Isaiah 9 - Nevertheless
- Chad Werkhoven
- 19 minutes ago
- 5 min read
The darker this world gets, the brighter God's Light shines!
Isaiah 8:19–9:7 (NIV)
8:19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction (tô·rāh) and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. 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—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 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.
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.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there 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.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Belgic Confession
Article 7: The Sufficiency of Scripture
We believe
that the Holy Scripture contains
the will of God completely
and that everything one must believe
to be saved
is sufficiently taught in it...
For since it is forbidden
to add to or subtract from the Word of God,
this plainly demonstrates
that the teaching is perfect
and complete in all respects...
Therefore we reject with all our hearts
everything that does not agree
with this infallible rule,
as we are taught to do by the apostles
when they say,
“Test the spirits
to see if they are of God,” (1 John 4:1)
and also,
“If anyone comes to you
and does not bring this teaching,
do not receive him
into your house.” (2 John 10)
Summary
Isaiah's familiar poetry here in his ninth chapter has become a Christmas pageant staple. But it's not very often read in it's full context, which begins near the end of the preceding chapter describing the death spiral into darkness that too many people - even those who've been part of the Church - fall into.
The stumbling comes as the result of an aspect of your nature that is actually quite good: your continual desire to want to know more; to see beyond the pale and understand not just what's going on all around you, but why things are the way they are. You have this innate curiosity because God has set eternity in your heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In other words, as an image bearer of God, you're designed to ask and wrestle with tough questions.
Asking deep and difficult questions certainly isn't sinful in and of itself, but looking for the answers in all the wrong places is. Ever since the serpent tempted Adam and Eve at the Tree of Knowledge, people have stopped inquiring of their God and consulting His instruction and instead turned to sources that twist truth into what Sarx (our sinful nature) wants to hear. The ancient Israelites went to mediums and spiritists; Maybe you're not so much tempted by that, but remember that if anyone does not speak according to God's word, they have no light of dawn.
And the farther you follow your inquiries outside of scripture, the more distressed and hungry you'll become. When you are famished, you'll become enraged, and that's when hate, anger and bitterness will have full control. You'll curse everything: the kings of this world and ultimately even your God. Finally, having been totally separated from truth, you'll look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, having been thrust into utter darkness.
Dig Deeper
Isaiah begins his gospel proclamation with a wonderful word: Nevertheless. It doesn't matter how dark our society or even your life has become, because there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress! We live in a world consumed by gloom and distress - maybe even your own life is being defined more and more by it. Think of how desperately your friends, neighbors and relatives need to be lifted out of the darkness and into God's wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9), and how important it is for you to be pulled back into the light each day, and especially on the Lord's Day!
It's been awhile since we've paused to identify a good 'gospel in a minute or less' verse (one which quickly and simply explains what Christianity is all about), but certainly Isaiah's beautiful psalm here does (remember, not all psalms are in the Psalms!). These are words that so often get read at Christmas time, but then get tucked away for the rest of the year.
The people, Isaiah begins, who have been walking and living in a land of deep darkness have seen a great light. Since this insidious darkness prevails year round for those trapped in it, so also must these words be proclaimed all year long! This freeing light shines forth from a Child born to us... a Son given to us with the government on His shoulders. Isaiah here means more than just the civil government; He means that the coming Christ will rule over all things, for the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end (both temporally and inclusively).
We live in dark and difficult times for sure, but at the time Isaiah wrote this, things were far darker in Israel as David's dynasty was quickly fading away. But becuase Isaiah remained rooted in the light of God's instruction and testimony, He looked forward in optimism. Be the light in your dark community: reflect the timeless truth of God's tô·rāh and gospel to all those who've been pulled into a spiral of doom.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who's given us His instruction and testimony to light our way and given us His Son to bring an unending peace;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God would keep you close to His Word so that your curiosity doesn't pull you into the darkness;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
