Isaiah 9

The Old Testament prophet had two major roles that were very different. One was corrective while the other was celebratory. He was corrective of the Old Covenant community, prosecuting God's case against the Lord's own people for their unfaithfulness. The celebration part of his function was connected to the coming New Covenant era. In this role he served as a herald of a coming day of blessing.

These two aspects of prophetic ministry are not in conflict with each other, yet the seeming clash of disciplinary and celebratory messages within any one chapter can seem quite jarring. Yet when we go through a dark moment of life, when we may even feel the hand of the Lord's correction, it is wonderfully strengthening to know that the promises of God for our good have not evaporated. They are as true as ever and are keenly appreciated as a needed help in our day of trial.

Chapter 9 begins with the future blessing and ends with the more proximate time of trouble. The trouble will not be for God's people in Judah alone. The northern kingdom of Israel, and neighboring nations will face the strength of the Assyrian war machine. Though many will think that they can face the problems before them and overcome their adversaries, this optimism will not be warranted.

The challenge will not merely be from the hand of a foreign nation, it will be from the Sovereign Lord. It will be His anger that has not been turned away. He will "cut off from Israel head and tail." It will be "through the wrath of the Lord of hosts" that "the land is scorched." One of the expressions of the Lord's judgment will be the way that His own people will turn against each other, for "no one spares another" and "each devours the flesh of his own arm." The people of God were to be together as one body and nation, but now they destroy each other, and kill their own national relations, preferring tribal animosity and envy to the communion between them that should have come from their common devotion to the God of Israel.

How sad it will be when there would seem to be no one among them who could bring peace. Yet then we return to the earlier words of promise with which the chapter begins. There will be a great light coming from Galilee, and the people will see Him. That great light will come with the birth of a child. We immediately think of the one called "Immanuel" or God-With-Us who we heard about in the prior two chapters.

This son will be the "Wonderful Counselor." It will be astounding to consider how what follows could be said of a descendant of Adam, yet He will surely be the "mighty God" Himself. He will be so closely connected with the God of creation and providence, that He will be called "Everlasting Father." Finally His title of "Prince of Peace" bears further consideration. The prince was like a military ruler who leads the people toward victory. The peace that He is and that He brings is the shalom of God's perfect plan. Thus this baby that will be born, who is none other than the Jesus, this baby shall be the Captain of our Salvation - the Prince of Peace. And he will bring peace through His government, a peace that will not end, even "from this time forth and forevermore."

God shall do this, Isaiah announces to His needy loved ones. God has indeed accomplished all this though Christ. The peace that He has won for us came at the cost of the life of His great Son. The Prince of Peace took the warfare that we deserved, and thus we have eternal peace. We yet look forward to a day when there will be no gloom for the people of God who are in anguish. We have a taste of that now, but we long for the fulfillment of the promise of the Lord. For this grand and eternal peace we still look to Jesus, the child who was born for our sake, who has become both the Author and the Finisher of our salvation.