Isaiah 9:2-7

December 25, 2020 – Christmas Day

Old Testament                                                                 Isaiah 9:2-7

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. 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 Counselor, 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 forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Title: Good News of Victory

Our passage today wraps up our theme of Good News, as it speaks of the Good News of the Messiah, and more specifically, the Good News that the Messiah will win for His people a great victory. The victory that will end all warfare and struggle and will secure the peace for His people for eternity.

But at the beginning of this series, it was pointed out that the Good News is never fully appreciated until we’ve lived through and grown familiar with, bad news. It is hard to really rejoice in victory, if you have never known the pain of defeat. For example, going to the doctor for a physical, and having him find nothing serious is good news. But for many, we take such a visit for granted. For if we go expecting a clean bill of health, we don’t really rejoice when leaving the office with that Good News. But how different is that experience when we’ve lived in the bad news for a while? How much more precious is that good visit when you’ve been battling cancer or some other ailment? The same good appointment is then received with rejoicing and celebration. Living in and recognizing the seriousness of the bad news helps us to appreciate and rejoice at the good news.

Isaiah has some good news for us. But in order to appreciate it, to truly rejoice at the Good News of Jesus and the victory He has won for us, we need to also listen carefully to the bad news that we have been spared from. We need to understand how close we were to defeat, for only then will we truly rejoice!

1. The Victory of the Messiah Sets Us Free from the Oppressor

First, we see that the Messiah came to free us from the “deep darkness” of the oppressor. Not just dark, but deep darkness. Imagine begin lost in the woods at night, with no light at all. How much would you rejoice at the first light of day? And having experienced that, you might not ever take a sunrise for granted again.

Second, the victory of the shatters the yoke, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of the oppressors. These are not just symbols of oppression, but more specifically, forced labor. For when we sin, we are working for sin. All sin advances the devil’s work. Whether we are sowing the seed of sin, or reaping its harvest, when we sin, we are working for the enemy of our souls. And we do so in return for crumbs. And in the end, Scripture tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” But here God has declared victory over the forces of sin; we no longer are slaves to sin; we are set free to willingly serve God.

Isaiah here also gives the Israelites a context to recognize how great the Good News of the Messiah will be. And he does this by pointing back to bad news. In verse 4, he says the deliverance of the Messiah will be “as in the Days of Midian.” This is a reference to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites in Judges 6-7. It says at the start of Judges 6, “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. ² Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. ³ Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. ⁴ They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. ⁵ They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. ⁶ Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.”

This is a terrible situation. A situation we have never experienced in this country. And God heard their cry and raised up Gideon to deliver them. But when Gideon stood before the Lord with the 32,000 men he gathered, God said that He wouldn’t deliver Israel with that large of an army. For if He did, they would credit their own strength. So God had Gideon send home all those who were scared, and he was left with 10,000. Then God whittled Gideon’s army down further to just 300. Then he used those 300 men, armed mostly with trumpets and torches concealed in clay jars, to defeat the enemy. At night, they surrounded the enemy, blew the trumpets, and broke the jars hiding the torches, the enemy was thrown into terror and confusion, and began to attack each other in the chaos, and Israel was delivered from their hand.

So, too, the Messiah has won a great victory for us over sin and darkness. And this victory is his doing, not ours, all those who are willing to trust Him will share in his victory. And His victory would surpass even that of Gideon, as His victory would be complete, for the garments of war will no longer be needed, but burned up in the fire.

1. This Victory Is Accomplished by the Zeal of the Lord (v.7)

What a wonderful, reassuring statement, “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” This tells us our salvation is not just a small thing on God’s to-do list, but it is something He is zealous for. He will put every effort to make sure it is accomplished.

Have you ever been zealous for something? It doesn’t mean that work isn’t hard, in fact, the things we are most zealous for can often be the hardest work we do, but it means that we believe that the hard work is worth it. And we are driven to see it through. When the goal is worth it, we are willing to work hard and sacrifice to make it a reality.

God has been zealous for His people. He will not get lazy, He will not forget His people, He will not neglect to keep His promises. The zeal of the Lord is seen in the account of Christmas. For there were so many things that God did to make that a reality. And as we look back throughout the Old Testament, we see the promise of Christ throughout Israel’s history. Even from the start, in Genesis, we see the promise of Christ in the prophecy that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. God has been working for our salvation the whole time. And He has not been lazy or faithless, even when His people have been.

Jesus also was not lazy in His mission. Even as a child, He was going about His father’s business. When he was 12, his parents found him in the temple, and when they asked what He was doing, He answered, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” And He never wavered in His dedication to the mission He was sent on. He traveled all throughout Israel sharing the Good News. And even in the end, “He set His face to go to Jerusalem” for the final time. He was determined to fulfill His mission. He was determined to save us.

III. The Victory of the Messiah Is Cause for Rejoicing!

And we are given two different examples as to how we are to rejoice. First, we are to rejoice as at end of harvest This is a celebration that the hard work that was put in during the season has paid off, and the time of patient (or impatient) waiting is over. The uncertainty is over, and all has been safely gathered in. This is certainly cause for rejoicing, but this rejoicing is even greater in this context – for on top of all the regular worries of farming, they had to worry about invaders either destroying their crops or stealing what was harvested. But Christ has given us the certainty that all we do for Him will be rewarded. Those who persevere will receive the reward of the harvest. And His victory means that the fruit of that labor cannot be lost, spoiled, or plundered. Our reward is secure. And this harvest lasts for all eternity.

Second, we are to rejoice as a warrior rejoicing while dividing the plunder. This might be hard for us to comprehend, as we have never been threatened by outside invaders. Perhaps the most recent relatable event might be the end of World War II. For we remember the pictures of joy and celebration. The accounts of spontaneous celebrations and parades for those who returned. We have not seen a celebration like it since, because we have not experienced the same kind of trouble. For in order to really rejoice, we need to really suffer. In Christ, the tables have turned. Those who were mistreated by the world will one day divide the spoils; those who were treated as orphans I by the world will inherit the earth. But to celebrate the victory of Christ we need to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation we were in. We will never learn to celebrate our deliverance from sin if we first don’t learn to mourn over our sin. The blood of Christ will never be valued by those who don’t acknowledge the seriousness of the guilt of our sin.

But this is the Good News of Christmas – This is the Good News of Christ. Jesus has delivered us from the enemy. He has set us free from sin, guilt, shame, and punishment. He is the guarantee that our lives matter. He is the guarantee that we will share in the harvest celebration. He is the guarantee that we will live in peace with Him for all eternity.

So don’t ever lose your ability and willingness to celebrate, daily, the Good News of Christmas. For every day is a day to truly rejoice in what the Lord has done for you. Amen.