Are Isaiah’s Prophecies About Jesus?

At most Christmas carol services a passage from Isaiah 9 is read out. It was written by the prophet Isaiah about 735 years before Christ. However a critical question is who the child is this he describes. Is it just about the birth of a new prince, perhaps the son of King Hezekiah, and not a prophecy at all? Or did Isaiah have an inkling that he was talking about the future Messiah?

It is important to know the historical background. After David and his son Solomon had established the kingdom of Israel, the next king, Solomon’s son Rehoboam, was young and headstrong. The population of the Northern tribes rebelled against him and this resulted in the kingdom splitting. The top ten rebellious tribes were called the Kingdom of Israel and the lower two tribes were together called the Kingdom of Judah.

Many years later, about 733 BC, Rezin, King of Syria otherwise called Aram, and Pekah, King of Israel, tried to put some pressure on Ahaz, King of Judah, to join them in a coalition against King Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria. However, Ahaz decided, against the advice of the prophet Isaiah, to put his trust in the King of Assyria. The Assyrians did rout the combined armies of Syria and Israel, deported many of their families and restocked the land with foreigners. They intermarried and became the Samaritan people. A few years later the new king of Assyria, Sennacherib, returned and threatened Judah, then ruled by the godly Hezekiah. His armies reached as far as the walls of Jerusalem, only being forced to withdraw when an illness killed many of his troops over a very short period of time. These were very difficult times and Isaiah, passing on what God had told him wanted both that generation and subsequent ones to learn some vital lessons. He wrote:

“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.” Isaiah 9:1

Invading armies, whether Assyrian or later Babylonian or even later Roman armies invaded from the north. The lands of Mesopotamia were separated from Judah by a wide desert that would be lethal for an army to try and cross in those days. That is why they came down from the north, through the tribal lands allocated to Zebulun and Naphali. This northern area, to the east of the Sea of Galilee, was also called Galilee. These northern regions were the first ravaged by the invaders, so it is no wonder they were full of gloom. The Way of the Sea was the highway that went from Damascus, capital of Syria, across Galilee, down along the coast of Judah and then and on to Egypt. This road was the preferred easy route for invaders.

Isaiah declares that there is light and a future for this troubled people. It is significant that Jesus came from Galilee, being raised in the village of Nazareth. Isaiah writes,

2 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.
5For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire. Isaiah 9:2-5

At first it appears that Isaiah is referring to the darkness caused by the occupying armies and that freedom from them will be expressed with ebullient joy, much as expressed in Europe when the Allies cleared their land of the Nazi armies. The Israelites looked back to the day when Gideon had remarkably led the Israelite army, that had been reduced from 32,000 soldiers down to 300, that resulted in the invading Midianite army destroying themselves.

However the wording of verse 2 is strange, ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light’. It was the people and not their land who were in darkness. It was the people who have ‘seen the light’. It would appear that Isaiah has a double meaning here. He is not just referring to the problems caused by an invading and occupying army but also to a spiritual darkness that was within people. It is surely no coincidence that the Messiah would come as ‘the light of the world’ is a repeated theme of the Bible.

Mankind’s Darkness

The greatest problem we all have is how we should live and for what ends. People today are in darkness, contentment is on the decrease whilst depression, anxiety, divorce as well as alcohol and drug abuse are all on the increase. Such inner darkness comes from a lack of full understanding of what we have been created for. Isaiah had already used the idea of darkness to describe spiritual darkness.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” Isaiah 5:20

Later the apostle Paul wrote about this spiritual darkness,

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” Ephesians 4:17

It is significant that the reason God permitted the Assyrians to attack his chosen people was precisely because they had turned their backs on their Lord and Saviour. Darkness is a constant theme of Scripture. The Bible begins in Genesis 1 with the world in darkness - until God spoke. King David recognised that the turning of darkness to joy is a gift of God.

“You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness to light.” 2 Samuel 22:29

God’s Answer

Surprisingly God’s answer to this darkness is to announce the birth of a child. On two separate occasions a child is mentioned, the first time in the context of God’s judgment and the second time as his coming as a Saviour.

The Child of Isaiah 7

In Isaiah 7 Isaiah has said to King Ahaz,

“Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

The name Immanuel is a divine title, meaning ‘God with us’. The context is that this child of God will be a sign of God’s judgment. He means, ‘God is with us in judgment’. Ahaz had made a decision not to act on Isaiah’s warning from God that he should put his trust in God alone and not in political alliances. Ahab had refused even to test what Isaiah had said. Isaiah then replied,

“Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child . . . he will bring the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 7:10-25

The judgment that this child’s birth signifies would be devastation of the whole land.

In this prophecy the mother of this child was a virgin or unmarried. The Hebrew word for an unmarried lady and for a virgin were the same. In those days it was a great disgrace if a girl was not a virgin when she married and the status of a child born to an unmarried woman was illegitimate.

Over 700 years later an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to advise him about what was happening with his fiancee, Mary, and said,

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. He will give birth to a Son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

All this took place to fulfil what was said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ - which means God with us.” Matthew 1:20-23

The Child of Isaiah 9

The land is going to be devastated but what follows in Isaiah’s next prophecy is astounding. The answer for this spiritual darkness will be a child who will rule and save his people. The question is, ‘Do these words refer to the son of a king, such as Hezekiah, or are they looking forwards to the Messiah, to God’s chosen king, to Jesus?’

This child was given highly significant names.

“. . . and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6b

Let us look at each of these phrases and see how they are used elsewhere in the Bible.

Wonderful Counsellor

The Hebrew could be translated either ‘Wonderful Counsellor or ‘Wonderful, Counsellor’ with two titles separated by a comma. The name ‘Wonderful’ had already been used in Scripture to describe an angel of God. In the days of the Judges an angel appeared to the sterile wife of a man named Manoah and told her that she was to have a son who would be a Nazirite, a person who abstained from all alcohol and unclean foods and never cut his hair. This angel then met Manoah himself who asked him his name. The angel replied,

“It is Wonderful.” Judges 13:18

This child was named Samson.

Isaiah uses this word ‘Wonderful’ elsewhere, to describe God himself.

“All this comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.” Isaiah 28:29

A little later Isaiah gives more details about this child - he will be a descendant of King David’s father, Jesse.

“A shoot will come up from Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:1-3

The genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament confirm that he was the direct descendant of both Jesse and King David. Furthermore Jesus demonstrated these characteristics of the Spirit of God by the way he lived. It is his life that has convinced so many of us about his divine nature.

Mighty God

This phrase cannot be misunderstood. The human child is ‘mighty God’. As there is only one God, this child is his incarnation. Isaiah later uses the same phrase when referring to the creator God of the world, the God of Israel who will rescue his people.

“A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.” Isaiah 10:21

There can now be no doubt that Isaiah is not referring to an ordinary King of Judah, or even an Alexander or Roman Emperor, this king is truly God. This conclusion is confirmed by the next statement that this descendant of King David will be a ruler whose reign will never end. His rule will be marked by peace, justice and righteousness and will continue for ever.

Everlasting Father

This phrase explains the concept of the Trinity. This child is going to have the same divine substance as God the Father. The idea of Jesus being God was not invented at the Council of Nicea (325AD) as has been suggested but it is clearly here in the Old Testament and is so often taught in the New Testament, Jesus is God and equal to his Father. Jesus claimed to be able to save people from their sin against God only because he is God. Jesus said,

“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

His hearers had no doubt what he was saying – they picked up stones to stone him. Jesus asked his accusers,

“I have shown you many great miracles from the Father, for which of these do you stone me?”

“We are not stoning you for any of these” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:32-33

Prince of Peace

This child would bring peace to his people. In those days a Prince of Peace would be a king who brought peace to his realm by overcoming all enemies. This would enable his people to live securely, happily and purposefully. This feature of the Messiah’s rule is repeatedly emphasised by Isaiah but it is much more than a military or social peace. This peace clearly comes from a spiritual relationship where people love the Saviour, though this is portrayed as a picture of people living in a stronghold that is open to all people. Isaiah has no doubt that God’s people will have a personal relationship with him.

“We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD for ever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:1-4

This Prince of Peace is much more that a powerful ruler. The peace the members of God’s kingdom will experience is an inner peace that comes from being committed long-term to the king, trusting him in everything.

This peace was won for us by the Lord Jesus when he died on that cross to pay the price for our sin. Without him as Saviour our sin would eternally separate us from God. Isaiah in his famous prophecy, in chapter 53, clearly describes how this divine person would sacrifice himself to take on himself the penalty for our sin.

“Surely he took out infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. He was pierced for our iniquities, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6

The Bible teaches that this peace can be experienced by anyone of any background who submits voluntarily to the rule of God’s Messiah. We can experience this peace in our lives both now and through into eternity. Isaiah continues to describe the rule of this king.

Increasing Godliness and peace

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. Isaiah 9:1-7

This is exactly what Jesus has achieved. His rule of righteousness still continues in his people.

Later Isaiah describes what the Messiah would do in the future.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God. . . They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour.” Isaiah 61:1-3

Early in Jesus’ ministry, he read these words to the congregation in the synagogue at Nazareth. He stopped after reading ‘to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour.’ This was not a calendar year but the period when the salvation won by the Lord Jesus on that cross would be proclaimed. This proclamation is what the church of Jesus Christ is to undertake. The day of vengeance will come when the LORD returns. This is his promise.

The role of the church is to continue what the Messiah came to do. We will preach the good news to the spiritually needy. We will help those who are emotionally needy with the security there is in Christ. People in spiritual darkness, prisoners of sin, can experience freedom. The world needs to hear that the day of the Lord’s favour has come, the Messiah, our hope, has entered his world. Yet people also need to be warned that there will eventually be a day of judgment for us all, a day of vengeance. The effect of this teaching will be to produce a kingdom of people who have submitted to the rule of Christ and as a consequence are living consistent, Christlike lives in order to glorify their God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus.

BVP