Season 6, Podcast 56, Isaiah 9:1-7, “Unto Us a Child is Born.”

Season 6, Podcast 56, Isaiah 9:1-7, “Unto Us a Child is Born.”

John the Revelator and Isaiah were both visionaries of an extraordinary nature. John the Revelator’s peculiar role as prophet was to tell the history, not only of the whole world, but also of the premortal existence of man and the post mortal existence of man. Isaiah’s peculiar role as prophet was to warn the House of Judah in his own day, and to prophesy of the First and Second Comings of the Savior. His visions encompass the history of the Jews from the time of their being taken into captivity into Babylon until the Millennial reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The history of the Jews is a prototype of the history of the world and serves as a warning to Jews, Christians, and to all the world.  In reading Isaiah, we must understand that his prophecies have a very organized structure, one image shedding light on the others. Assume that nothing he says is either random or accidental. Through parallelism he gives very clear clues of his time frame, whether he is talking of the present or the future or of both at the same time. Both prophets, as is the role of all true prophets, is to teach of Christ.

Isaiah 9:1

1 Nevertheless 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.

Zebulun and Naphtali are two of the twelve tribes of Israel. They are part of the northern Ten Tribes. They experienced two unique periods of persecution, which Isaiah refers to as their “vexation.” The first vexation was less than the second. Because of their location, they had the unfortunate luck to be the first to be invaded by the Assyrians, and finally it was the Assyrians that destroyed them. The Assyrians so vexed the northern Ten Tribes, which included Zebulun and Naphtali, that they were scattered over the earth, becoming known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. 

Matthew 4:13-16

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Isaiah, of course, is referring to Christ when he says, “16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” Christ himself visited the land of Zabulun and Nephthalim. That is the true message of Isaiah to all Twelve Tribes of Israel. The only way they can be brought out of captivity is to turn to Christ.

Isaiah 9:2

2 The 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.

Isaiah taught the Jews of the coming of Chrit about 700 years before Christ’s birth. He saw in vision the Christ. It is no coincidence that from the Land of Zabulun and the Land of Naphtali Christ began his ministry, telling the Jews to “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”