A Child Is Born (PT 1)

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. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

May God Bless the reading of his holy and infallible word

Let’s Pray

Transition

It is advent season and we are looking at a passage that clearly speaks about Jesus and his first advent. When Christ entered the world the first time, a hope was born that will be fully consummated on his second advent. Before Christ only a vague hope was found but even that vague hope was enough to comfort those who’s faith was in God. But now, as Peter wrote, “we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed.” and we would "do well to pay attention.” (2 Pe 1:19, ESV) The word is more sure because the child has been born. No longer a future hope, now it is a past reality. If the saints of God from old could look forward in hope, how much more hope can we have in this words seeing this fulfilment. Lets look to the text, look at the first part of verse 1.

Body

Anguish? What Anguish? (1)

Text

English Standard Version Chapter 9

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.

Exposition

The question that quickly arises from this text is who is in anguish and what is that anguish.

“no gloom for her”

Exposition

Pastor Gabe mentioned that the first part of Isaiah is all about judgement of a rebellious Israel.

The book starts out as a covenant law suit where God calls his witnesses to the rebellion of Israel and promises to enact the curses that their braking of the covenant merited.

Dotted within this judgement are what Pastor Gabe likes to call oases. And this is one of those oases’. The oases are to remind God’s people that God will still be their defender.

The immediate context the prophet Isaiah is addressing is Judah. Judah is seeing coming armies of the Assyrians and hearing the prophesy of Isaiah that God will being an even bigger enemy.

But in the ultimate fulfilment, is not for judah but, for her, the church, the ones that are saved by the work from Christ after he advent.

Calvin writes this, “If therefore we extend the commencement of the deliverance from the return from Babylon down to the coming of Christ, on whom all liberty and all bestowal of blessings depends, we shall understand the true meaning of this passage, which otherwise has not been satisfactorily explained by commentators.”[1]

This passage cannot be made sense of outside the context of Christ.

Transition

If then we know the her is, those saved by Christ, then what anguish are they saved from.

“in anguish”

Exposition

To get a picture of the anguish we are talking about lets read Isaiah 7:10–19. So if you will flip back a couple of pages to, Isaiah 7 we can read 10–19.

“10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” 18 In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt[2], and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures. (Is 7:10–19, ESV)

No hope, the anguish is that they have no hope.

There can be hope even in the middle of devastation.

Calvin writes again, “By this seasoning alone, I say, are our afflictions alleviated; and all who are destitute of it must despair. But if, by means of it, the Lord strengthen us by holding out the hope of assistance, there is no affliction so heavy that we shall not reckon it to be light.” [3]

Application

That’s what the prophet is saying here. Even in the face of destruction there is hope in God.

The apostle Paul in Roman’s 8:22 uses this language of groaning, and waiting, saying “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” (Ro 8:22, ESV)

God Is comforting his people, he is saying even though you are seeing the Assyrians destroying the land and you have heard that an even worse enemy is coming from Babylon, and even after that there is more destruction, there is hope.

Transition

That destruction is what they are seeing right before them. Look at the next part of the verse here.

The Contempt of Galilee (2)

Text

English Standard Version Chapter 9

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.

Exposition

“he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali”

Exposition

The first land destroyed and conquered by the Assyrians was the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.

It was the farthest north and right in between the Assyrians and the conquest of the rest of Israel.

They are seeing the beginning of the contempt

But even in Jesus’ Day the region was consider contemptible.

Remember what was said of Jesus because he was from Galilee.

“Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”” (Jn 1:46, ESV)

“They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” (Jn 7:52, ESV)

The sad part is that they knew this text. They had no excuse for saying such a thing.

Application

Right up to Jesus’ day the land of Galilee was brought into contempt.

Transition.

But no longer, when we think of Galilee now its with honor, that is where Jesus made his home? We even call it the holy land from time to time. Look to the rest of the verse here.

"but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.” (Is 9:1, ESV)

Exposition

Three ways of describing the place.

the way of the sea,

land beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the nations.

Isaiah is the only Old Testament author to call this place “Galilee of the Gentiles/Nations”

It is interesting that its not Galilee of Israel.

Transition

It seems a prophet did in deed come from Galilee but more then a prophet, a great light. Matthew quotes this in Mt 4:12–16, saying, “Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Mt 4:14–16, ESV) We can have no doubt that the gloriousness and the light spoken of are speaking of Jesus. Look at verse 2 with me.

I will not fear the shadow of death (3)

Text

Isaiah 9:2 ESV

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.

Exposition

Option to skip to # 2.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”

Exposition

We have a poetic phrase here.

Picture people groping around in the dark unable to find there way and then a beacon is lit. The way they could not find before is made clear.

The work for darkness here is often used in Hebrew for despair.

Then we have the prophetic present tense, “have seen” not will seem.

Jesus is the might of creation.

They did see hope in there day for a savior and we know hope because he has come.

“39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Heb 11:39–40, ESV)

Application

This darkness is what has caused the real anguish.

The creation, all of it, groans, as Paul said, because it is separated from the light but now in Christ the light is returned and returning.

Transition

But the metaphor about disrepair was not enough. Look at the rest of the verse.

“those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone”

Exposition

The metaphor about disrepair did not go far enough. Here the Isaiah uses the word צַלְמָ֡וֶת (Sal Ma Vet) which literally means deep darkness (gloom), but when used in poetic language like this it means shadow of death.

You all know Ps 23, “[e]ven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. (Ps 23:4, ESV) That’s the same word, (Sal Ma Vet).

Matthew Cites it from the Septuagint, “and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Mt 4:16, ESV)

Application

I really like the way Calvin applies this part of the text, He says, “It may therefore be summed up in this manner: “Even in darkness, nay, in death itself, there is nevertheless good ground of hope; for the power of God is sufficient to restore life to his people, when they appear to be already dead.”[4]

This is what we, we were dead, in our sin. We followed the course of this world as slaves to our passions, but we were made alive in Christ. Not by our work, not by our groping in the darkness, but by that great light that was able to raise us from the dead.

illustration

I am not a big fan of zombie movies but its not a bad illustration. Before the sovereign work of God’s grace we were like zombies. We walked around like we were alive but in reality all we did was chase sin. Grr sin, more sin, need more sin, Grrr.

Transition

Now that we have been made alive we are not mastered by sin, but as we grow in Christ, we master sin more and more.

Conclusion

To conclude this evening, I hope you will get at least two things out of this message to night. One, the light that has come into the world is Jesus and even death cannot stop him from saving his people. Second, look how much good stuff there is in just a couple of verses. Be in the Word friends, you can mine the scriptures all day every day for the rest of your life and you will never begin to run out of jewels to find.

Benediction

Romans 15:13 ESV

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Go in piece or stay and fellowship both are good.

References

1 John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 300.

[2] https://biography.yourdictionary.com/titus-flavius-vespasianusJ

[3] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 297.

4 John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 298–299.

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and William Pringle. Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Related Media

Related Sermons