Isaiah 9

Illustration:

In about 18 hours time, the United kingdom will get a

new prime minister. Astonishingly, that is a sermon

opening I could have used 7 times over the last ten

years.

To put that in perspective, that's roughly one PM per

Manchester United manager since Sir Alex retired —

and with about the same success rate.

It’s safe to say we have had a bit of a turbulent time in

British politics.

And at the dawn of yet another new prime minister, I

wonder how you feel about the trajectory of our

country.

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Poll

A recent poll by policy think-tank Public First asked

over 2000 people how they felt about recent

development.

66% agree that "Andy Burnham will face the same

problems that brought down Keir StarmerA mere 13% said they trust Andy Burnham, with

another. 34% saying they somewhat trust him.

44% said he was more interested in his own ambitions

that the good of the country.

Perhaps the most interesting response, when asked

how they felt about change was ‘so what’ - 35% of

people said they had no feelings either way.

The sense of apathy is real.

Because the most common frustration I hear is that it

doesn't really matter who holds the keys to Number

10. Nothing ever really changes.

Politicians make their promises then break their

promises. When something gets better for one group, it

tends to get worse for another.

Even those who go in with the best intentions find their

plans get watered down to nothing by the time they've

made it through Parliament, and they’ve looked at the

balance in the governments bank account.

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Prayer for leaders

I don’t pray for our nations leaders often enough.I don’t mind making comment on the things I think

their doing wrong, but that should probably be

outweighed by the frequency in which I pray for them.

1 timothy 2 instructs us to pray for those in authority.

But for a variety of reasons, none of which make it ok,

I forget.

That sin of forgetfulness.

Its so often the root of the challenges we go through in

our lives.

When it comes to government, I think one of the

sources of anxiety and apathy, is not having a clear

vision of the kingdom that is being built.

Will it be one that prioritises international power or

welfare of its people?

Will it be one that promotes justice or self-interest?

A welcoming society or a policy of isolationism?

I have no doubt that people of Israel felt that at times.

The timeline of Israelite politics makes 21st century UK

look stable by comparison!

Historical Context (Slide 1: From Egypt to Exile)

You’ll see from the slide behind me, an overview of

some of big historical moments that brought to people

of Israel to the point we’ve reached in todays passage.

Isaiah 9.

And I want a spend a few moments reminding

ourselves of the context, because it really hammers

home the core truths of this prophecy.

- God rescued Israel out of slavery in Egypt

- At Sinai he made them his covenant people and

set the terms plainly: Now if you obey me fully and

keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my

treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6

you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

- The era of the judges is that same cycle on repeat:

the people turn to idols, God removes his

protection, an enemy invades, the people cry out,

and God in mercy raises up a judge to rescue

them.

Then the rescued generation dies, the next oneturns away, and round it goes, each cycle darker

than the last.

Then we have the period of Kings.

Rather than rely on God to protect them, the people

think the answer is to have a King like the nations

around them.

And despite the fact that they reject Gods rule, God

gives them what they ask for, with the same promise

“fear the Lord and obey him, and it will go well. Rebel,

and his hand will be against you.”

Saul fails.

David — the great exception, and God promises him a

throne established forever.

Solomon, the wisest man alive, ends his reign building

shrines to his wives' gods, including Molech, who

demanded children burned in fire.

And for that, the kingdom is torn in two. 10 Tribes in

the north, Judah and Benjamin in the south.

(Slide 2: Four Hundred Years of Kings)

And here are the kings that followed.In the north: nineteen kings, and not one followed the

Lord.

In the south, David's line: only eight in four hundred

years.

The pattern of the judges never broke — except now

no judge is coming, and the empire gathering on the

horizon is Assyria, the most brutal the world had yet

seen.

Which lands us in Isaiah's day.

2 weeks ago Pastor Kay showed us his call;

last week Boaz showed us King Ahaz

refusing God's offer of a sign and buying Assyrian

protection instead.

Gods chosen people had rejected him.

And Chapter 8 delivers the verdict on Ahaz, and

summarises Israels plight in v6 and 7.

V6"because this people has rejected the gently flowing

waters of Shiloah, the Lord will bring the mighty

floodwaters of the Euphrates — the king of Assyria in

all his pomp."

The Lords protecting hand is compared to the gentle

flowing stream, that ran from mount zion through to

Jerusalem, a source of life for the people.

It echoes the verses of Psalm 23 – he leads me by still

waters, his goodness restores my soul.

But Israel and Judah rejected the gentle stream of

God's care, so the flood came.

They stood on the precipice of war.

Within ten years the northern kingdom was smashed,

carried off, scattered — barely a kingdom at all any

more.

Seven hundred years. Rescue, rebellion, ruin — under

judges, under kings, under prophets. Every human

solution tried; every one failed.

And it's to the remnant of that shattered people, still

sitting in the dark, that chapter 9 opens with a

message of hope.Isaiah 9 is an incredible prophecy. Its another one that

be bring out at Christmas time. Its one that has impact

far beyond the years it was given. And it’s a message

given to us as much as it was to Israel back then.

I have 3 points I want to talk through

• V 1-5: A message of Hope

• V 6-7: The man of hope

• Matthew ch 4: The Means of Hope

Verses 1–5: A message of hope

V 1 - “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who

were in distress.

(this promise seems very unlikely given Israels situation. It

signals that something transformative is going to happen)

In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of

Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by

the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan”

This reference to Zebulun and Naphtali could easily be

one that we glaze over, but Isaiah puts it there for a

reason, so we need to pay attention.Zebulun are Naphtali were:

- Part of the northern kingdom of Israel

- West of the sea of Galilee.

- Acted as a commercial trade route, which meant

that it saw many people from other nations pass

through.

- The proximity to other nations meant that the

Israelites intermarried with other nations. Boaz

touched on that last week, that the northern

kingdom was barely able to function as a single

people group. - v1 calls it a Galilee of nations.

Devout Israelites believed people from the region

were ceremonially unclean because of this.

- Also the first place likely to be invaded, and suffer

from military pressure from outside.

We are told that this area , which v1 said was

‘humbled’, will one day be a place of honor.

Now, lets put a pin in that, because we will need it

later.This message of hope brings 3 areas of promised

change, in verses 2-5

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1 – Darkness to light

(v2) The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

a light has dawned.

Darkness in the Bible signals chaos, spiritual blindness,

obscured truth. An inability to see things as they really

are. And importantly, it also signals separation from

God.

But the promise here is that in deep darkness, a light

will dawn. A great light which guide the people.

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2 – Sorrow to Joy

(v3) You have enlarged the nation

and increased their joy;

they rejoice before you

as people rejoice at the harvest,as warriors rejoice

when dividing the plunder.

Those in sorrow will instead rejoice.

And that joy isn't left as a vague concept; Isaiah gives

it 2 pictures.

The joy of harvest: all the labour of planting and

watering and hoping the weather holds, rewarded at

last with food enough for the year.

For people in that world, that was the joy of life

sustained. Children who wouldn't go hungry. Families

who could prosper. It was a Joy that stemmed from

Hope for the future.

And the joy of warriors dividing the spoils: the

battle won, the danger over, the enemy defeated. You

can go home to your families.

The joy that comes after anxiety and worry proves to

be untrue, the joy that is felt when danger subsides.

That is a joy that the people of Judah longed for.

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3 – End of Oppression

‍This would be particularly prescient for the people the

day. War loomed, and military powers threatened them

from all sides.

Verse 4:

“For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,

you have shattered

the yoke that burdens them,

the bar across their shoulders,

the rod of their oppressor. "

The day of Midian that Isaiah references here are an

episode of Israelite history from Judges chapter seven.

The people of Israel disobeyed God, and the Midianite

army was seeking to invade. They cried out to God for

help, and he sent Gideon as a judge to protect them.

And whilst Gideon initially raised a large army to fight

against the Midianites, God whittled that army down to

just 300 men to fight against thousands of Midianites.

So when the victory came, the people would have no

doubt that it was through God's strength and not

through their own.Isaiah says that, just as in that day, God will give

complete victory, against seemingly insurmountable

odds.

And not only will there be victory against their

enemies, but:

Verse 5: every warrior's boot and every garment rolled

in blood will be fuel for the fire.

Why burn them?

Because they'll never be needed again.

Not a ceasefire. Not a pause. The war will be over.

So that's the message hope:

• light instead of darkness

• Sorrow into Joy

• The end of Oppression.

Which for a people on the brink of invasion must have

sounded impossibly far away.

And it raises the question the whole chapter turns on:

what could possibly bring about a change like this?Verses 6–7: The man of hope

Verse 6 begins with the word "for". Everything just

promised will happen because of what comes next.

Now, what would you expect that to be? Maybe: for the

Lord will raise a great army and smash Assyria.

Or: a plague will sweep Assyria as it once swept Egypt.

But no. We get something unexpected, and something

far greater.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the

government will be on his shoulders."

A child signifies hope: new life, everything this person

might yet do and become. A son, in a royal household,

is one born to lead.

And notice: born to us, given to us. He is a gift. Not

raised up from our ranks, not earned, not recruited.

Given.

And this child will govern. He will rule over his people.

And what will his people say about him?

And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty

God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Four names that speak to the character of this new

ruler.

And notice, its not – and some people will call him. It’s

not – and those who voted for his political party will

call him.

He will be called by all. Undeniably.

Wonderful Counsellor: the source of all wisdom. The

one who knows right from wrong, good from evil, who

sees the clear path through every confusion we face. In

the darkness where you cannot see, he sees, and he

guides.

Mighty God: not just a man. Not a hero with a divine

spark. God incarnate. God in flesh.

Everlasting Father: a king who is a father to his

people. Protector, provider, the one under whose care

they flourish — forever.

Prince of Peace: the one who ushers in an age of

peace, whose rule and decrees are right and just. For

the people of Isaiah's day, peace was what they longed

for above all else. And for many in our world right now

— Ukraine, the Middle East — peace still feels like adistant hope. This king doesn't just declare peace. He

establishes it.

Each one of these names deserves a sermon in itself,

so rich are they in their description of this promised

king.

The Crescendo

And as we read Verse 7, it doesnt feel like a verse we

should read quietly.

Its a Verse that should be proclaimed loudly.

I read this verse, and I get this picture from a film

where a monarch enters a room.

There's a spokesperson next to them proclaiming the

glory of the person coming into the room, the things

that they've done, who they are.

And it builds it as you read it, like a big, loud crescendo

at the end.

He will be called:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peacethere will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

This promised child will sit on Davids throne.

His rule doesn't merely last; it increases, perpetually

transforming everything it touches.

He will establish and uphold that throne with justice

and righteousness — not temporarily, the way David

did; not for a golden generation, the way Solomon did

— from that time on, and forever.

How can we be sure?

And how can we be sure? How can the people of Israel

be sure that this kingdom will come to pass?

The last line of v7: the zeal of the Lord Almighty will

accomplish this. Gods zeal - His burning desire for his

own glory.

Not our faithfulness. Not our competence. This promise

rests on God's own burning commitment.Against the backdrop of our broken politics, of the

broken government of the people of Israel of today,

how good does the promise of a king whose rule is

defined by justice and righteousness sound?

A king who no one will be able to dispute that they are

worthy to sit on the throne.

This king who will bring light into darkness.

Who will turn sorrow into Joy.

Who will bring an end to oppression.

That is the promise given in Isaiah ch 9.

That is a kingdom that we would all long to live in.

And if you were living in Israels in Isaiah’s day, and

you heard Isaiah proclaim this message, you’d

probably be forgiven for thinking, Yes that sounds

amazing – so who is this King and when is he going to

appear?!

(timeline slide)

God’s timing is not like ours.

Charles Spurgeon is a well-known Christian Theologian

and pastor. In his sermon titled ‘the great birthday’ hesaid,

"If God has a design that a thing shall happen at

twelve, if you have appointed it for eleven, it shall not

happen till twelve; and if he means it to be delayed till

one, it is in vain that you propose any earlier or any

later."

Sometimes, in the midst of our distress, we might be

tempted to wonder why God doesn't intervene sooner.

It might seem unkind or uncaring to us that we dont

have an immediate answer to our prayers.

Lamentations 3 v 35 reminds us, “The Lord is good to

those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is

good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of

the Lord.”

The reality for Israel was that the fulfilment of this

promise, would not be fulfilled for another 700 years.

Matthew ch 4 – the Means of Hope

Matthew 4:12–17: [read the passage]12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he

withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in

Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and

Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles—

16 the people living in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.”[f]

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Seven hundred years after Isaiah spoke, Jesus makes

his home in Capernaum, in old Naphtali, and begins his

ministry in the exact soil where the darkness first fell.

Matthew says it plainly: to fulfil what was said through

the prophet Isaiah. The light dawned precisely where

the light was promised.

The proclamation is made – the kingdom of heaven has

come near.And so we see the clear indication from scripture that

Jesus is the promised king who would fulfil the

scirpture of Isaiah 9.

Jesus is that light. The one who say in John 8 v 12, “I

am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in

darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus is the one who turns sorrow to joy, who teaching his

disciples in John 15 says I have told you this so that my joy may be

in you and that your joy may be complete.

Jesus is the one who will bring to an end to oppression , who in

Matthew 5 says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be

called children of God".

And this promised King, who will usher in this new kingdom of

justice and righteousness - begins his ministry by telling us

exactly how we can gain access to that kingdom.

Repent!

Jesus names the root cause of the world's darkness.

It isn't political misalignment. It isn't a lack of strong

leadership. It's sin.The inherent tendency in each of us to say to God i will

rule my own life, I will not do you as command. I will

not live as i was created to live.

The same rebellion that ran through Adam, through

Saul and Solomon and Ahaz runs through every one of

us.

But Jesus says: bring it to me. I will deal with it.

And it's three years later from this chapter in Matthew,

that Jesus would die on the cross to take the

punishment for the sins of the world. To provide a way

for those who would repent to be forgiven

And three days later, he would rise from the grave to

defeat death, to bind up Satan, and to go back to his

father in heaven to prepare a place for us who would

live in this kingdom.

Now and Not yet

Last week, Boaz emphasised that the prophecies in

Isaiah had both a near-term and a distant fulfilment,

much like wearing varifocal glasses.We have a different vantage point than the people of

Israel. They look forward to the coming of the Messiah

and to the coming of this kingdom.

We get to look back at the coming of the King, but are

also still looking forward to the final fulfilment of this

prophecy, where Jesus will return and establish his

kingdom forever.

But we trust in that promise because we trust in the

God who gave the promise. Because we've seen the

evidence in the coming of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 9 speaks into the darkness of a world in turmoil.

It’s as relevant to us as it was to Israel 700 BC.

But so is the message. The light has dawned. The child

has been born. Wonderful Counsellor for your

confusion. Mighty God for your weakness. Everlasting

Father for your loneliness. Prince of Peace for your

fear.

And the kingdom he rules is open — not to the strong,

not to the clean, not to the qualified, but to everyone

who will repent and believe.If you dont know him yet, if you long to live in this

kingdom, now is the time. Repent.

For those who already know the light

Well, before I close, I just want to say a word to those

of us who maybe have known Christ for a long time.

One of the primary sins that we see throughout the

history of the people of Israel is forgetfulness. Forget

all that God had done for them and wilfully walking

their own path.

And that sin is just as dangerous to us as it was to

them. How Satan longs to pull us into feelings of

apathy. Or to take us down rabbit holes making us

forget who our Saviour really is.

For the people of Israel, that sin of forgetfulness

ultimately led to the breaking apart of a nation. What

was once unified became scattered.

I think if we're honest with ourselves, one of the early

warning signs that we have that maybe we areforgetting who our saviour is, is that you start to see

these strands of, disunity, and division appear within

the church.

If we start to Forget that Jesus is the Wonderful

Counsellor, We start to rely on our own judgement.

We put too much weight on how we think things should

be done. We become ungracious to those who see

things differently.

If we start to Forget that Jesus is Mighty God, We

forget that he is sovereign over all things, even if that

means things aren't done the way that we like them to

be done. We divide into groups and cliques around our

preferences.

If you forget Jesus’ name of Everlasting Father,

you forget that you are brothers and sisters in Christ.

That the person who's frustrating you is someone that

Jesus died on the cross for, to bring into his family. And

if that's the grace that God has shown to each of us,

how much more should we be showing to one another

than we do?

If we start to Forget that Jesus the Prince of

Peace, We stop seeking the good of our fellowbelievers. We assume the worst of their intentions or

capabilities. We let frustrations become talking points

with our friends rather than dealing with difficult issues

head-on the way the Bible says we should.

Church, the early warning sign that we are forgetting

who Jesus is, is disunity amongst his people.

Long before anyone denies a doctrine, the fractures

show up in how we treat each other.

And Satan loves to see it, because A fractured church

is a church that does not reflect the glory of its King.

Forgetfulness is a trap we fall into.

I know sometimes that that can be me, and my

challenge is for you to go home and ask yourselves,

"Might that be you also?".

And here's the good news for all believers.

The gospel is the way into the Christian life and the

way through the Christian life.

Just as our way into God's kingdom is through

repentance, the way that we are to live as God's peopleis through a posture of constant repentance,

recognising that we are sinful, But Jesus tells us to

come to Him, and He will deal with that sin.

The kingdom of heaven has come near. And his name

is Jesus. And he invites you, come, repent of your sin

and follow me.

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