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Lesson 49 |
"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" (Isa. 9:6)
Lesson Subject: The Prophet's Vision
Lesson Plan
Lesson Setting
Time: The exact date of this prophecy is uncertain, but Isaiah prophesied between B.C. 750 and 695, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
Place: Jerusalem.
This prophecy is one of the prophecies of the Book of Immanuel, Isa. 7-12
Isaiah the prophet of hope.
The times in which this prophecy was spoken.
The darkness and the shadow of death.
The five titles given to Christ in v 5.
Why those qualities are essential to the Savior of the world.
How the golden age comes through Christ.
This prophecy was probably spoken during the reign of Ahaz. To understand the condition of sin, darkness, and desolation into which this wicked king had brought his nation, we must turn back to the beginning of Isaiah 7, and read 2 Kings 16:1-8; 2 Chron. 28. Ahaz made molten images to Baal, introduced the moral abominations of the heathen worship, cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and gave the sacred vessels as a bride to the king of Assyria, shut up the temple, built heathen altars in every corner of Jerusalem, burned his children in the fire as human sacrifices.
The result was the desolation of his country. The Assyrians came like a swarm of bees and filled "the desolate valleys" and the clefts of the rock. The people were "sore distressed and hungry." "They shall fret themselves and curse their king and their God" (Am. R.V. margin), "and they shall look unto the earth, and behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish." They "walked in darkness" and "dwelt in the land of the shadow of death" (v 2). Thus was true religion almost wholly extinguished under this wicked king. In vain did Isaiah warn him, rebuke him, offer him signs, threaten him, urge him to rely on Jehovah; he doggedly pursued his own course, sought help in every quarter but the right one.
Standing in the midst of this darkness, realizing the gloom of the clouds, the blackness of the storm that was raging on every hand, the prophet Isaiah saw ever the Morning Star of hope, the dawning rays of a better day. His face was ever toward the dawn. He saw it more than 700 years before the sunrise, and 2600 years before our day of gospel light and hope.
v 1 ... "Nevertheless." However dark the times, yet there were rays of light and hope.
v 1 ... "the dimness" (the gloom, the shadow of death) ...
v 1 ... "shall not be such." "There shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish," (R.V.) such as is described above, from the overwhelming scourge of the Assyrian armies.
v 1 ... "at the first he lightly afflicted," etc. The thought here is that at first the ravages of the country were less disastrous, but as these lighter afflictions failed to bring the people to repentance, the desolating forces because more and more terrible.
v 1 ... "In the former time he brought into contempt." When the Assyrian hordes were pouring in from the North with devastating ravages and cruelties ...
v 1 ... "the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali" the tribes in southern and northern Galilee, nearest the Assyrians in the path of their desolating march ...
v 1 ... "by way of the sea," on their way to the Mediterranean, on the west, beyond Jordan from the Assyrian point of view. These had all, with the whole Northern Kingdom, been swept by the Assyrians as with a besom of destruction; and before this or soon after (B.C. 722) the kingdom of Israel had been destroyed and its leading inhabitants carried captive to Assyria. This was indeed the hour of gloom, contempt, and darkness.
The Vision
v 1 ... "in the latter time hath he made it glorious," so Isaiah saw as he looked into the future. Just how it was made glorious he may not have seen, but he had seen Immanuel, and the Child-King of the house of David, and the good times coming. We see Jesus living in Galilee during nearly all of His childhood and youth, spending nearly half of His ministry there, teaching God’s truth, healing the sick, delivering the sinful, doing marvelous works that revealed the character of our Father in heaven, "full of grace and truth," and beginning the redemption of the world.
The Bible from beginning to end, through all the darkness of sin and sorrow, describes the progress of the world toward the glorious city of God.
Jesus, in the darkest period of His life, under the shadow of the cross, in a world steeped in every kind of wickedness, while picturing to His disciples the wars, famine, hatred, prisons, disasters, earthquakes, pestilence, the church waxing cold, professed followers deserting, stars falling, the sun darkened, the moon turned to blood -- saw the vision of Redemption through all this darkness, and cried out to His disciples, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. It is near, even at the doors." The greatest optimism the world has ever known.
Hark, hark, my soul, angelic songs are swelling
O’er earth’s green fields and ocean’s wave-beat shore,How sweet the truth those blessed strains are telling
Of that new life when sin shall be no more.Onward we go, for still we hear them singing --
‘Come, weary souls, for Jesus bids you come;’And through the dark its echoes sweetly ringing,
The music of the Gospel leads us home.…Frances E. Tyner
President of the United States
We are a rich nation, and because of this fact the responsibility is ours for using those riches not only for home missions but for the encouragement of the people of all races.
Until I went to the Orient, until there was thrust upon me the responsibilities with reference to the extension of civilization in those far distant lands, I did not realize the immense importance of foreign missions. No man can study the movement of modern civilization and not realize that Christianity and the spread of Christianity are the only basis for hope of modern civilization (William Howard Taft).
We can well imagine the prophet climbing up the mountain of God’s Promises, into the clear air of divine inspiration, and while the clouds of war and oppression and wickedness were covering the people below, himself seeing the far-away vision of Jesus the Sun of righteousness arising over the gloom.
Faster, and more fast,
O’er Night’s brim, Day boils at last;
Boils, pure gold, o’er the cloud-cup’s brim,
Where spurting and supprest it lay --
For not a froth-flake touched the rim
Of yonder gap in the solid gray
Of the eastern cloud, an hour away;
But forth one wavelet, then another, curled,
Till the whole sunrise, not to be supprest,
Rose, reddened, and its seething breast
Flickered in bounds, grew gold, then overflowed the world!…Frances E. Tyner
v 2 ... "The people that walked in darkness," all whose movements and actions were in an atmosphere of darkness, like those who go about in the night, groping their way in the dim rays of the stars. There have always been some heavenly rays shining on man.
v 2 ... "the land of the shadow of death." "Deadly shade, properly a title of the Hebrew Hades; a night like that of Hades" (Dr. J.P. Sanders). They dwelt where death cast its shadow over them as a great mountain hides the light, bringing chill and darkness into the valley.
v 2 ... "have seen a great light," like the rising of the sun.
Illustration
Aristotle, in one of his works, fancies the feelings of one who, having lived in darkness all his life, should for the first time behold the rising sun. He might have some idea of the world from the light of candles, or of the stars, but when the sun rose, what new glories would burst upon his vision!
The prophet saw the dawning rays shining on the darkness -- ignorance was removed, truth revealed, ways made plain, problems solved, God and heaven made known, dangers pointed out.
The light brought with it health, new life, beauty, warmth, power, and all the blessings that the light of heaven can bestow.
v 3 ... "Thou hast multiplied the nation," as always when peace and prosperity are given. The ‘nation’ refers to the people of all the kingdom of heaven on earth, who were represented by the Jews who worshiped God. All Christians, according to Paul, are inheritors of the promises, and are spiritual descendants of Abraham.
v 3 ... "and not increased the joy." Most interpreters think, with the R.V., that the ‘not’ should be ‘to it,’ the Hebrew letters being very nearly the same. In this case the whole sentence is a prophecy of the good times referred to in v 2 and should read "Thou hast increased their joy."
Their joys too have been multiplied in quality as well as in number.
v 3 ... "They joy before thee," the giver of the joy. v 3 ... "according to the joy in harvest," when men see the fruits of their labors and promise of plenty. They had sown in tears, but reap in joy.
v 3 ... "as men rejoice when they divide the spoil," triumphant over enemies and rich in goods.
The religion of Jesus is a religion of joy. Even its sorrows are transfigured. The bulbs under ground burst forth into flowers. Have you been ‘born again?’ Are you a Christian? Are you happy? Filled with Joy?
v 4 ... "For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden," referring first to the Assyrians, who had "stretch out their wings" -- great armies, and laid heavy burdens on the people.
v 4 ... "the staff of his shoulder." That part of the yoke which rested on the back of the neck and shoulders; or "the staff which strikes his shoulder."
v 4 ... "the rod of his oppressor." The rod was in reality a very formidable weapon, a club about two and a half feet long made from an oak sapling, with a bulging head, frequently with large-headed nails driven into it.
v 4 ... "as in the day of Midian" (Judg. 7:1-23; Num. 31). A total rout, by a small body of selected men, by unusual means, through God’s help, as when Gideon with three hundred men, armed with lamps, pitchers, and trumpets, completely overthrew the immense host of the Midianites.
v 5 ... "For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise." Read as in the R.V, "For all the armor of the armed men in the tumult, ... shall even be for burning and for fuel of fire." All that belongs to war, the armor and the weapons of the soldier, and the garments drenched in the blood of the slain, shall be swept away with fire; and war itself shall die!
These promises were a great comfort, not only from the promises of victory over the then threatening enemy, but from the assurance of final triumph and success. The tide from the ocean of future blessings flowed back upon the present. The light from Jesus Christ shone back on Judah all through the seven hundred years that lay between.
The prophet almost hears the chorus of the welcoming angels, and writes forever on Judah’s history the promise of the Messiah and His everlasting kingdom.
It is in accordance with this prophecy that we can look over the world and see how it is being fulfilled; how Christianity not only theoretically but in practice is breaking the rod of the oppressor, and exchanging "the yoke of his burden" for the yoke of Christ, which is easy, and for His burden, which is light. The oppressor still exists, but never before has so much been done to deliver the people from his yoke and rod.
Darkness and Light
The pageant of darkness and light shows, where the Gospel has been accepted and Christ honored, that the spirit of Christianity is inspiring to better surroundings, better living, better opportunities.
In every field where Christianity goes there is a similar awakening.
As to War
Where the devil leads and is honored, there will always be the possibility of war; but where Christ leads and is honored, there is peace.
Down the dark future through long generations
The echoing sounds grown fainter and then cease;
And like a bell with solemn sweet vibrations
I hear once more the voice of Christ say, Peace.Peace! and no longer from its brazen portals
The blast of War’s great organ shakes the skies;
And beautiful as the songs of the immortals,
The holy melodies of Love arise.…Longfellow, Arsenal at Springfield
Isaiah’s picture of the burning of the implements of war, and the garments rolled in blood, for fuel of fire, may have suggested Hawthorne’s wonderful story of ‘Earth’s Holocaust’ in his Moses From an Old Manse, where all the evils of the world, all the implements of war, all intoxicating liquors, all bad books, were consumed in one vast burning, as fuel for its fire.
Such wonderful changes as we have been studying, such wide-spread, irresistible movements toward a better world -- and better people, must have had and still have a vast personal power behind them. The prophet saw this power in the distant future, as we see it in the past.
First
He saw a child, the Christ-child.
v 6 ... "For unto us a child is born, unto us a sons is given." A child brings the salvation near to the millions of children in the world. The Savior coming as a child is both God and man, a divine Redeemer who touches man on every part of His nature.
Second
v 6 ... "The government," royal authority, kingly control of the people of God, the giving of laws ...
v 6 ... "shall be upon his shoulder." He shall bear all the burden of responsibility. He can do this successfully because of what He is.
v 6 ... "And his name," or title. The name stands for the whole man, all that is in Him, and all that He possesses, His character, principles, talents, property. When a man signs his name to a promise or check, the whole man stands back of it.
"Here is the Finger of God, a flash of the Will that Can,
Existent behind all laws, that made them, and lo, they are."... Browning
Third
v 6 ... "shall be called Wonderful." Because ...
Fourth
v 6 ... "Counsellor." One who has the wisdom to guard Himself and others. Jesus was the embodiment of the wisdom of God. The whole scheme of redemption through Jesus should grow upon us more and more as one of marvelous wisdom.
All these are proofs of wisdom, divine and limitless. He is our Counselor, never guiding us astray, but always by the best ways to the best ends. No one guided by Him ever failed to succeed. Jesus is like the pillar of cloud and fire that led Israel through the wilderness safely to the Promised Land. He is the pilot that always brings the ship safely into port.
Some unite these two, and read Wonderful Counsellor. But we see the larger meaning when they are read as separate characterizations.
Fifth
v 6 ... "Mighty God." Jesus was truly divine, so that ...
Sixth
v 6 ... "Everlasting Father," expressing the divine loving-kindness and tender mercies and pity for men, a love that can never fail, for it is everlasting. Sometimes our fathers emphasized the greatness of God so much that we were inclined to fear more than to love Him. But there is no danger of realizing too much the greatness of God, if at the same time we equally realize His Fatherly love.
Seventh
v 6 ... "Prince of Peace." The Prince who rules in such a way that peace and prosperity abide in His kingdom.
Peace is used to express all the blessings that come to a kingdom where there is ...
Jesus brings all this peace, and more. He brings peace between man and God, and peace of the soul itself, all its powers and faculties working in perfect harmony.
Eighth
The Character of the Kingdom.
v 7 ... "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end." It shall increase in numbers, in power, in completeness of its rule. It shall increase in the blessings it bestows. It is like the powers of Nature, which are exhaustless. There is no limit to their application to the uses of man. With all our marvelous inventions and discoveries of what nature can do, we have yet gathered but a few rays from the world of light, a few drops from the oceans of blessings God has in store for man.
v 7 ... "Upon the throne of David," on which Jesus sits. All these blessings come from His rule in the hearts of men, and in the community.
v 7 ... "to order it," govern, manage, rule it.
v 7 ... "establish it," make it firm and enduring.
v 7 ... "with judgment," just decisions, and ...
v 7 ... "justice," all manner of right between all classes and all individuals ...
v 7 ... "from henceforth even for ever." Only such a kingdom can endure. Nothing is really settled till it is settled right. The powers of evil seem very strong, but every one is doomed to fall before Christ. The forces of intemperance shall be destroyed, organized oppression shall be broken, heathenism shall fall, infidelity be overthrown, slavery cease. The prince of darkness in darkest Europe, darkest Africa, and darkest America shall be torn from his throne, and the light shall scatter the darkness, and the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings shall change winter into spring, and night into day.
v 7 ... "The zeal of the Lord." His earnestness, the intensity of His desire.
v 7 ... "The Lord of hosts," Who has all created beings, the unseen multitudes of angels, the forces of nature, all organized like an army -- a host -- to do His will.
Gift of Gifts
The most glorious gift anyone can receive is entering into the service of this King; to strive with all our souls to bring all men under His benign sway; to labor and give and pray for the coming of His kingdom in every heart, in every land, always remembering that a heart without Christ is a mission field and every heart with Christ is a missionary; to help the poor near at hand; to comfort the sorrowing; to be full of enthusiasm for the cause of Jesus and the work of His church (Rom. 16:16).
The Perfect day has not yet come. It becomes us to partake of "the zeal of the Lord of Hosts," and do all we can to hasten the Day. And if we begin to feel discouraged at the long voyage, the head winds, the storms that hide the stars, let us join in the words the poet put on the tongue of Columbus, "Sail on! Sail on! Sail on! and on!"
Behind him lay the great Azores,
Behind the gates of Hercules;
Before him not a ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: ‘Now must we pray,
For lo! the very stars are gone?
Brave admiral, speak -- what shall I say?
Why say, ‘Sail on! Sail on! Sail on!’My men grew mutinous day by day,
My men grew ghastly, wan, and weak;
The stout mate thought of home; a spray
Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.
‘What shall I say, brave admiral, say,
If we sight not but seas at dawn
Why you shall say at break of day,
‘Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!’They sailed and sailed as winds might blow
Until at last the blanched mate said:
‘Why, now, not even God would know
Should I and all my men fall dead;
These very winds forget their way,
For God from these dread seas is gone.
Now speak, brave admiral, speak and say!’
He said: ‘Sail on! Sail on! and on!’Then pale and worn he kept his deck
And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck --
A light, a light, a light!
It grew; a starlit flag unfurled!
It grew to be Time’s burst of dawn!
He gained a world! He gave that world
Its greatest watchword, 'On and on!'... Frances E. Tyner
The greatest search in all the world is the search for Christ, and His salvation from sin. The Quest of the Knights of the Round Table for the Holy Grail, the quest of the Fountain of Youth by Ponce de Leon, and all the quests for gold the world over are small indeed compared with this quest for Christ. Of all things discovered in the world’s history, i.e., mines, treasures, new worlds -- none compare with the discovery, each in his own experience, of Jesus Christ.
If for years should be thy quest
If for years thou hast no rest,
If the sun has hid its light,
If the day has turned to night,
If the stars refuse to shine,Heart of man, lose not thy hope;
Door, there’s none that shall not ope’;
Path, there’s one that shall not clear;
Heart of man! why shouldst thou fear?... Frances E. Tyner
Conclusion
It is inexpressibly helpful to us whose best efforts are like the slow and imperfect notes of this child, to realize that God accompanies them with His heavenly music, makes them, by His Holy Spirit, to accomplish results infinitely beyond the natural power of our words and works, and thus is filling the world with the angel’s song, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Illustration
One of the most entrancing visions of beauty in the world is the view of the city of Paris from the Eiffel Tower. Looking down:
... upon the architecture of buildings outlined in golden and silver light;
... upon trees bearing the fruit of electric lights;
... upon groups of illuminated statuary;
... upon lawns like immense emeralds surrounded by frames of golden light;
... upon illuminated fountains (not from light thrown upon them as often seen at Niagara Falls, but from light underneath) throwing up their waters in a glorious changing harmony of brilliant colors, like variegated fireworks.
It is a dream of paradise, a vision of fairy-land. After a while a spiritual mind becomes aware that all this beauty was made from the grass, water and light of our common, every-day life; and that in like manner God can take the materials now in our souls, and in society, and transform them into the glories of His new Jerusalem.
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