A Birth Announcement Like No Other
“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.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Approximately 360,000 babies are born each day around the world. The birth of a child is always a joyful thing. But the arrival of most babies won’t become headline news. Sometimes an enthusiastic parent will publish a birth announcement in the local newspaper. But, even then, it is printed near the back of the newspaper and few people will notice. Isaiah 9 is actually a birth announcement. We might be tempted to skim over this announcement, thinking that it is back-page material. In reality, this is a birth announcement like no other.
Verse 6 announces this glorious news: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” This is no ordinary announcement because the child of which it speaks has yet to be born. Isaiah makes this prophecy over 700 years before the baby arrives. And as for the child himself, He is pretty unusual too. This is a child who will not only transform a nation, but who will change the world. Verse 6 declares, “and the government shall be upon[d] his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
This prophetic birth announcement comes at a low point in the history of Israel. The time is the 8th century BC, and the people of God are not obeying God as they should. The Lord has just promised to bring a judgment against them in the form of the great Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians were the superpower of the day – they had the biggest army and the most fearful weapons – and they were the nation to fear. This superpower would sweep through the northern kingdom of Israel and wipe it out entirely. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel would disappear, and the southern kingdom (the territory of Judah) would only narrowly escape destruction.
In Isaiah 9, the clock moves forward. The Assyrians have come and brought destruction. And we find Israel as a land living in darkness – living under the judgment of God – tasting the fruit of their faithless rebellion. We only need to hear mention in verse 5 of warrior’s boots, battle, and blood-stained garments to know that it has been a dark time for this nation. But into this darkness, Isaiah now speaks these hope-filled words: “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.” (v. 1).
The interesting thing about this light is the direction from which it will dawn—namely, the northern direction of Galilee from which judgment fell through the weapons of the Assyrian attackers. As the years went by, this northern territory came to be rather despised by those living further south, closer to Jerusalem. It was seen as distant from the temple, and compromised by the non-Israelites who settled there after the invasion. But from this very place (a place of shadows) the light would dawn, and salvation would come. This northern region would be the place of the Messiah’s birth. And the Messiah would go on to minister to those who lived in the shadows at the edge of society. He would eventually plumb the very depths of the darkness, dying on a Roman cross to bear the punishment for our sin. As Jesus died, darkness fell on the land at midday, as the sun refused to shine. How remarkable that God the Father sent His Son to a land of darkness. The offer of Christmas is to live under the gracious rule of this King and to step into His marvelous light.