As an introduction to our Scripture reading: Assyria, the invincible superpower of the day, was threatening to wipe out the southern kingdom of Judah, where Isaiah did his ministry. Isaiah saw in this the culmination of God’s judgment against the widespread apostasy of Judah under King Ahaz. The only hope for escape, Isaiah declared, was God’s intervention: Not political alliances, material wealth, or religious pretense. Yet, before God would intervene the Assyrians would come, and they would overwhelm the northern kingdom of Israel (the region that in Jesus’ day was called The Galilee) and they would carry off the wealth of Samaria, its capitol. And with the Assyrians would come darkness and despair…
The Prophet Isaiah 9:1-7 [NLTse]
Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the Sea, will be filled with glory.
2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before You as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. 4 For You will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as You did when You destroyed the army of Midian. 5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.
6 For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
Did anyone here ever experience a scary pregnancy? I remember – I think I’ve shared with many of you – when my oldest son, Noah, was born: And, as the alarms went off and the crashcarts came in, thinking he was going to die; and as I was pushed out of the way and some of the carts got set up around my wife, Amy, that she was going to die, too… It was a long few moments following a very long night of labor. But the joy and praise I felt when I found they were both going to be alright was… Well, the prophet Isaiah said that that’s something like what Judah’s joy was going to be like when their new King would be born.
I remember taking my ordination exams in seminary: Five several-hour-long tests each, asking detailed questions about the Bible and the church’s Constitution; about the pastoral approach I would take towards a highly unlikely and overly convoluted family crisis; about my understanding and application of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in church life; and, a sermon – including all my research for it – on a fairly vague and controversial Scripture passage.
My entire graduating class took the exams at the same time, but, since they were graded by elders and pastors all over the country, we got them back at different times across several days. Mine didn’t come in the first day, and only one of the friends I had spoken to had passed them all, everybody else had perhaps passed three or four but failed the others. And you needed to pass all five or you didn’t become a pastor! And the second day mine didn’t come in: I was checking my box every hour or two… By then I’d run into a couple more friends who’d passed them all, but also several more who’d, again, failed one or two… I was holding my breath when I saw the paperwork filling my box late the afternoon of the third day. And I cried tears of awe and gratitude when I saw that I had passed all five…
Isaiah said that that would be something like the kind of relief and praise Judah would experience when the long night the Assyrians were bringing would finally end.
He compares the joy of that time to payday, and to retiremen (or to being an addict and getting and staying clean, or getting out of jail), and then to victory in war (for those of you who celebrated D-Day or for whom your spouse, parents, or children have come home safely from being deployed…).
Of course, there’s different ways people express joy: For some its very personal, dancing inside us, and all that shows is the ear-to-ear smile; for others, everyone around us gets to hear all about it whether they want to or not; and everything in between…
And, what would end Judah’s time of darkness and despair? What will be the cause of this great joy? A new King would be born, and His wisdom to rule well would astonish those around Him. He will be “El”, the all-powerful God of the gods; and not someone who would ever leave them orphaned but a “forever father”; the chief and champion to make Mankind whole and complete… And His reign would last forever. And under His rule life for the great ones and the nobodies of the Earth would be fair and just forever.
And the Bible tells us in Matthew 4:12-16, “When Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested, He left Judea and returned to Galilee. He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:
“‘In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the Sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.’”
And this is the time we live! We’ve sat in the darkness. We’ve known the captivity of sin and what it’s like to be terrified of death, right? Don’t you remember? (If you’re still in such a place, helpless against temptations and frightened of the unknown and being out of control, Jesus Christ wants to shine on you and set you free and lead you to rejoice in Him!) King Jesus has been setting men, women, boys, and girls free from sin and death and fear and shame for more than 2,000 years, and He can set you free, too!
And, like the report you’ve been waiting a month for that finally comes back, “No cancer!” and, like the way you felt when you asked her out and she said, “Yes,” and, like after years of trying, when the test unbelievably shows you’re really pregnant! the life of a Christian is that kind of rejoicing!
And not only do we have so many reasons to rejoice and celebrate Him and delight in our Father and Savior, but we’re commanded to: “Delight yourself in the LORD,” Psalm 37:4 says. The apostle Paul said of himself that he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” (2 Corinthians 6:10) And Nehemiah 8:10 commits to us, “The joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Let me share some more Scripture about this. Deuteronomy warns: “If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you.” (28:47) (Any of us experiencing the reality of that right now?)
Psalm 33 begins, “Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise Him.” (v. 1) And Psalm 40:16, “May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You.” “The LORD reigns,” Psalm 97 proclaims, “let the Earth be glad!” (v. 1) And “let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!” (Psalm 105:3b)
With this in mind, have you ever noticed that our Father calls us, not merely to do mercy, but to “love mercy” in Micah 6:8? To do our “acts of mercy with cheerfulness!” Romans 12:8 charges us. To be cheerful givers, 2 Corinthians 9:7 says. And on and on.
Back in the 1600’s Puritan Richard Baxter wrote: “May the Living God, who is the portion and rest of the saints, make these our carnal minds so spiritual, and our earthly hearts so heavenly, that loving Him, and delighting in Him, may be the work of our lives.” (Richard Baxter, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest [Grand Rapids, Mich,: Baker, 1978] p. 17)
Presbyterian Pastor Matthew Henry, who’s famous for his Bible Commentary, wrote: “The joy of the Lord will arm us against the assaults of our spiritual enemies and put our mouths out of taste for those pleasures with which the tempter baits his hooks.” (Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 [Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, n.d., orig. 1708] p. 1096)
And the apostle Paul goes on, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) And King David, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
Across the Word of God the Holy Spirit charges us to be and live joyfully, and so much so that those around us might catch our joy. (2 Corinthians 2:3) Even so, our Father’s given us so very many different reasons to rejoice!
Yet we all have bad days, don’t we? And there can be so much bad news around us. And others we care about or whom affect our lives can be nasty, and trip us up, and leave us anything but joyful. And if we set our minds on such things, and if we let anything but Christ rule our minds and hearts, no, we will not know very much joy. But when we put Jesus first…
If, when we realize that our thoughts have strayed from Him, and we find ourselves in the darkness of worry, fear, wicked thoughts, despair… If we’ll stop and set our minds on Him, and the cross, and all He’s done and all He’s promised…! How can our joy not return? Do you think we’ll be able to keep ourselves from praise? A joy and a praise that are like groundwater running beneath everything in our life, like an operating system, running along in the background giving hidden life and light to all our troubles and woes so that we don’t mourn or receive bad news like unbelievers: Because the Light has come, the new King has been born! And because He’s reigning, and because now life is fair with Him on the throne: Nobody’s yet getting their judgments or rewards, but everybody will, soon! And because His advice is always good, and because He’s so close and with us always.
I’m someone who can express my joy all “hoot and hollerin’,” but mostly I live my joy just “being before Him in wonder and awe”…