Old Testament Christmas

Background – Read Isaiah 8:18-22. The people of Judah are in distress. The Assyrian empire is at their doorstep. There is an atmosphere of terror in the land. The people turned to mediums and spirits for answers … for words of hope which amazed Isaiah. Read vs. 19-20. In time, the people will be consumed by their fear and uncertainty. Fear and uncertainty will turn into anger and the people will curse their king and God. They blame God … point finger at God for their distress. In reality, the blame is theirs. They committed spiritual adultery. The people look down at the earth and all they see is distress and gloom. Read vs. 22.

Read Isaiah 9:1-7

The lands of Zebulun and Naphtali are located in northeastern Israel. See map. We’ll come back to the significance of this region in a little bit.

1) Characterize the emotional state/spiritual state of a person walking in darkness and living in the land of the shadow of death. Fear, doubt, anger, distress, lost, directionless, gloom. Not a happy, joyful place to be.

2) What will the people walking in darkness and living in the land of the shadow of death see? Light. What will it do to the darkness and the shadow of death? The light will make them disappear. Darkness and death will no longer have power over the people.

3) Would you characterize verses 1 through 7 as words of optimism or pessimism? Optimism. No more distress. No more gloom. There will be great rejoicing. The yoke that burdened the people, the bar across their shoulders weighing them down, the rod of their oppressors that brings them pain and suffering will all be shattered. There will be peace.

4) How will this happen? Through a child. Not a through great army or through special effect filled miracle. It’ll be in the same mode as God defeated Midian - unexpected/unusual. Read Judges chapters 6-8. The 12 tribes of Israel were constantly attacked by their neighbor the Midianites. The Israelites came under Midianite rule. Midianites treated Israelites harshly. Darkness of gloom and death fell upon the land. The people were looking for a messiah (God’s anointed) to rescue them. Another Moses to deliver them. Instead they got Gideon. He was the least of his family and his family was the least of the tribe of Manasseh. Gideon was a wimp not a great leader. He was the opposite of a Moses. God anointed this obscure nobody from a nobody family to be the messiah/deliverer of Israel. – God had Gideon to reduce his army from 32,000 men to 300 men to defeat Midian and free his people from the oppression of Midian. Salvation came in an unusual manner. 1) God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300. 2) Defeated Midian using trumpets and lanterns not swords and chariots.

5) What titles will the newborn child be called? What characteristics do you associate with each title?

Wonderful Counselour – advocate/defender against all accusers. Offers words of wisdom.

Mighty God – power, strength

Everlasting Father – eternal, provider, comforter, protector

Prince of Peace – ruler, peace

6) How long will his reign last? Forever. What two attributes will characterize his reign? Justice and righteousness.

7) Who will make this happen? God

8) How does Isaiah 9:1-7 relate to Jesus?

Jesus began his ministry in the region of Galilee that was once the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. Read Matthew 4:12-17.

Jesus is the Light. Read John 1:1-9; John 8:12: John 12:46

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus broke the yoke/bar/rod of sin and death that brought fear and oppression to mankind.

Comparison to the defeat of Midian – Jesus was born in obscurity. Bethlehem – cow stall; He was raised in Nazareth – John 1:46 “Does anything good come out of Nazareth?”; Galilee – Pharisees dismissed Jesus’ ministry by saying no prophet has ever come from Galilee; Jesus was not the Messiah that the Jews anticipated. He was not a mighty warrior.

Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

His kingdom is an eternal one founded on justice and righteousness.

9) What were the people who heard Isaiah’s message suppose to get from it? Hope. The bad times will not last forever. There will come a time of peace and joy that will last for eternity.

In the Garden of Eden, man disobeyed God. Consequently, the darkness of sin and death fell upon the world. The shadow of death haunted man like a ghoul. Humanity lived in fear of this darkness. There was no rejoicing in the world for there was no hope. The yoke of sin and death weighed heavily upon the back of humanity. The rod of Satan beat down upon humanity. The soul of man knew no peace. As the centuries passed, sin became more rampant. The world became even darker. Humanity walked blindly in the darkness with no direction. Satan continued to beat into man fear, hatred, despair, and lies.

Two thousand years ago, God looked down upon the earth wrapped in a blanket of darkness. In my mind’s eye, God seemed to speak four familiar words “Let there be Light!” That Light descended from Heaven to this dark, gloomy world in the form of a child. This child was not any ordinary child. This child was the Mighty God Himself – a Wonderful Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This child dispelled the darkness that for so long had blanketed the earth. This child forced the shadow of death to flee to the depths of hell from whence it came. This child shattered the yoke of sin, the bar of iniquity, and the rod of our oppressor, Satan. Humanity would no longer wander aimlessly in the darkness nor would they have to fear death. With the Light, came life, hope, love, peace, courage, and truth. Consequently, the world felt something that it had not felt in a long time – indescribable, unspeakable joy.

Since the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, has the darkness of sin and death reclaimed the world from His Light? After two thousand years, has the Light of Bethlehem been extinguished by the darkness? The Great Deceiver, Satan, would like us to believe it has. He would like us to believe that sin still rules over us who believe in the Light and that death is something that followers of God should still fear. Do not allow Satan to deceive you. The true Light that is Jesus is not like the like the light of a candle that can be easily blown out. The Light still shines as bright as ever. That Light that came to earth two thousand years ago is in you. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Matthew 4:12-17
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

John 1:1-9
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.