For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Isaiah 9:1-5

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honour Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan – 2 The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.

A. Find Out:

1. Who in the past had been humbled? v.1a
2. Who will be honored in the future? v.1b
3. Who have seen what? v.2
4. What has the Lord done, so the people do what and how? v.3
5. How has the Lord done that? v.4
6. What will end up where? v.5

B. Think:

1. How does this passage refer to the past?
2. How does it refer to the future? (v.3-5)
3. What seems to be the turning point? (v.2)

C. Comment:

The prophecy at the end of chapter 8 finished with a picture of darkness and gloom, and it is on this that the prophecy now seems to pivot to swing right round to paint a picture of a time of great blessing that is promised. Let’s look at the detail.

First, the reference to the past (v.1). If you have a map of the division of the land into the tribes, you will see that Zebulum and Naphtali are areas in the north. Being in the north, in the past they had been the first in the path of invaders from the north. Historically this area we know of as Galilee, had been through hard times, times of darkness under enemy oppression. That is going to change!

The means of contrasting past and future for this part of the land, is the coming of “a great light” (v.2). Now for the people of Isaiah’s day that must have been a strange thought. “A” light will come. For us looking back on history, thinking of Galilee we immediately think of Jesus who came and ministered in this area for three years.

What are the outworkings of the coming of this great light? First there will be great joy (v.3) as the nation feels good about itself again, like at harvest or after a victory, when they have been receivers of all of God’s blessing. Second, all burdens of oppression will be lifted off them (v.4) and all signs of war will disappear (v.5). Peace will come.

D. Application:

1. Jesus came as the light of the world (Jn 1:9, 8:12). Receive!
2. God’s love through Jesus brought joy, freedom, and peace. Rejoice!

Passage: Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and for ever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

A. Find Out:    

1. Who will be born and what will be on his shoulders? v.6a
2. What 4 things will he be called? v.6b
3. Of what will there be no end? v.7a
4. Where will he rule? v.7b
5. What will he achieve? v.7c
6. How long for? v.7d

B. Think:

1. What seems to be the primary role of this coming child?
2. What will be the outcome of that?
3. What is so amazing about his descriptions?

C. Comment:

For us who have heard these verses read again and again at Christmas, it is perhaps obvious that this child is Jesus. Yet pretend you are an Israelite who lived in Isaiah’s time. What do you hear?

A light is coming to the north, a bringer of peace and freedom (v.1-5). Now it appears that this will be achieved by a male child yet to be born. This child will be a ruler and the rule he starts will continue on and on and on and will never end. There is clearly coming a change in the fortunes of Israel that will herald a whole new future.

He will reign in Jerusalem (David’s throne), presumably as a successor to David, a member of his family. Obviously this will be a strong reign that will herald a new time of ongoing peace where the enemies of Israel will no longer prevail. It will be a good rule and righteousness and justice will be key words for the life of Israel.

There is something confusing about this though, his name. That he may be called a wonderful counsellor and prince of peace, is not a problem, wonderful descriptions, but quite feasible. It’s the fact that he is to be called Mighty God, Everlasting Father, what does that mean? Is it that he will be such a servant of God that it will be as if the very presence of God is manifest through him, or is it something even greater than this? We now know it was something greater, the Son himself, God in the flesh.

D. Application:

1. Jesus comes to bring righteousness, justice, and peace.
2. He brings it as we submit to him, and he rules over us.

Passage: Isaiah 9:8-16

8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
    it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it –
    Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria –
who say with pride
    and arrogance of heart,
10 ‘The bricks have fallen down,
    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig-trees have been felled,
    but we will replace them with cedars.’
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them
    and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west
    have devoured Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised. 13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
    nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed in a single day;
15 the elders and dignitaries are the head,
    the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.

A. Find Out:

1. To whom does the Lord bring a message? v.8,9a
2. What did Israel think? v.9b,10
3. But what has the Lord done? v.11,12
4. Yet what has not happened? v.13
5. So what will the Lord do? v.14
6. Who does that mean? v.15,16a

B. Think:

1. What had Israel thought about past chastising?
2. What effect had it not had?
3. So what does the Lord say He will do?

C. Comment:

The prophecy moves back away from the glorious future to the inglorious present. A message comes to the northern kingdom (Israel, Ephraim, Samaria ) who, in their pride, think they can weather the various things that have happened to them. The Lord may have sent various enemies to chastise them and there has been a measure of destruction, but they feel they can cope with that and rebuild what was destroyed. No problem!

The only problem is that they have not repented and have not turned back to the Lord. They have not heeded the warning that the Lord sent them. Very well, the Lord will send more. There will be the Assyrians (Aram ‘s enemy in the north – v.11) who will come at the Lord’s bidding. There will be the Arameans and the Philistines who have already caused a measure of damage, but because Israel have not responded to the Lord, His hand waving these enemies on is still upraised (v.12)

The leaders and the false prophets are still leading the people astray and so with the next wave of enemy attacks the Lord will remove the elders and false prophets (v.15). The warnings in this prophecy are very clear and very specific in terms of who the Lord will use, why He will do it, and who He will remove.

D. Application:

1. We think we can hide in the crowd of others doing wrong. No!
2. The Lord sees and can deal with individuals or groups.

Passage: Isaiah 9:16-21

16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
    nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
    every mouth speaks folly.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.

18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
    it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
    so that it rolls upwards in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
    they will not spare one another.
20 On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring:
21     Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
    together they will turn against Judah.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.

A. Find Out:

1. Who do what? v.16
2. So what will the Lord not do and why? v.17
3. How is wickedness and the Lord’s anger portrayed? v.18,19
4. What will obviously come on the land? v.20
5. Who will turn upon whom? v.21
6. Yet what is the continuing situation? v.21b,17c

B. Think:

1. Why do you think wickedness is like a fire?
2. Why are there no innocent in the land?
3. So what is the Lord doing about it?

C. Comment:

The prophetic complaint has been that the people have not responded to the Lord’s chastising and turned to him (v.13) and so He will come and remove all the leaders of the people who have led them astray. But now He extends His condemnation to include the people. They must take responsibility for allowing themselves to be led astray. You can’t just blame others. Today it would be, you can’t blame the media or the government for leading people astray; you are responsible for how you respond to them. Thus the wickedness spreads and spreads just like a woodland fire does.

Very well then, says the Lord, my judgement will similarly spread just like a fire, going further and further in its destruction. As Rom 1:24 ,26,28 shows, the Lord’s judgement is sometimes simply to remove His restraining hand so that wickedness and its fruits simply increase more and more. Whether the hunger here is literal foretelling a famine and absence of food, or whether it is simply the ever greater avarice of the people is unclear. What is obvious is that this judgement will entail people turning on people, tribe turning on tribe, to destroy one another. Judgement here is simply a releasing of the wickedness so that unrestrained anarchy and self-destruction spreads more and more throughout the Land on this unrepentant people

D. Application:

1. “Getting away” with sin, may be the Lord’s judgement. Beware.
2. We are responsible for not being led astray. Beware.