Isaiah 9 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Isaiah 9

For to Us a Child Is Born

9:1 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.²

2   ³ 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.
3   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.
4   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.
5   For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6   For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
  and the government shall be upon⁴ his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called⁵
  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7   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.

Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression

8   The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
    and it will fall on Israel;
9   and all the people will know,
    Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
    who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10   “The bricks have fallen,
    but we will build with dressed stones;
  the sycamores have been cut down,
    but we will put cedars in their place.”
11   But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
    and stirs up his enemies.
12   The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west
    devour Israel with open mouth.
  For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.
13   The people did not turn to him who struck them,
    nor inquire of the LORD of hosts.
14   So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail,
    palm branch and reed in one day—
15   the elder and honored man is the head,
    and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16   for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
    and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17   Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,
    and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
  for everyone is godless and an evildoer,
    and every mouth speaks folly.⁶
  For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.
18   For wickedness burns like a fire;
    it consumes briers and thorns;
  it kindles the thickets of the forest,
    and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19   Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
    the land is scorched,
  and the people are like fuel for the fire;
    no one spares another.
20   They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
    and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
  each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21   Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
    together they are against Judah.
  For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

Footnotes

[1] 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Hebrew
[2] 9:1 Or of the Gentiles
[3] 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Hebrew
[4] 9:6 Or is upon
[5] 9:6 Or is called
[6] 9:17 Or speaks disgraceful things

Commentary

v1: Referring to Zebulun and Naphtali, captured 2 Kings 15.29; a land of darkness and oppression. Christ, the promised Son, came to these places, Galilee of the Gentiles, Matt 4.12-17.

v2: These people lived in great darkness, as invaders from Assyria, Babylon, Rome, overtook them. On them the light of Christ, the great light, dawned.

v3: There was blessing upon the nation, like that of a good harvest or a great military victory.

v4: There was victory, and freedom from slavery and oppression.

v5: There was a time of peace, as weapons of war, and soldiers' clothes are used for fuel.

v6-7: These blessings fall because God sent His Son; His was the cost, ours the blessing. The description of Him is both true and glorious;

wonderful; full of wonders, signs and miracles, a life marked out as different;
counsellor; full of wisdom; no man spoke as this man;
mighty God; with leadership, authority, prophecy;
everlasting Father; showing mercy and love;
the Prince of Peace; exercising justice in His government.

These characteristics point us to Christ's earthly ministry, as the servant of God, serving with grace and power, having the fullness of the Godhead. Here too is the consistency of God's character and purpose; God the Father could always be described in these ways.

There is too a reflection in the character of the church of Christ, which exercises similar ministry, although no man can fulfil all these roles, and no man matches the perfection of Christ.

David's throne in Jerusalem, from where Christ will rule the world; Dan 2.44-45; 4.34-35; and this prophecy will be fulfilled, for the zeal of God has so determined.

Lest anyone should think 'Mighty God' does not point to Christ's deity, the same phrase is used in 10.21 of Yahweh.

v8-9: A new section to 10.4; words addressed to Israel, whose capital was Samaria. This was a rebellious people, against whom God's hand was stretched out.

v10-12: They relied upon human strength (hewn stones) and foreign powers (cedars of Lebanon), in their rebellion against God, and they refused to rely upon God. Their defeats actually led them to rely less upon God, instead of more. Their judgment would be that their enemies would be strengthened against them.

v13: The Lord had sent the prophecies so that the people would know that the previous defeats were His work, not accidents, and so as to encourage repentance.

v14-16: Israel's leaders were particularly at fault, and would be judged accordingly. Four times, v12, 17, 21; 10.4, we read that more judgment will follow. Israel remained stubborn, and refused to repent; and so God would pour out His wrath on them.

v17: The leaders had set a bad example. As a consequence, God will have no pity on the weak, for all had rebelled against Him. It seems that God acts against His character, in not showing mercy to the weak; such was Israel's stubbornness.

v18-21: Burning in the land, self-destruction; brother not spared, as tribe turns against tribe, and later against Judah. The fire of God's wrath spreads throughout the land.