For Unto Us a Child is Born
Isaiah 9:1-7
There is a lot of good music sung at Christmas time. One of my favorites is Handel’s Messiah. Even though it isn’t only about Christmas, there is much glorious Christmas music in it. Several of the most memorable come from the Book of Isaiah. Comfort Ye My People, Every Valley and Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion come from the 40th chapter. Darkness Shall cover the Earth comes from the 60th chapter. A Virgin Shall Conceive comes from the seventh chapter. In this text we have Isaiah 9:1 quoted in “The People who sat in Darkness have seen a Great Light. Also the chorus. For Unto Us a Child is Born comes from this morning’s text. There are many others taken from Isaiah as well from the Easter portion. Even though Isaiah lived some 725 years before the birth of Christ, it almost can be seen as being a prophecy about Jesus
Even though there are so many prophecies in the Book of Isaiah about our Lord, we must first take a look at Isaiah and his times. The Bible does say in Peter that the prophets spoke of later times and not just their own. This is right, but the prophets addressed issues in their own days. Isaiah, at the first at least, lived in fairly prosperous times, at least if one was wealthy. Uzziah reigned for 52 years, which was considerable longer than the average lifespan of his day. Few could remember the king before him. So when Uzziah died, it was an unsettled time. It was in this year that Isaiah had his magnificent vision of the LORD in the Temple. From this incident in chapter 6, the LORD commissioned Isaiah to preach to the people. All was not well in Judah. The people had grown spiritually blind and deaf. Prosperity has a way of making one careless in the things of God. In Chapter 1, we learn that the people had become dumber than donkeys and oxen. At least the donkey knew his master, and the ox knew where his feeding trough was. But God’s people had become lazy concerning the things of God. They also became careless about caring for the poor and widow. The LORD was not pleased. Judgment was coming.
The lack of spiritual attention bore bitter fruit. Uzziah’s son, Jotham, was said to have been a good king. Part of his reign may have overlapped Uzziah’s as Uzziah had leprosy as a result od disobeying the LORD. Uzziah tried to offer incense on the altar which was reserved as the prerogative of the priests alone. Uzziah should have known better. He was a good king, but not good enough. Jotham wasn’t either. Then came Ahaz who was one of the most wicked kings in Judah’s history. God sent Israel and Syria as raiders into his territory as punishment, and they vexed the people sorely. Ahaz did not have the means to overcome them. But God sent the prophet Isaiah to him anyway. Isaiah came with a message of deliverance from the LORD and asked Ahaz for what kind of sign he wanted to see as proof. The wicked king asked for none. He said he did not want to tempt the LORD. But he got a sign anyway. A virgin would conceive and bear a son, Immanuel, whose name means “God is with us.” This is one of those verses which speak of times much later than Isaiah’s. We see it as a prophecy that the Virgin Mary would have a son. Jesus, who would be the great deliverer. But there was still a son to be born in Isaiah’s time which would serve as the type of the birth of Jesus. This was needed to verify that Isaiah had truly been sent by God. So prophecy often has a double fulfillment. The first is a type of the second greater fulfillment.
The child in Isaiah’s time seems to be the birth of his own son Maher-Halal-Hash-Baz, who was conceived by his marriage to a prophetess. Before the child was weaned, the kings of Syria and Israel who had plagued Israel were dead, just as Isaiah had said. Ahaz and Judah did not deserve this deliverance, but for the sake of the remnant, he spared them. From this remnant, Christ would be born hundreds of years later. Assyria came and took away Israel. Israel was even more careless and treacherous than Judah was. They did not want to retain the LORD in their knowledge and, thus, lost their identity. They melted into all the other nations and became just like everyone else. This is the worst of judgments that can befall a nation. A country that forgets the LORD is cursed.
Having set the background of the ninth chapter of Isaiah, let us now take a look at it. Isaiah’s day would not have seen this light as the light of deliverance. In fact, it is set in the context of the severe judgment of the LORD upon Israel and Syria. The light that arises is the light that exposed the gross sin of these people. There was no joy in the regions of Galilee. These words are the words of battle in which the LORD would lead His army in judgment.
So how do we get to where this is now interpreted as a prophecy of hope which Jesus brings, not as a warrior, but as the Prince of Peace? To answer this dilemma, we must understand that judgment is the foundation to restoration. Isaiah alternates passages of judgment with those of deliverance. But this isn’t just a characteristic of Isaiah’s message. We see Peter on the day of Pentecost who basically charges Israel with crucifying their Messiah. What dreadful judgment were these people worthy! Yet Peter tells them to repent. Not only would they be forgiven, but they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have judgment, and then restoration. Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached repentance as the foundation of their gospel message. Then good news and restoration can be proclaimed. Jesus bore our judgment, and we enjoy the restoration. The dark and gloomy passage of judgment of Israel and the nations becomes one of light and hope in Jesus Christ. Both Israel and the Gentiles would be turned from darkness to the light of Christ. The light of God’s searching judgment becomes the light of God’s deliverance, and our hope, that is, if we receive Him. Otherwise, we are still in the dark awaiting the gruesome discovery of our sin at the Judgment.
The problem with Judah and Israel was in their leadership. God had always wanted to be their King. But Israel demanded a king just like all the other nations. They wanted the rule of man and not God. The prophet Samuel was quite upset over this. But God told them to give the people what they wanted, a secular king. But it is one thing to desire and another to possess. The kings became the source of oppression and heavy taxation. They became the dividers of rich and poor. The equality of all Israelites under God was lost.
Saul was the first king. He was tall and handsome. He was what the people wanted. But his heart was not right with God. Israel was constantly oppressed by the Philistines as a result. David was said to be a man after God’s own heart. Even though he was Israel’s greatest king, he had profound moral failures. Solomon’s heart turned away from the LORD in his later years. Israel and Judah split and had a mixture of good and bad kings. But none of them could live up to the standard that God desired. Human rulers are incapable of perfection. There are only relatively good and evil leaders, just like there are relatively good and evil people. The nation God desires is one which has a perfect king and perfect people. This can only happen where the LORD is King and His subjects perfect.
We have no idea of what kind of person Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz became, but it is evident that he was not the great Immanuel. He wasn’t even a king in Judah. So we look for the greater Immanuel who is God with us, for Jew and Greek alike. This man was not the promised child who would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea, the Sone who was given for us. He would deliver us from the power of someone greater than Assyria, Satan. When the government is upon His shoulder, all will be well. “He shall be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” We wait for Jesus to return to earth and establish His Kingdom. “Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdom rise and wane. But the church of Jesus, constant will remain.” In this kingdom, we shall wage peace and not war. This is the hope we have this Christmas. This Holy Child who was born long ago in Bethlehem and lived a short life among us, who was crucified for our sin, was buried, was resurrected the third day, and ascended on the 40th shall return as he promised. This is a greater hope than just any baby born. Maher-Shalal-Hash Baz was a little sign of hope. So is every child born into this world, although they probably are given shorter names. We always hope at time of birth. This child may grow up and find a cure for cancer. Wouldn’t that be wonderful. Yes it certainly will, but yet he like all others will die of something eventually. We would still be vexed with wars and rumors of war. There will still be a great divide between the rich and poor. But Jesus was born to be our Savior and one who will soon usher in the Eternal Kingdom.
So let us have joy when there was no joy. Let us have the light of salvation and not judgment. Let us look forward to our full restoration and not our ruin. Now is the right time to either come to or return to the LORD who will abundantly pardon.
