Isaiah 9

Order a Free Bible Here from - Bibles4Free.com - a - USBibleSociety.com - Ministry

Dave Burnette's Commentary

Isaiah Chapter 9

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Isaiah

Date Penned: (700-681 BC)

Overview: To Tell of God's Salvation through the Messiah (c 1-66)

Theme: Words of Judgment (c 1-39)

Message: Prophecy About the Coming Messiah (v 1-21)

Isaiah 9 Commentary

(9:1-7) The Messiah - This child, who would become the people's deliverer, is the Messiah, Jesus. Matthew quotes these verses in describing Christ's ministry (Matthew 4:15-16). The territories of Zebulun and Naphtali represent the northern kingdom as a whole. These were also the territories where Jesus grew up and often ministered; this is why the people there would see "a great light."

(9:1) The Lord Will Lead Us - In our gloom and despair, we fear that our sorrows and troubles will never end. But we can take comfort in this certainty: Although the Lord may not always spare us from troubles, he will lead us safely through them if we follow him wholeheartedly.

(9:2-6) The Light - In a time of great darkness, God promised to send a light that would shine on everyone living in the shadow of death. This light was a person, who would be both "Counsellor" (all-loving) and "The mighty God" (all-powerful). This message of hope was fulfilled in the birth of Christ and the establishment of his eternal kingdom. He came to deliver all people from their slavery to sin.

(9:2) The True Light - The apostle John later referred to Jesus as the "true Light" (John 1:9). Jesus referred to himself as "the light of the world" (John 8:12). The lights of the Christmas season should remind us that Jesus is our true Light. He came into the world at a time of great spiritual and moral darkness. God realized how dark it was, so he sent his Son. People today face great darkness and despair. They need to see Jesus' light in us.

(9:8-10) Pride - Pride made the people of Israel think they would recover and rebuild in their own strength. Even though God was the one who made the people of Israel a great nation and gave them the land they occupied, the people put their trust in themselves--in their own cleverness and resources--rather than in him. Too often we take pride in our accomplishments, forgetting that it is God who has given us our resources and abilities. We may even become proud of our unique status as Christians. God is not pleased when we put our trust in ourselves or our own efforts, because this behavior cuts off our contact with him and means we ourselves are taking his place as ruler of our lives. If this happens, we become useless ambassadors for him and his purposes.

(9:21) The Northern Kingdom - Ephraim and Manasseh were tribes in the northern kingdom descended from Joseph's two sons. This verse describes family strife and civil war. It may be an allusion to the war between Jephthah and the tribe of Ephraim during the period of the Judges, in which 42,000 Ephraimites were killed (see Judges 12:4); by Isaiah's time, these tribes had joined forces to invade Judah (Isaiah 741).

Dave Burnette's Life Application
Prophesy

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Isaiah with Chapter 9. In our text today, we see the prophecy about the coming Messiah in verse 6. In applying, we see the difference between the Bible and other religious writings or teachings, which are fulfilled prophecies. This event, with many others, proves the Bible is the Word of God. How about you? Do you see the Bible as the true Word of God? Let us learn from our text today and this prophecy of the Bible of the coming of Jesus to see that the Bible is the True Word of God.

Isaiah 9

Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter

Isaiah 9

¹Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

²The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

³Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

⁴For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

⁵For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

⁷Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

⁸The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

⁹And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

¹⁰The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

¹¹Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

¹²The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

¹³For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.

¹⁴Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

¹⁵The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

¹⁶For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

¹⁷Therefore the LORD shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

¹⁸For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

¹⁹Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

²⁰And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:

²¹Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Language Translator (Click on Tab to Translate Page)

Scripture Application (Click on Box to View Application)

Bible Search (Search Bible By Word or Verse)

Take Notes on Your Bible Studies (Using our Padlet)

Listen to the Bible (By Talking Bibles)

Try Our Free Daily Devotion Email

For Email Newsletters you can trust