Isaiah 9:1

The Bible says about Israel in Isaiah 9:1-7, “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 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. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast 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 battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

The problem that Israel had in their country is the same problem that exists in all countries to varying degrees: spiritual darkness. There is only one solution to spiritual darkness: spiritual light. That is why the Messianic prophecy says in Isaiah 9:2, “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.” This verse is quoted in Matthew 4:16 in regards to Jesus bringing the light to the land of Galilee. Of course, Jesus is the light of the world. Concerning Jesus being “the Light,” the Bible says in John 1:1-9, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

Another one of the great Messianic passages of the Old Testament is found in Isaiah 9:6-7. It says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” We return once again to the theme of “a child” who will come and who will be the answer to the problems of Israel and of the problems of the whole world. Notice that it speaks of the birth of the child. That is one reason that the New Testament goes into such detail about the birth of Christ. The coming of the Messiah would first of all be about a birth. Celebrating the birth of Christ is a meaningful thing to do because the Messiah came first of all by being born of a virgin. What a great day that was: the first manifestation of the fulfillment of the great prophecies of the Old Testament. It says in Luke 2:10-14, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

The first thing that Isaiah 9:6 says about the Messiah is, “and the government shall be upon his shoulder.” One of the biggest problems that this world has always had is ineffective and wicked leaders. Irresponsible and unwise leaders have caused great sorrow for the nations of the world: this includes legislative, executive, and judicial bodies. Man’s lack of wisdom, and man’s selfishness, egotism, ruthlessness, and weaknesses have led the governments of this world constantly down the wrong paths. They should have found ways to make peace instead of war. They should have passed and enforced righteous laws. They should have punished evil doers. They should have protected the innocent citizens for whom they have a God-given responsibility, but they did not. The liberals did not do what they ought to have done, and the conservatives did not do what they ought to have done. What is the answer? What can save us from these terrible leaders? The coming of the Messiah is the answer. Once the government is “upon his shoulder,” we shall finally have a righteous government on this earth that we all yearn for. “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”

The Messiah is called “Wonderful Counseller.” Every human being needs advice. No one knows everything that he or she ought to know. Most people think that they know more than they really do. It says in First Corinthians 1:19-23, “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” Life can be dangerous. Any decision can have far-reaching consequences. Anyone who goes to Jesus for counsel will find the best of all counsel. Who better to go to than the One who is called “the way, the truth, and the life?” Who better to go to than the one who knows everything including the future. Beware of the counsel of man.

In Isaiah 9:6 the Messiah is called “the mighty God.” You cannot state the deity of Christ any more clearly than this. Jesus is God. As it says about Jesus in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Sadly some people who call themselves Christians think only of the Father when they think of God. A wise Christian should think of Jesus when they think of God. Notice that the next name given to the Messiah in Isaiah is “the everlasting Father.” Of course, this is an expression of the trinity, the fact that God is three in One: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus equated Himself to the Father. Jesus said in John 14:9, “He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also.”

The fact that Jesus is called “the everlasting Father” helps explain what is really meant by saying in First Timothy 2:5 that Jesus is the “mediator between God and man.” The only way to God is through Jesus. This does not mean that you simply pray in Jesus’ name. It means much more. It means that you pray to Jesus. It means that you come to Jesus, and in coming to Jesus, you have come to God. This is the doctrine of the deity of Christ. To say anything less is to start down a path of departing from the doctrine of the deity of Christ, which many are doing every day.

Notice that in Isaiah 9:6-7 Jesus is not only given the names of God, but He is also given the attributes of God. He is called “the mighty God” and “the everlasting Father.” Jesus is all-powerful because He is God. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me.” Thankfully, Jesus can do anything. There are problems that you cannot fix, but there is no problem that is too great for Him to fix. There is no obstacle that He cannot overcome. There is no disease that He cannot heal. Jesus is all-powerful, and He is also “everlasting:” He is eternal. As it says in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” From a practical standpoint that means that what He has done for others, He can do for you. It means that any kindness or goodness that He has shown to you one year ago or twenty years ago, He can do for you again. Of course, the fact that Jesus is everlasting has theological and doctrinal implications too. It means that His life did not begin when He was born in the manger in Bethlehem. He has always existed. Jesus existed before the beginning began. That is why He said in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am.”

In Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is called “the Prince of Peace.” When Jesus comes back to the earth He will give peace to the earth in a way that the world has never known. One of the terrible truths about human nature is the inability of people to get along with each other. Wherever people come into contact with each other, you will find people warring with each other, whether in families, in neighborhoods, on the job, or among nations. Of course, Jesus understood human nature better than anyone else. Jesus described the age in which we live by saying in Matthew 24:6, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Anyone can start a fight or start a war, and so we need peacemakers. Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Jesus is the greatest of all peacemakers. As the “Prince of Peace” He is the only one that can give you peace with God. It says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Many places in the Old Testament tell us the same thing that Isaiah 9:7 tells us, that the Messiah will rule “upon the throne of David.” One reason for this is because God made a great promise to David that David’s throne would be established forever. That is why the Messiah came in the lineage of David: so that this promise would be fulfilled. The Lord said in Psalm 89:34-37, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.”

The Messianic Kingdom shall be established “with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.” Judgment and justice are two qualities that are in short supply in every country in this world. Too many judges have no wisdom. They punish whom they should not punish, and they let go whom they should not let go. The judges of the world make the wrong decisions over and over again. But this will not happen in the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. How wonderful that will be!

The rulers of the world make such great efforts to establish their kingdoms, and to obtain and retain power. Even when they have good intentions, human beings inevitably create a government that has many injustices and failings no matter who the human leader is. How will we ever get a government on this earth that will be full of truth, and goodness, and justice that will last forever? We will never get such a righteous kingdom from human beings. Thank God that we are told in Isaiah 9:7 just how this great Messianic Kingdom will be set up: “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

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