They that dwelt in darkness (Isaiah 9)
Chapter 8 spoke of
people seeking the counsel of wizards and those that peep esoterically into
things they really don’t understand.
They do so from a heart of darkness.
They have no light for
they have no yardstick or principle by which to judge between good and evil.
The notion that light is a yardstick reflects Einstein’s view that light is the
universal constant.
In Chapter 9, the
words of Jesus echo through the heart of Isaiah, namely, “they who walked in
darkness have seen a great light” (Matthew 4:16).
He proceeded to shift the
emphasis from light as a physical phenomenon, to light as a person: the light
of the world. In Him was light and that
light was the light of the world (John 1), and the light shone in darkness and the
darkness comprehended it not.
What followed was one of
the most direct prophesies of a future messiah, in vs 8-9: “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, Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of
his government and peace there shall be no end”.
That’s it. The light
that would drive back the shadows, was to be a child, yet as much God. For
Isaiah to grasp that, well, as Peter found, flesh and blood could not
reveal it. Only God could. But that a Jew to grasp it hundreds of years before Jesus, was utterly profound.
What followed was a
prophesy concerning the demise of Israel. In one, definitive day, she would be
swept away, as the Philistines and the Syrians finally subdued the northern
state.
God would also right
the order of things, an allusion to Deuteronomy 28, in which he said of Israel
that the blessing of obedience would make Israel the head not the tail.
However, because they followed false prophets they became the tail, and the
ancient of days, the head.
The judgment of Assyria (Chapter 10)
There are many
intriguing aspects to chapter 10. Certainly God saw Assyria as an instrument,
which he would use to judge Israel.
His concern, though, was
that the axe would lift itself above the axe-man, that the instrument would
gain a life of its own and exceed the purpose of God.
It recalls how Egypt
(vs 24), having so long held the Jews captive, then presumed to own what was
never theirs to own. It led to a complete destruction of Egypt.
This chapter
does reveal a double-edged sword. In verses 13-14 God shows that he will strip away
sovereign boundaries to establish empires. It was part of his plan to do so and
would culminate with the Roman Empire, reluctant midwife to the gospel story.
It is fascinating how
God shows his hand over the geo-political status of the region and his power to
put his hand into a nest and take out the eggs as he willed.
Yet, because Assyria
could not restrain herself to just subduing Israel, but sought to do greater harm, something God would not allow, he promised the sudden fall of Assyria. As a terribly cruel and idolatrous nation, she would not become an empire - Babylon would crush her.
It came too. In one
night 185,000 Assyrian soldiers died and later their arrogant king fell too.
Verses 28-34 then
describe the gathering of the Assyrian horde and they fist thumping against the
people of Israel as they entered the land like a flood.
A branch shall arise out of Jesse (Chapter 11)
Once again Isaiah
specifically foretold the coming of Messiah.
Where Israel had lost
all sense of discernment and corrupted the law, whilst perverting justice for the
poor and broken, the branch of David, Jesus, would rule righteously:
And there shall come forth a rod out of the
stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the
LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
And shall make him of quick understanding in
the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor,
and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the
wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins.
What a powerful
prophesy. He added that the wolf would lie down with the lamb, a leopard with a
kid, the calf and the young lion – and a small child would lead them all. It alludes to a time of sublime peace and joy.
Isaiah reached
beyond the issues of his time to a time and times to come, when the greatest
son of David would restore the throne of Jerusalem and rule the nations.
Then the earth will be
full of knowledge as the waters cover the sea. Then, he whom even the gentiles
seek, will find him and in him find glorious rest.
Then God will gather
all his scattered remnants together and make a highway through the nations, a
safe passage for them to return to the refuge of Jerusalem.
In all this, God
reflects on the conquest of nations by raising an ensign or battle flag over
Jerusalem, to proclaim to all nations that the king rules again and the land
has been reclaimed.
A song of praise to God (Chapter 12)
In that day, the people
will turn back and confess that God was angry with them, but angry no more.
Then, alluding to Hezekiah’s tunnels, he says, “You will draw water from the
wells of salvation”.
In that day they will
praise the Lord, call on his name and proclaim his works.
He proclaims: sing unto
the Lord for he has done great things, shout for the Lord God in your midst of
you is great.
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
