Isaiah 9:1-7 records the last part of a message given by the Prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah living under King Ahaz. King Ahaz received news of a planned attack from King Pekah of the northern kingdom of Israel and King Rezin of Syria if he did not join their alliance against Assyria. Isaiah relays a message to Ahaz from God telling him “not loose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood”—because God would soon use Assyria to deal with these two nations. Rather than put his trust in God, King Ahaz takes matters into his own hands and seeks to form an alliance with the king of Assyria by bribing him with silver and gold from the Temple (2 Kings 16:8). Not only would this “alliance” ultimately fail and Judah thrust into captivity, King Ahaz lead the nation into full scale idolatry (2 Chronicles 28:22-26).
Despite this, the words of Isaiah 9:1-7 were words of hope, that though “people walk in darkness… a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). The sign for this hope is a “virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The promise is that one day this “child” 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 9:7).
Compare Isaiah 9:1-7 with Matthew 4:12-17. According to the Matthew passage, how did Jesus begin to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy?
Read Isaiah 9:4-5. On what basis does Isaiah urge confidence in God fulfilling His promise?
See also Judges 6:1-9; 7:19-25; 8:10-21—
Read Ephesians 2:12-14. How did Jesus “enlarge the nation”?
Are there areas of life where you are you trusting your own “schemes” rather than God’s Word? What would it look like to have complete confidence in God?
What hope does Jesus’ name “Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:23) provide?
