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A Child (2 of 4)
Series: Advent
D. Marion Clark
Isaiah 9:6-7
Introduction
Of the four images given for the Messiah, the one we are looking at today is unique in that is more than mere imagery; it is the very form of the Messiah. He will be not as a child; he will be a child when he comes. As we will see, this real image will be the most incredible of all possible images.
The Prophecy
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
Isaiah has already spoken of the child to come. In 7:14 he gives the prophecy quoted by Matthew as being fulfilled by Jesus: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. In 8:8 and the preceding verses he tells Immanuel that Israel and Judah will be destroyed. He then speaks of how their downfall will be caused by God and how the people will be cast into darkness. Then we have chapter 9, the promise of a rising light that brings deliverance and peace. These great blessings come from this child.
Let's see what we can learn from this first line - For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. Again, note that what we have here is not a mere image, but an actual being. The Messiah would come as a light; his lineage can be referred to as a branch; he will be like a banner. But here, the Messiah is not being compared to a child; he will - when he enters into the world - a child.
This child is a son. He is the heir to a royal lineage. The Jews clearly understood that the Messiah was to be from the lineage of David, which we will explore further next Sunday. But whether or not Isaiah was aware of the import of his prophecy, we can see a greater significance in this term, son. Psalm 2, a psalm about the king, was understood to be about the Messiah. Let me read a portion: 7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, ''You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. ...
Series: Advent
D. Marion Clark
Isaiah 9:6-7
Introduction
Of the four images given for the Messiah, the one we are looking at today is unique in that is more than mere imagery; it is the very form of the Messiah. He will be not as a child; he will be a child when he comes. As we will see, this real image will be the most incredible of all possible images.
The Prophecy
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
Isaiah has already spoken of the child to come. In 7:14 he gives the prophecy quoted by Matthew as being fulfilled by Jesus: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. In 8:8 and the preceding verses he tells Immanuel that Israel and Judah will be destroyed. He then speaks of how their downfall will be caused by God and how the people will be cast into darkness. Then we have chapter 9, the promise of a rising light that brings deliverance and peace. These great blessings come from this child.
Let's see what we can learn from this first line - For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. Again, note that what we have here is not a mere image, but an actual being. The Messiah would come as a light; his lineage can be referred to as a branch; he will be like a banner. But here, the Messiah is not being compared to a child; he will - when he enters into the world - a child.
This child is a son. He is the heir to a royal lineage. The Jews clearly understood that the Messiah was to be from the lineage of David, which we will explore further next Sunday. But whether or not Isaiah was aware of the import of his prophecy, we can see a greater significance in this term, son. Psalm 2, a psalm about the king, was understood to be about the Messiah. Let me read a portion: 7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, ''You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. ...
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