Introduction
Galatians 4:4-7
[4] But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Every year it seems I notice new things about Christmas. This year I’ve especially noticed that Christmas is about joy because Christmas is about bringing an end to slavery and oppression. Christmas is about peace because Christmas is about Christ making war against sin, Satan, and death, and showing Himself victorious, and bringing us into the blessings of that victory. Because of the Advent of Christ we are no longer slaves, and this changes everything.
This time of year we love to sing, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come…” In part, because we believe that Jesus is the answer to our problems. He will make everything better. He will right every wrong. Yet, at the same time, our lives and this world are filled with much wrong. Things aren’t all better just yet. But things are not what they seem. Christ has come and achieved victory in and through the cross. And Christ will come and usher in full and final victory on the last Day. And even now, little by little, day by day, He is giving us victory, enabling us to push back the darkness, advance the light, and bring joy to the world. And that’s what we see in our passage today. So, look with me at Isaiah 9:2-7.
Isaiah 9:2-7
The first verse of our passage gives us insight into the context of our passage. Verse 2 says, “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.” On the one hand this is speaking of the people of Israel roughly 700 years before the birth of Christ. Israel had a small remnant of faithful people among them—a prophetic minority. But, the vast majority were hardhearted people. The hardened majority walked in darkness… that is, they lived in wicked, evil rebellion against God. Instead of the light and life of righteousness, they lived in the darkness of sin and death. And so, the faithful few, the prophetic minority, dwelt in a land of deep darkness. In their sin Israel had become no better than the heathen Gentile nations that were without God and without hope. That’s why in verse 1 it speaks of Galilee of the Nations.
Galilee is in the northern part of Israel. And that area was most vulnerable to enemy attacks from other nations, as well as immigrants coming in from other nations. So, it’s referred to here as Galilee of the Nations because that part of Israel reflected the nature and character of ungodly Gentiles, rather than God’s holy people. And what Isaiah is telling us here is that the whole of Israel has come to reflect the nature and character of ungodly Gentiles, rather than God’s holy people. It is a land of deep darkness, and the vast majority of the people walk in darkness. This was true of Israel when Isaiah wrote this. And this word was given to Israel for a specific purpose in that time. Though they—both the Jews and the Gentiles in the land of Israel—walked in sin and darkness, and were under God’s discipline, light and salvation were coming. That’s what God’s promising here. And that’s what God has given over and over again throughout Israel’s history, and all of history.
But, not only did this prophetic word have immediate application for Israel at the time, it also had application for Israel in Jesus’ time. This passage comes up again in Matthew 4:12-17. There we’re told that when Jesus, “heard that John [the Baptist] 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.’ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” So Matthew sees Isaiah 9 referring to Jesus’ ministry to Jews and Gentiles in his day. But, as Isaiah 9:7 tells us, this passage has multiple fulfillments because it is tied to a certain time in history, and to forevermore. It was fulfilled in one way in Isaiah’s immediate context, it was fulfilled in the birth and ministry of Christ, and likewise, this prophecy is still being fulfilled today. And as we shall see, there are aspects of it that are still to come. And that is in part what we need to see when we consider the context.
We too live in a land of deep darkness, and we are surrounded by people who walk in darkness. And we ourselves so often dabble in the same things. And of course, most of us are Gentiles by birth, born into darkness and sin. But, that’s why this passage is such good news for us. Isaiah is delivering these glorious promises to Jews and Gentiles, even Jews and Gentiles who walk in and dwell in the mist of great darkness. After all, that’s what we see throughout Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels, and into Acts. Salvation is for the Jews first and then to the Gentiles.
Light has come, is coming, and will come in and through God’s grace in Christ. This prophecy has multiple fulfillments, and it is still being fulfilled today. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Have seen is a prophetic perfect. Even though at the time this was being written it hadn’t yet happened, it was as good as done. It’s a sure and certain hope, a perfect promise made by the perfect God who is always faithful. So keep that in mind as we walk through this passage. This is not only God’s Word to Israel in Isaiah’s day, and Israel in the first century, but it’s God’s Word to Jews and Gentiles even today on into eternity. And God is faithful to keep it.
In verse 3 Isaiah begins to unpack what the seeing of this great light means. He says, “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.” Notice it begins by saying, “You have…” That is, God has. This is a work of God’s sovereign grace. As the close of our passage says in verse 7, “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” This is the LORD’s doing; and it is marvelous in our sight (Psalm 118:23). God, by His grace will multiply the nation.
In light of what we just saw—that this is speaking to Jews and Gentiles, even Jews and Gentiles who live in great darkness—this is saying that the faithful few, the prophetic minority will become the majority. It’s like what we see in Revelation 5:9-10: “[Jesus] was slain, and by [His] blood [He] ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and [He] has made them a kingdom of priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” The nation of Israel was the kingdom of priests. And here we’re told that they will become a people from every nation and generation. That is the church, the true Israel will grow by God’s grace, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God. As Isaiah 11:9 says, “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” This will happen. The LORD will do it. The nation will be multiplied across the nations.
God will increase the joy of His people. We will rejoice before Him as with joy at the harvest. We will rejoice over the fruitful blessing of God, as the farmer rejoices over the fruit of his labor at the harvest, only the fruit of the harvest here is directly tied to the presence of God. And while on the one hand he seems to mean basking in the radiance of God’s glorious presence on the final Day, on the other hand, he also seems to mean that the harvest God gives here is a harvest of light and righteousness that directly reflects and magnifies God’s presence here and now. This is a harvest of which the fruit is all of God. A harvest that glorifies Him. This is God blessing the faithful efforts of His people to disciple the nations and bring every area of life into joyful submission to the Lordship of Christ. We can see that in the last part of verse 3 when he speaks of God’s people being glad when they divide the spoil. That’s the language of victory after a great battle. The war is won and to the victor belong the spoils.
This is the same idea we see in verse 4. There we’re told, “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.” The yoke of God’s people’s burden, the staff for our shoulder, the rod for our oppressor will be broken as on the day of Midian. That is, the day when God brought about victory through Gideon and his army over the Midianites. God trimmed down Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300, and through trumpets, torches, and jars, by God’s grace, God’s army was victorious. And so here God is promising us victory.
Us faithful few who gather and sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the Lord and one another, who gather around God’s Word and sacraments, God has promised victory over our enemies. The yoke of burden, the staff, and the rod are all symbols of the oppression brought on us by our enemies. This is telling us that the pain and burden of sin, Satan, the flesh, the world, wrath, and death itself will one day be fully and finally taken away. And day by day, even now, God is giving us the victory over such things, growing God’s church and kingdom, and increasing our joy, and thus pushing back the darkness and filling this world with the great light of Christ. Again, the war is won and to the victor belong the spoils.
As verse 5 says, “For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.” This is the language of the horrors of war being done away with. The debris left from battle is removed and burned. The pains of war will be wiped away just as Jesus will one day wipe our tears away and we will weep no more. What was once covered in darkness and its effects will be brought into the light, redeemed, and renewed. This battle language alongside the oppressive rule language of yoke, staff, and rod in verse 4, all imply a new ruler who rules righteously and blesses His people. And, as we will see, that righteous King is Jesus.
But, this isn’t merely speaking of the final Day when Jesus returns to right every wrong, make all things new, and rule and reign in glory in the new heavens and new earth. This is also speaking of every day between now and that final Day. For God’s people He is enabling us to have greater and greater victory over the enemies that oppress us. Indeed, as Romans 16:20 lays out, the God of peace is crushing Satan under our feet, helping us fight sin, pursue holiness, bring every thought, word, and deed captive to Christ, bring order out of chaos, disciple the nations, and advance the gospel and the blessings of the Lordship of Christ to every area of life, to the ends of the earth. Again, the war is won and to the victor belong the spoils. And the victor is Christ and all who are in Christ. And that’s what we see in the rest of our passage.
In verse 6 we read, “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.” The victor, the One who has won and will win the war comes as a child. Back in Isaiah 7:14 he said, “the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” And here in Isaiah 9:6 we see the ultimate fulfillment of that passage. Immanuel, or as Matthew 1:23 tells us, God with us, is Jesus, the Son of God Himself, come to earth in the flesh. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). And He came as a child, a son born to the Virgin Mary. Truly man… Truly taking on flesh, and like us in every way except without sin. Which is what qualifies Him for the rest of this verse.
“The government shall be upon His shoulder.” In verse 4 Isaiah spoke of oppressive rule and authority. And indeed, that is all we have known in our sin. It began with Adam failing to lead, and then all in Adam, all of humanity following him in his failure. Even our best leaders are still corrupted by sin, as we all are in Adam. And so even our own leadership is broken and oppressive in one way or another. But not so with Christ. Jesus is everything Adam failed to be and everything we have failed to be. And Jesus has done everything Adam failed to do and everything we have failed to do. And that, in part, is what is meant here: Jesus is the new, true, better Adam. Adam was our federal/covenant head, called to lead us into blessing and joy, but instead he led us into sin, death, and condemnation. As 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, in Adam all die, but in Christ all are made alive. Where Adam brings oppression Christ brings freedom. Christ is our new covenant/federal head, who leads all who trust in Him into true blessing and joy.
The government of God’s Covenant of Grace is upon His shoulders, and all who trust in Him are united to Him and the blessings He brings. But, trusting in Him also means being under His Lordship, because He is truly Lord of all, and one day all government will be upon His shoulder (though He is already ruling and reigning and holding all things together, whether we realize it or not). But, consider that for a moment: is Jesus the Lord of your life? I mean, He is whether you act like it or not. But, what I’m asking is, do you act like it? Are you joyfully submitting every area of your life to the Lordship of Christ? Do God’s Laws and God’s glory factor into the plans and decisions you make? Do God’s Law and God’s glory factor into how you do all that you do? After all, it’s not your life. And you are not the Lord of your life. “You are not your own. For you were bought with a price. Therefore you are to glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)… Meaning, in all things… In everything you think, feel, say, and do, you must factor in God’s Law and God’s glory. Submit to the Lordship of Christ and let Him rule your life. His ways are far better than yours.
Indeed, “His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor…” Jesus is the great Wonderful Counselor. Wonderful could be translated miraculous… It’s a word often tied to God’s mighty works. And Jesus is in the business of doing mighty works. He did all kinds of miracles throughout His life and ministry, and even today He continues to do miracles showing Himself mighty to save every time He lavishes His mercy and grace on sinners like us. But, He doesn’t just save us from the penalty of our sin, but the very power of sin, enabling us to walk in righteousness. And that’s the idea behind counseling… A true counselor doesn’t just know things or listen to things, but gives solid advice, helping others apply true wisdom. The scholar has knowledge, but the counselor has wisdom; the counselor has knowledge applied. And the true counselor helps others apply that knowledge as well. It’s the difference between knowing the right thing and doing the right thing. And this is why Christ came: not just to tell us what’s right, show us what’s right, and do the right thing for us, but also to lead us to do the right thing as well. He is the One who gives divine wisdom, counsels us in it, and enables us to apply it.
And this all makes sense given that He is the Mighty God. That is, the Almighty Warrior God, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who makes sure the victory is won. In His first Advent He lived, died, rose again, and ascended on high to defeat sin, Satan, death, and hell for all who trust in Him. And in His second Advent He will see to it that the job is fully and finally done. But even in between His two Advents, because He has already shown Himself victorious, He enables us, by His might, to fight sin, pursue holiness, and take all things captive for Christ. But, though He is the Mighty God, He is not a power hungry tyrant.
Isaiah tells us that Jesus is the Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. This doesn’t mean that Jesus is the Father, though, as Hebrews 1:3 says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.” He is the Son of God who perfectly makes known the Father God. But, the idea here is that He is the Author, the Everlasting Author. As Hebrews 12:2 says, He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. And He has been from before the foundation of the world… from everlasting to everlasting. Though, in the family of God He is our older brother, in the faith He is our benevolent leader and protector. Just as a father is the head of his household, the covenant head who loves, leads, provides, and protects, so too does Jesus do all of this and so much more for us. And He does it as a loving Father would, not as a tyrant, because He does it in and for God the Father’s love and glory.
Even when He makes war He do so to bring peace. Which is why He is called the Prince of Peace. He is the perfect God-man who lived to bring peace, died to bring peace, rose to bring peace, and reigns to bring peace. Even in His enabling us to fight sin, He does so that we would have peace of mind, peace of conscience, and perfect peace with God. And indeed, His rule and reign will bring perfect peace. God’s ways are better than our ways, and as we submit to His rule and reign, rightly factoring in His Law and glory, then we will find life and peace as we were meant to have them.
You all know that quote from C. S. Lewis where he says, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” In a similar way, I’d say, we are like children playing with an electrical socket, or playing in the street when a bus is heading right for us. And when our parents scream and tells us to stop, or to move because we’re in danger, we assume we know better. We are far too hardheaded and hardhearted.
We are often too blinded by our arrogance to see the truth of the beauty and joy, of the safety and peace that is given to us in God’s ways. But, as we see in our passage, Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. He is the light that shines so brightly and so hot that it melts hearts of stone like ours, and shines through the darkness of our arrogance and ignorance, enabling us to see the truth, and to follow Him. So, stop living as though you are King, and bow to the Prince of Peace. See Him in His Word. Seek Him in prayer. Seek Him with His people. And factor in His Law, his gospel, and His glory into every thing you think, feel, say, and do. Christ can lead your life much better than you can.
Now, some of you may be thinking that you have submitted your life to Christ, but things aren’t going very well. Perhaps your still struggling with the same old sins. Things don’t seem all that peaceful. And speaking of which, things don’t seem all that peaceful in this world either. I mean, if this promise of light shining in the darkness and changing things had fulfillment before Christ, and in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, along with today, why are things still so hard? Why are things still so dark? Why do we have so much darkness in our own lives? And why is there still so much darkness in this world? I’m glad you asked.
Look at the last verse in our passage. Verse 7 says, “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.” Again Matthew tells us that, at least in a sense, this passage has already been fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus. But, notice it says there will be increase to His government. Increase implies the need for growth. When the light of Christ comes into this world He doesn’t give immediate perfect peace across the board. Here Isaiah tells us that this Light, this Child, this Son, this Governor, this Counselor, this God, this Father, this Prince of Peace is the true Son of David, and thus the true better King who has come to sit upon the throne of David and rule rightly. In other words, Isaiah is telling us that Jesus is the promised Messiah. But even though that’s true, Jesus doesn’t simply fix things in an instant, but here it says He establishes His Kingdom, and then increases it. “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.”
Increase implies growth, but in this context, connected to this promise, the implication is that things are always getting better. His government and peace are increasing, from this time forth and forevermore. From 700 BC, to the first century, to today, and on into eternity. It’s like what Paul said in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” That’s not only true of what God has done and is doing in us, but also of what God has done and is doing in this world. He is multiplying the nation, and growing His Kingdom and the peace it brings with it in and through His Son, Jesus Christ.
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, [shines] in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’” (2 Corinthians 4:6). He does this at our conversion, but He continues to do it again and again as we draw near to Him through the means of grace He has prescribed: through His Word, through prayer, through the Sacraments, and through His people. Through His world and through His Word, God shines the light of His glory and transforms us again and again, enabling us to fight sin and pursue holiness again and again. And likewise, as we live lives of holiness, living in submission to the Lordship of Christ, that same light shines in and through our words and deeds, pushing back the darkness of this world, and thus taking ground for the Kingdom of our Lord.
No doubt, things are not as they should ultimately be. But, day by day, as we seek to be faithful, the darkness is being pushed back and the Kingdom of Light is advancing. Light shined into the darkness on Christmas Day in Jesus’ first Advent. And light will fully and finally shine into the darkness on the final Day with Jesus’ second Advent. But, until that Day, we are called to submit our lives completely to the Lordship of Christ, and to seek to lead this world to do the same. We are to make war on sin, Satan, and death, knowing that it is only because of Jesus that we can make war. But, He enables us to make war in order to bring peace. Indeed, at the heart of the very point of Christmas is peace on earth and goodwill towards men. And that happens through Christ. We get to participate in it, and our faithfulness truly matters. But, make no mistake, “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
Conclusion
So this Advent season, as you remember the first Advent of Christ on Christmas, and look forward to the second Advent of Christ on the final Day, remember that each and every day His government and peace are increasing. When it seems as though sin and death rule the day or even your own life, remember, things are not what they seem. Christ is Lord. He has already won the victory through His life, death, and resurrection. He has already begun to remove the debris of battle, to heal our hearts, and to wipe away our tears.
You might not always be able to see the victory, but it’s there none the less. Just as Jesus went as a gentle and lowly Savior to the cross, accomplishing victory through apparent weakness, trampling over death by death; and just as God took Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300, yet still led them to victory… so too will God lead us to victory, even through our weakness, even if we are a mere prophetic minority, even if we still struggle and are tempted and tried in countless ways. Though we be weak and small we be fierce, because the zeal of the LORD of hosts is on our side.
Our God is faithful and He keeps His promises. And He has promised that His rule and reign, His Kingdom, and His peace will ever increase. As we love to sing, “He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.” And He will continue to do so until the curse is no more. He is the true and better Adam, and the true and better David, who rules the world with truth and grace. And His rule will increase until every wrong is made right. And then the joy of His rule will increase all the more, now and forevermore. So may we not forget it, and may we live in light of it, so that joy would be to us and joy would be to the world.