this very prophecy: "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (Matthew 4:16). The great light was Jesus Himself, who said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). And notice where the light shone first, on Galilee, a despised and shadowed place. God's light does not wait for the worthy or the impressive; it breaks over those in the deepest darkness. Wherever you are, however dark the shadow, the great Light has come, and He shines on those who sit in darkness. Turn to Jesus, the light of the world, and walk no longer in the dark but in the light of life.

Hebrew Study

Explanation

Here is the heart of the promise: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." A child, born as a human infant; a son, given as a gift from God. And upon His shoulder rests "the government," the rule of all things. Then Isaiah unfolds His name, and it climbs beyond anything that could be said of a mere man. He is "Wonderful, Counsellor," a wonder in Himself and the source of all true wisdom. He is "The mighty God," bearing the very name of God. He is "The everlasting Father," the eternal one from whom life comes. He is "The Prince of Peace," the ruler who brings true and lasting peace. The child of the virgin is given the names of God because He is God.

Gospel Focus

This verse is one of the clearest windows in all Scripture into who Jesus is. The child born to us is called "The mighty God" and "The everlasting Father." How can the son given to us also be the mighty God and the everlasting Father? Because there is one God, and that one God was made flesh in Jesus Christ. The child is not a second God beside the Father; He is the one God come in flesh, so the very names of God rightly belong to Him. This is why Jesus could say, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9), for in Him "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." The baby in Bethlehem's manger is "The mighty God"; the son given to us is "The everlasting Father" made visible. There is no greater mystery and no greater comfort: the God who made the stars was born a child to save us. Worship Him, for the child born to us is the mighty God, and His name is above every name.

Hebrew Study

Explanation

The child's kingdom is described in words that fit no earthly reign: "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end." His rule only grows, never shrinks; His peace only spreads, never fails. He reigns "upon the throne of David," the promised King of David's line, and He establishes His kingdom "with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." No dynasty of men lasts forever, but His does. And Isaiah grounds the certainty of it all in one line: "The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." It is not human effort but God's own passionate commitment that will bring it to pass.

Gospel Focus

The angel Gabriel echoed this very promise to Mary about the child she would bear: "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32-33). The everlasting kingdom of Isaiah 9 is the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and it will never end. Empires rise and crumble, rulers come and go, but the government of the Prince of Peace only increases and endures forever. There is deep security in this for the believer: our King and His kingdom cannot fall. And the guarantee is not our faithfulness but His, "the zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." God is passionately committed to establishing the reign of His Son, and He will surely do it. Whatever kingdoms of this world rise against Him, the Prince of Peace reigns, His kingdom grows, and it will have no end. Give your allegiance to the King whose throne endures forever.