CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

November 27, 2005

PETITION FOR THE FOLLOWING:

Our congregation                                                                 Various friends, relatives and co-workers

David and James in the military                                         Our students

Our nation, military and leaders                                         Holiday travelers

TO US A CHILD IS BORN

“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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Isaiah taught during the reigns of a number of kings including Ahaz, an unfaithful king to and untrusting king of Yahweh.  The political situation was tense.  The northern kingdom of Israel had allied itself with Aram (Syria in the older translations).  Ahaz was beside himself, along with the people, not knowing what to do (vs. 2).  The prophet Isaiah was sent with his son to speak to Ahaz of God’s deliverance.  Part of the prophecy was that the northern kingdom and its allies would be shattered.  One only had to appeal to past Israelite history to see God’s rescue from enemies.  Isaiah appealed to Ahaz to stand firm in faith.  Then God did something not normally done; He asked Ahaz to ask for a sign (vs. 10).  What an opportunity for the king!

Here is where we see that Ahaz refused stating to the prophet that he would not test God in such a way.  Two things here; he did not believe that Isaiah spoke for God and that God made the request.  That does not stop God though it is sad that it stopped Ahaz.  From 2 Chronicles 28 we learn that Ahaz was defeated badly by Israel and that he would eventually seek an alliance with the Assyrians, who would eventually destroy the northern kingdom (see also Isaiah 7:18-25).

While Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, Isaiah gives him one anyway.  A child would be born to a virgin, or in some translations a young woman.  This child would be called “Immanuel” which means God with us.  As the prophecy continues, before this child knows right from wrong, those Ahaz fears will be “laid waste.”  And God will bring Assyria to the land. 

In chapter eight, a child was born to Isaiah and the prophetess, presumably his wife, though this is not clear.  The child’s name was “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,” which means “quick to plunder, swift to the spoil.”  This sign was telling both Israel and Judah that God would come in judgment using the Assyrian as His tool.  What they need to learn was that Yahweh is holy, not anyone or anything else.  In speaking of the waters of the Euphrates, it is done by “Immanuel” (vs. 8) and though the nation might plan its course of destruction, “God is with us” (vs. 10).  Isaiah then says, “I will put my trust in him” (vs. 17).  He goes on to say, “Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.  We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion” (vs. 18).  Don’t consult others about this or you will be thrust from the land (vs. 19-22).

Israel would be in distress in chapter nine as represented by the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali.  But that would change in the future, for they will be honor as “Galilee of the nations.”  Galilee is mentioned six times in the Old Testament.  In verse two, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light: on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”  Then Isaiah says the following: “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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase 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 forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (vs. 6-7).

In the text we have just looked at, the child plays an important role as well as his name.  A footnote in The Jewish Study Bible says that “This long sentence is the throne name of the royal child.  Semitic names often consist of sentences that describe God; thus the name Isaiah in Hebrew means ‘the Lord saves’; Hezekiah, ‘the Lord strengthens’;…These names do not describe that person who holds them but the god whom the parents worship” (p. 802).  Names are important in scripture, especially when God is involved.  Abram meant “exalted father” but was changed by God to Abraham, meaning “the father of many.”  Ishmael means “God hears.”  Jacob name was changed to Israel meaning “wrestles with God.”  Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter (John 1:42).  Following in this context, the names of the son or sons each display a meaning.  We are more familiar with “Immanuel” which means God with us.  The point being made to Ahaz is that God is with His people. 

A child is also an important concept in scripture.  After Cain murdered Abel, Seth was born.  Abraham had Isaac, the son chosen by God whose name means laughter.  Jacob had twelve sons, each with a special name, but it was Judah that became the kingly tribe.  David and Bathsheba had Solomon, Hannah Samuel, Hezekiah Manasseh.  Elizabeth had John, who was the baptizer and of course, Mary had Jesus.  Each child played an important role in the history of Israel.

Matthew uses this text in Isaiah to bring to light the Messiah.  When talking with Joseph, we are told that in a dream, the angel told Joseph to name the son of Mary “Immanuel (which means God with us)” (1:21-23).  Matthew often takes a text and applies it to Jesus, but then Jesus did the same (see Luke 24:25-27, 44-46).  Using a situation from the past where there was unfaithfulness and a lack of trust, God comes letting the people know that He was with them (Immanuel).  In the days of Joseph and Mary, Messianic expectation were high; the people were looking for a deliverer, the Messiah, who would sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem and defeat the enemies of God, the hated Romans.  Jewish culture was not kind to the situation that Joseph and Mary were in, a unmarried woman pregnant by an “unknown” father.  What we see here is that this couple would trust God, unlike Ahaz in his day. 

Matthew also quotes Isaiah 9:1-2 saying that Jesus fulfilled this scripture (see 4:12-16).  Matthew calls it “Galilee of the Gentiles” enhancing for the people of his day the meaning of the message.  It would be universal; light would come into the world of darkness, or “the shadow of death.”  In connection then with Isaiah 9:6-7, the Messiah is identified.  The Jewish Study Bible in the text replaces “government” (TNIV, et. al) with “authority.”  They also see it as a Messianic text.  I think that authority is a better translation enhancing the idea of “reign” and David’s throne.  He will be the ruler, the King, the Lord.  He will bring peace, righteousness and justice, for Yahweh will accomplish this.  While these two verses are not found in the New Testament, they are connected by the context from chapter seven and the immediate text of 9:1-2.  The names given in verse six, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” have been applied to Jesus by many people.  And why not?  They are descriptive of the God we worship, and more, of the God who came into this world in human form who is now Lord (see Philippians 2:5-11). 

Here we are again in the holiday season, my favorite time of the year.  I believe it was Handel in his “The Messiah,” and in particular, “The Hallelujah Chorus” that he uses Isaiah 9:6-7 as a description of Jesus.  There are any number of lessons we can learn from Isaiah 7:1 through 9:7.  One, God is with us.  The people of Ahaz’s day were fearful; they forgot who God is, and what He did and could do.  The same could be said in the days of Joseph and Mary.  Small rebellions and claims viciously put down by Herod and the Romans, a priestly class that looked down on almost everyone, a disrespected Galilee, like fly over country today, and a prejudice against everything not Jewish (Samaritans, Romans, Gentiles).  The people were looking for something and anything or anyone that referenced the Messiah offered hope.  Then came One with “signs and symbols” (Isaiah 8:18).  The Messiah had come, God with us!  Today we see the same.  We have those who depend on government and the political talking class, but when a hurricane destroys a city, we see that they are not who they claim to be: lord.  What else do we make lord in our lives when we loose sight of the One who has all authority (see Matthew 28:20)?  In Jesus, God is with us, our Immanuel, our Lord.

Two, when our society focuses on this time of year, it misses its meaning.  Shopping, gift giving, parties, and debt is not what it is about, at least not the way we often see it.  Rather there is a gift, the rescue of God from sin, the free gift of eternal life.  And the debt we have is not financial but spiritual, a debt paid by the One who did not owe anything.  He was willing to come into this sin filled world and as a sinless sin offering, paid the price for our sins so that we can walk with God in the light of His being.  Then there is the party, the celebration that we participate in as we remember what Jesus did for us, that we are redeemed and in fellowship with God.

The birth is rich in prophecy, in what happened before.  Isaiah and Matthew contribute to this for our benefit.  They show us that God indeed is involved in the affairs of His creation.  And He is King!  As we sing the songs that recall this special birth, let’s remember that all of this was a part of God’s eternal plan.  Unlike Ahaz, we have the fulfillment of the prophecy or story.  Yet that story continues.  As we remember and sing of the birth of Jesus the Messiah, we are reminded that God has come, and now reigns as Lord and Savior.  The King is on His throne, forever will He reign!  No matter how much the culture tries to eliminate His “symbols” and His name, He is still King.  Sing out about His birth, His life, His death and resurrection.  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.”  To you and me!  For us!  What a story!

                                                                                                                                George B. Mearns