isaiah 9-10

Read Isaiah 9-10 at Bible Gateway.

These past chapters in Isaiah, dealing with the judgment that is coming upon Israel and Judah, is full of repeating prophecies of the coming and ministry of Messiah. In particular, is the familiar prophecy that opens Isa 9:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.” Isa 9:2

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder,
And His name 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,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isa 9:6-7

The Child that will be born, is the light which will shine!

Now as we have been reading through Isaiah, the LORD has been teaching, from His perspective, that the problem with Israel is that the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint; from the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it (Isa 1:5-6). Moreover, their unrighteous leaders have led them into sin and caused them to stray from walking in His paths, which He gave them through His Torah (Isa 3:10-12). If this is the problem with Israel, who were in covenant as His chosen people, and given the Law spoken aloud by the mouth of the LORD, how much more the rest of us, descended from the rebellious nations at Babel!

As the LORD recounts the sins of His people, He reveals that the Testimony, the Law, is sealed up with His disciples (Isa 8:16), but those who sin and do not seek after God, do not speak according to the Testimony and the Law, because there is no light in them (Isa 8:19-20). The problem is darkness within, and sickness within!

The LORD, in His great mercy, will cause His Light to shine upon those who walked in darkness! His Light is the Son, who is the Counselor (Holy Spirit), God and Father! He will solve the problem of inner darkness and inner sickness, and He will solve the problem of unjust and corrupt leaders leading His people into sin, for the Prince of Peace Himself will rule and reign (Isa 9:6-7)! He is the One who will judge between the nations, and under His rule they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, for peace will reign under the Prince of Peace (Isa 2:3-5)!