A Light Has Dawned

”The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before You as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. For You have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as You did on the day of Midian. For the trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.“ (Isaiah 9:2-7 HCSB)

The morning sun is obscured by dark, heavy, moisture laden clouds as they drip, drip, drip soft rain onto the dry, sun-parched fields. Normally, I would sit at my kitchen counter by the window and watch the black skies slowly brighten and then seemingly catch fire as the sun rises slowly behind me. This morning, things are dark and the air is thick and chilled with an unusual December rain storm. I love the beauty of an Oklahoma sunrise over the flat prairie and the smattering of thin white clouds. But we need the rain.

Drought isn’t something that happens suddenly. Oh, they have what they call “flash drought” but even that doesn’t happen quickly. Drought develops over time as the sun bakes the ground day after day and the small amounts of moisture that come aren’t enough to offset the incessant wind and slow, relentless evaporation. Central Oklahoma, where I live, isn’t as dire as western parts of the state. Until today, it had only been three weeks since our last rain. Out there, it had been months since they had seen any significant amounts of rain.

Why am I talking about drought and rain in a lesson about the birth of the Messiah? When a situation develops gradually, we often don’t realize just how dire it is. Isaiah describes the people as living in a perpetual state of darkness in struggling and distressed land. As things grew darker and darker and more and more distressed, the people have grown accustomed to the darkness and the struggles and they no longer recognize just how bad things are for them and those around them. The situation has become dire and they don’t even realize it.

To use another analogy, when we live in a state of constant darkness, our eyes grow accustomed to the conditions. While we may see well enough to function we don’t see well enough to thrive. We miss important items and we overlook critical details that we would see in the daylight. We stumble about and survive each day. But we just survive…

Notice, the prophet Isaiah uses this same idea: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.” We live in a world of darkness and most people have grown so accustomed to the darkness that they no longer see it. To them, everything appears normal. It is normal. It isn’t until the light is turned on that you realize just how dark it is.

The prophet goes on to say that the “nation will be enlarged and its joy increased” and the “people will rejoice before You” like they do at harvest time or when dividing the spoils of war. Why will the people rejoice? Because Immanuel, God with us or among us, will shatter the yoke that oppresses them, the bar that’s upon their shoulders and the rod of their oppressor that keeps beating them down into despair. God will do this, but He will do it just as He did “on the day of Midian.”

The thing about prophecy is not just WHAT God will do but also HOW He will do it. Earlier in this prophecy (see Is. 7 & 8 for more background) God had promised that He would send a child to deliver them. Not just any child, but one born unexpectedly and miraculously: IMMANUEL. God Himself would come and deliver them, but He would do so like He did on the day of Midian. Ok, so what happened “on the day of Midian” that Isaiah references and why is it important to this prophecy?

Go back and read Judges 6-8 and the story of Gideon. The day of Midian is a reference to God’s deliverance of Israel from the Midianites by Gideon. So, a quick refresher may be in order for some of you. In the days of the Judges, Israel did not have a king and had forgotten the lessons of the Exodus. They had begun to worship Baal, the god of the surrounding tribes and kingdoms. Because they had forsaken the LORD God, He allowed Midian to conquer and oppress them. ”So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.“ (Judges 6:6 HCSB)

What’s the key to Isaiah’s reference to Midian? That God used methods to defeat Midian in a way that left no doubt that the victory came from HIM! When God called Gideon as His instrument of deliverance, Gideon wanted to be certain this was of God – so Gideon sought confirmation of this through the fleece twice (see Judges 6:36-40). Gideon then calls the men of Israel together to battle the Midianites and 32,000 of them rally behind him. God tells him to allow any who are frightened to go home and 22,000 leave. But that’s still too many, so God sends them to the river to test the remaining 10,000 men. Those who kneel down, cup the water in their hands and drink are about 300 men – God tells him, “those are the men you are to take with you.” From 32,000 to 300 men – to fight any army of thousands. This is nuts!

Gideon takes his 300 men and divides them into three companies of troops. He gives them a trumpet and a clay pitcher with a lit torch inside. He takes one company of men with him and sends the other two companies to locations surrounding the enemy camp. On Gideon’s signal, they were to blow their trumpets, break the pitcher and to shout. When they did so, the enemy soldiers were so startled and panicked, “the LORD set the swords of each man” so that they began fighting amongst themselves and fled. This tiny army of 300 men didn’t win the battle, the LORD God did!

That was His point at Midian, that’s His point in Isaiah’s prophecy in chapters 7, 8 and 9 and that’s God’s point, now! Just as in the days of Midian and in the days of Isaiah, people today are living in great darkness and only God can save us – IMMANUEL, God among us, in our midst. But don’t forget, this isn’t some salvation that we work up, develop or achieve through our own abilities, actions and resources. This is a rescue straight from God Himself, directly from His throne. ”Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.“ (Isaiah 7:14 HCSB)

Too often, we think that we have it all figured out. We no longer need God, so He is either discarded as irrelevant or cast aside until we become desperate. In many ways, this mirrors our current cultural approach to God and the promise of Christmas – the message of great joy, peace on earth and good will towards men. How can a baby born in a filthy stable to a young Jewish virgin and her astonished husband that was announced by angels, guarded by shepherds and worshipped by foreign emissaries make any difference in our world? How can Jesus make any difference? Simply put, He’s not just any baby born to a poor, young Jewish girl. NO, not a chance. He’s the fulfillment of God’s promise:

”For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.“ (Isaiah 9:6-7 HCSB)

Notice the way this child is introduced into the world, He will be born for us and is a Son given to us. The authority to rule (the government – Hebrew: misrah) will be placed upon Him, on His shoulders. This IS not some child born from among men, because He is FOR us and GIVEN to us. This child is from God and is sent from the throne of heaven to be among men – IMMANUEL. This is the eternal Son of the one, true God who has been sent to live among us and to be “for us.”

Not someone from among us, but a Son sent directly from God to live among us and to be for us…

I hope you caught that… NOT one of us, but a Son from the very presence of God who would live among us and would be for us. We CAN’T fix ourselves! We’ve been trying to do that since time began and we continue to fail at it. MISERABLY! For just a moment, I want to refer you back to the story of Gideon. Gideon did NOT save Israel with 300 men, GOD did! That’s the central theme of that story and the very reason Isaiah alludes to it in this one. What we need cannot be found in a man or woman like us and cannot be accomplished by just the good, moral, highly spiritual and loving man that most people believe Jesus to be.

Either HE’s the Son of God or he’s a complete failure. He can’t be both.

So, I want to end this week by spending a few minutes on the characteristics Isaiah highlighted in the names He will be called and what they mean for us: Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Wonderful Counselor: I’m sure you may have noticed that some translations make these two characteristics separate items. He will be called wonderful, counselor… While they are certainly capable of standing alone, they can also be understood together. First, He fills us with wonder and awe. Who He is and what He does will cause us to step back, catch our breath, stare open mouthed and be left speechless and dumbfounded. But He will also step in, take our hand and guide us like a compassionate and caring counselor. In a very real sense, this is precisely how the disciples experienced Him, as a guide they followed and were completely in awe of – a wonderful counselor.

”When they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded,“ (Mark 6:49-51 HCSB)

Mighty God: As noted above, we are completely incapable of saving ourselves. We need outside help, divine help. Jesus isn’t just another man, He’s the God-Man. He’s Almighty God in human flesh. This is such an incredible idea that it is hard to wrap your head around it. He is ALMIGHTY God – capable of speaking the physical universe into existence and of judging and condemning evil. That’s why this has also been a point where some have gone heretical in their beliefs, suggesting that Jesus is not God or not fully-God. Let me be very clear here, if Jesus isn’t God then we’re still lost, our faith is in vain and all hope is lost.

”If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.“ (1 Corinthians 15:19 HCSB)

Eternal Father: While this characteristic is closely related to the previous one, it is still very different. In addition to being almighty God, Jesus has also revealed to us the heart and nature of the eternal Father. One of the hardest things for us to grasp is the heart, mind, nature, purpose and will of the eternal Father. Almighty God wants us to relate to Him as the eternal Father. He doesn’t want us to stand far away in abject fear, but He wants us to draw near, trembling and in awe but also in an intimate, loving relationship with our eternal Father. Jesus, the Son, shows us what the eternal Father is like and how He wants us to know Him, love Him and walk with Him.

”“If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on My own. The Father who lives in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.“ (John 14:7-11 HCSB)

Prince of Peace: Jesus is the Sar-Shalom, Hebrew for Prince of Peace. Peace is so, so much more than the absence of conflict. While we long for peace, it is not enough to simply not be in conflict with one another or at war with other nations. We truly long for a time when the world is made right. A time when evil is destroyed, when man is able to thrive and become all that he was made to be. The term “shalom” is translated as peace, but it is a peace that is deep, abiding, soulful and impactful on every area and aspect of our lives. It means that Jesus is the source of everything we truly want and desire in life. He is the prince who can bring this peace into our lives.

”A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.“ (John 10:10-11, 14-16 HCSB)

In closing, Isaiah tells us that the dominion of the rule of this Son who will be given to us is vast and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, the people of God, to establish it and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. But catch these final words, “the zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.” As I’ve been saying, this is not something we can accomplish ourselves. Only the LORD of Hosts can and will accomplish this.

So, consider the words of the angels on that blessed night: ”In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!“ (Luke 2:8-14 HCSB)

Who does He favor? Not the rich. Not the powerful. Not the famous. His favor rests on those who love Him above anything and everything else in life and who will love each other in the same way they love themselves (see Matt. 22:36-40). Those who are willing to know Him, follow Him, walk with Him, listen to Him and obey Him. Why? Because His ways bring us real peace and the life we truly desire.

For those walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness… for a child will be born FOR us, a Son will be GIVEN to us, and the authority to rule will be upon His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion of His kingdom will be vast, its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throng of Dave and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.