Peace On Earth?

Today, the sermon topic is “Peace on Earth?” The biblical meaning of peace or “shalom” means far more than the absence of war or conflict. Shalom speaks of wholeness, completeness, of well-being, tranquility, prosperity, and security. Rabbinical texts speak of achieving peace on a social level, the overcoming of strife, quarrelling, and social tensions.

My question is: Is peace on earth something we can say we are experiencing in our world today? What about in our social interactions - in our homes especially around the Christmas season? While we were in the States, we were in the midst of the Christmas shopping frenzy, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, bombarded with the news and talk shows about the ongoing congressional elections and all the strife that went with it, and don’t forget the impending economic recession. We know this is not just what’s happening in America but all over the world. The editors of the Collins English Dictionary have declared “permacrisis” to be the word of the year for 2022. They define permacrisis as “an extended period of instability and insecurity.” So the question is: “Peace on earth?”

We are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the incarnation of God, Creator of the universe. He came to bring “peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased.” When you look at a Christmas nativity scene, the stable under the stars with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, the three kings, and shepherds, it does look very peaceful. However, it doesn’t mean it was a peaceful time on earth. We know that when Jesus actually arrived it was during an era and environment of corruption, oppression, and injustice. We listened to the Advent Scripture reading from Isaiah chapters 9 and 11 tonight. Isaiah the prophet was recording God’s words during a time when there was little or no peace on the earth in relation to God nor with the surrounding kingdoms.

In just two chapters before (Isa 7), the Syro-Ephraimite forces - that is the king of Israel (Pekka), and the king of Syria (Rezin) were coming to kill Ahaz, king of Judah because he wouldn’t join them in their rebellion against the Assyrians. These aggressive moves had a profound effect on Ahaz and the people's hearts “shook like trees in the wind” (Isa 7:2). In other words, they were filled with fear because of the instability and insecurity of the times.

These were “people walking in darkness” and Isaiah was talking to a people living “without hope and without God in a complex world” (Eph 2:12). History has shown us that the once glorious kingdom of Israel would be cut down to its base like a tree stump (Isa 11) and by all appearances all hope of the promised King who would sit on the throne of David and rule the world was gone. No eternal king, no conqueror, no hope, and, therefore, no peace.

However, their fear, insecurity, and unbelief did not stop God’s plans or purpose. The Lord sent Isaiah to give the people a word of encouragement, a promise for the future to the remnant who were waiting for the Messiah. He was speaking of the promise of a just and righteous King, who would be born to bring counsel and comfort and eternal peace. He would make peace possible with God and with man. In Isa 9:1-7 we can see three main topics described in Isaiah’s prophecy:

? The Promise

? Deliverance from Darkness

? The Person of Peace

Let’s look at:

The Promise

In vv. 1-2 it says,

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

When Isaiah declared this prophecy to Israel, we see that there was anything but peace on earth. There were actual wars going on all around them. Kings and kingdoms were making alliances and fighting for survival and so it was a time of political uncertainty, anxiety, distress, and spiritual darkness. The question for King Ahaz was: Who would be able to deliver the nation from the hand of Kings Pekka and Rezin? God had a message for Ahaz: Don’t fear these kings but trust in Me for deliverance (2 Kings 16:7-9).

But as we read further in chapter 7, Ahaz refused to listen to God’s message and instead of putting his trust in God Almighty, he looked to the Assyrian King for immediate relief and rescue. The people were in need of someone who could give sound counsel, comfort and rescue them but instead of seeking the Lord, they entered into the occult - worshiping idols, listening to mediums, witches, and were looking for words of insight, wisdom, and counsel from necromancers. OT scholars put it this way,