Back to the Present

Glorious promises in the beginning of Isaiah 9.  And then, from 9:8 through 10:4, the great and coming demise of the northern kingdom, of which the birth of the child Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was a declaration, is elaborated.

That demise of the northern kingdom (Samaria) takes place almost 140 years before that of the south, but Isaiah knows and has been warning that Judah is headed down the same road, infected with the same rebellious heart.  The fulfillment of this chastisement upon Samaria is to be timely warning to Jerusalem.

She would not listen.

Will we?

Christ in Us at Advent

Advent is not a time to pretend that Jesus has not yet come.  It is a time to prepare for and in celebration – as we do at this Table.  In the Lord’s Supper there is no denying that Jesus came and that His body was broken and His blood shed – for us.

And so, as we go about our Christmas preparations, reflections, and celebrations, this is the center – this Table.  It is our participation in Christ, it is our union and communion with Him.  God took on flesh and blood and dwelt with men.  To come here with faith and partake is to celebrate Advent, and Christmas, and Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday.  It is to celebrate Christ in us, the hope of glory.

God Incarnate and the Blessing of Babies

"For unto us a Child is born." - Isaiah 9:6

Taking all of verse 6 and all of Isaiah thus far in context, this can only apply to one who is God incarnate.  Just one for instance, His name will be called "...Mighty God."

This verse must point to the coming and promised Messiah, the great Son of David, and He will be both God and man.

Webb notes as well that it is wonderful to meditate on the whole of chapters 7-9 where purpose of God in history is associated with the birth of babies, of little children.  "Out of the mouth of babes" comes the declaration of the salvation of the world.  His strength is made perfect in weakness; and there, in a manger, lies the power of all powers.

Incarnation and the Apostles' Creed

As we begin the season of Advent in anticipation of celebrating the Incarnation of the Word of God, the only begotten of the Father, we are going to return to reciting the Apostles’ Creed in our service.  This creed speaks abruptly of a Maker of heaven and earth, and of His Son.  Please do not think this rules out the Creative-work and participation of the Son at the time of creation, which we can easily see from passages like John 1:1-4.

But what is more important to remember as we come to worship, is that, having made all things, we come to worship the Triune God who Redeemed all things, Who brought salvation to the world – and personally to you, any of you, who call upon His name in repentance and faith.  The Creed reminds us that this took place because at a particular time and space Jesus came and lived on this earth in order to die.  He is Immanuel, God with us.  He is Jesus who came to save us from our sins.  And He did so by taking on flesh and blood.

Never forget that Jesus was a man and is not a fleshless spirit.  He took on flesh.  He is not afraid of the stuff of His creation.  He doesn’t think it is more holy to get away from the stuff.  If sinlessness was about avoiding the stuff then the Incarnation would have ruined the Lord’s holiness.  But Jesus did not avoid matter at all – He became matter, ate and drank matter, walked on matter, related with matter.  In fact, He loved matter.  He loved the world.  Material is not where the problem lies.  The problem is in the heart, and Jesus was born into the world so that He might be born in your heart as well.  How?  Through His death, you too may die to your sin and to your condemnation – and through His resurrection, you too may be raised to new life in the new Man with a new way to live in all of the stuff of the world which He made.

The People Walking in Darkness

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light."  Isaiah 9:2

Because Isaiah 8 has referred to both the northerners and southerners, to Israel and Judah, it seems we have a hint of the reunification of Israel here in 9:2.  More than that, the message is preached to the "Galilee of the Gentiles" and so the hint goes much further, to the reunification of all men, of Jew and Gentile.  This will be the glorious work of the reconciliation of the world to God and to one another that Christ accomplished on the cross.

When people are walking in darkness, when there is strife between husband and wife, or between nations, the answer is the light of the gospel, the presence and zeal of Jesus, His grace and forgiveness, His law and duty, His justice and mercy.

The Zeal of the Lord and His Strong Promises

"The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." - Isaiah 9:7

The promises listed of this glorious Son to be born is as sure to be done as God's promises.  His zeal to make sure this happens speaks of His love of mercy and deliverance and grace (John 3:16).  

Learn to stand on the promises of God.  Learn to stand on them as already accomplished even when they are far from manifested yet.  Learn to declare the dawn long before the darkness has gone.  Then you will know the zeal of the LORD.

He Will Not Remain in Darkness

For all the doom and gloom, Isaiah refuses to remain in the darkness because the LORD refuses to allow the world to remain in darkness.  And so, Isaiah 9 -

"Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land ...in Galilee of the Gentiles."

Devastation gives way to glory and so the dawn breaks in the very region that was first to experience God's judgments in Isaiah's days.  

Does this help make sense of the fact that Matthew will highlight the fact that it was in these northern parts, filled with Gentiles of mixed races, that Jesus first proclaimed the gospel (Matt 4:12-17)?

Yes, it does.