ISAIAH
9:1-10:4 – The prophecy has been spoken – ‘To us a Child
is born, to us a Son is given…’. The prophecy has been fulfilled –
‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ
the Lord’. Jesus Christ is our great Saviour. He is our ‘Wonderful
Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (9:6: Luke
2:11). Jesus Christ has brought to us a great salvation. Through faith
in Him, we enter God’s heavenly and eternal ‘Kingdom’ (9:7: Luke
1:30-33). This is ‘Good News of great joy’ – for ‘all the people’, for
‘all generations’. Let us rejoice in the Lord, as Mary, the mother of
Jesus, did – ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God
my Saviour… for the Mighty One has done great things for me…’. Let us
join with the angels in saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest…’ (Luke
2:10; 1:46-50; 2:14).
10:5-34 – ‘A few, the remaining few of Jacob, will return to
the Mighty God…’ (21). So few people take time to worship the Lord. Are
we to become discouraged? No! We must take encouragement from God’s
Word: ‘The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a
flame’(17). We must continue to pray for God’s blessing. ‘Let the flame
burn brighter in the heart of the darkness, turning night to glorious
day. Let the song grow louder as our love grows stronger; let it shine!
let it shine!’. ‘Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s
glory; blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire. Flow, river, flow,
flood the nations with grace and mercy; send forth Your Word, Lord, and
let there be light!’ (Mission Praise, 743,445). May God give us grace to ‘truly rely on’ Him, ‘the Lord, the Holy One of Israel’ (20).
11:1-12:6 – The family tree of ‘Jesse, the father of King
David’ has a very special ‘Branch’ – Jesus Christ (11:1; Matthew
1:1,6,16). Jesus Christ has raised ‘a banner for the nations’. He is
‘the Saviour of the world’. He has died ‘for the sins of the whole
world’. The ‘Good News’ is to be preached to ‘all the world’. Christ
calls ‘all nations’ to ‘turn to Him’. He calls ‘all nations’ to receive
the ‘forgiveness of sins’. He calls ‘all nations’ to become His
‘disciples’ (12; John 4:42; 1 John 2:2; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Matthew
28:19). May our personal faith – ‘I will praise You, O Lord… God is my
Salvation… The Lord is my Strength and my Song…’ – become our public
testimony – making Christ ‘known among the nations’, telling ‘all the
world’ what the Lord has done for us (12:1-2,4-5).
13:1-22 – ‘The Day of the Lord is near; it will come like
destruction from the Almighty… The Day of the Lord is coming – a cruel
Day with wrath and fierce anger…’ (6,9). Christ’s Return will be a Day
of salvation – ‘the Day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and
to be marvelled at among all those who have believed’. It will also be a
Day of judgment – ‘When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven… He will
punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out
from the presence of the Lord…’ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). Don’t let the
Day of the Lord ‘surprise you like a thief’. It can be a Day of
‘salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’. Trust ‘Jesus, who rescues us
from the coming wrath’ (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4,9; 1:9-10).
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