Isaiah: Prophecies of the Coming Messiah

I opened with the picture of Ashford—a town hollowed out by loss—to help us feel the ache Isaiah describes at the end of chapter 8: gloom, darkness, and a people grasping at false lights. Judah under King Ahaz had chosen alliances and idols over the Lord. Isaiah’s own family became a living prophecy: his name declaring “Yahweh is salvation,” one son promising a remnant would return, another warning of swift plunder. Into that night, Isaiah 9 breaks in with a promise: the regions first humbled—Zebulun and Naphtali—will be honored. The dawn will rise precisely where judgment landed. Matthew ties this to Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, where those who sat in darkness saw a great light.

That light is not sentiment. It’s the Lord’s decisive rescue. Isaiah uses the “prophetic perfect” to speak of future liberation as already accomplished, echoing Gideon’s unlikely victory over Midian. God saves in ways that cut off human boasting. The war gear will be burned because the Prince of Peace ends the fight at its deepest front—our estrangement from God.

Then we’re told who this Light is. A child is born. A son is given. He comes in human weakness so he can truly represent us and offer a real atonement. Yet He is more than human: Wonderful Counselor (a supernatural wisdom), Mighty God (El Gibbor), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The New Testament affirms this mystery—fully God, fully man—and shows it in His words, works, death, and resurrection. He doesn’t merely start something; of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He sits on David’s throne and establishes justice forever. The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.

Our confidence is not wishful thinking. Isaiah wrote seven centuries before Jesus, and the Jewish Scriptures were complete and in Greek two centuries before Christ. The sheer convergence of fulfilled prophecies does more than inspire; it grounds hope in reality. So wherever the night has settled in your life, take heart. Christ brings light where judgment fell. Trust Him—enter His peace now, and look for the day when His reign makes all things new.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Light dawns in our darkest ruins. [12:55] God honors the very ground that once bore our defeat. Zebulun and Naphtali were humbled first, yet Galilee became the stage of Christ’s healing and proclamation. Expect grace to meet you in the place of your worst history, not beyond it. [12:55]
• 2. God wins by weakening our strength. [17:58] Isaiah recalls Midian to show salvation that leaves no room for self-credit. God reduces our arsenal so we’ll stop trusting it and finally trust Him. When the props fall, it’s mercy positioning us to receive a victory only He can give. [17:58]
• 3. The Child is God-with-us, truly. [26:28] He had to be human to stand in our place and bear our sin; He had to be divine to make that sacrifice infinitely sufficient and eternally effective. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace—these are not poetic flourishes but the identity of the Savior. Draw near to Him with worship and with confidence for real help. [26:28]
• 4. His peace-filled rule never ends. [34:05] His government grows; His peace deepens; His justice endures. Reconciled to God now, we begin living under His reign today—embodying His justice in our relationships and communities. Lay down old “war garments” like resentment and self-justification; His kingdom makes them obsolete. [34:05]
• 5. Prophecy grounds hope in reality. [38:02] Isaiah spoke centuries before Jesus, and the Hebrew Scriptures were publicly established long before His birth. Fulfilled prophecies don’t just inspire—they tether our faith to God’s verifiable acts in history. Hope becomes certainty when it rests on His proven word. [38:02]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [03:01] - From Ashford’s gloom to Judah’s
• [04:51] - Ahaz’s alliances and unbelief
• [06:43] - Isaiah’s family as living prophecy
• [08:00] - Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz and judgment
• [10:24] - Humbled regions to honored Galilee
• [12:55] - A great light dawns
• [15:42] - Yoke broken: prophetic perfect
• [17:58] - Gideon and God’s decisive victory
• [20:21] - Three facts about the Messiah
• [22:22] - The virgin birth and promises
• [26:28] - Divine titles of the Child
• [32:15] - Fully God, fully man explained
• [34:05] - Endless government and peace
• [38:02] - Can we trust these prophecies?
• [41:40] - Hope, invitation, and prayer

Bible Reading

Isaiah 9:1-7 — 1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation and increased their joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Observation Questions

1. Isaiah 9:1–2 names Zebulun and Naphtali and then speaks of “Galilee of the Gentiles.” What change does the text describe for those regions—how were they treated before and what does the text say will happen to them? [10:24]
2. Isaiah 9:3–5 uses harvest joy, the breaking of a yoke, and garments burned as fuel. What concrete elements of rescue and reversal appear in these images? How do they shape your picture of what “salvation” will look like? [15:42]
3. Isaiah 9:6 lists five titles for the coming child: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. What distinct truth about the Messiah does each title emphasize when read together? [26:28]
4. Isaiah 9:7 promises that “the increase of His government and peace” will have no end and that the throne of David will be established with justice. What specific words or phrases in the passage give the promise a sense of permanence and authority? [34:05]

Interpretation Questions

1. The passage uses language like “You have broken the yoke” in a way that sounds past-tense about a future deliverance (the prophetic perfect). What does this grammatical choice communicate about God’s work — about certainty, timing, and the nature of divine action? [15:42]
2. The text presents the Messiah as born a child and at the same time gives divine titles (“Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father”). How should one understand the relationship between the Messiah’s humanity and deity in Isaiah 9? What theological implications follow for how the Messiah can both represent people and secure an eternal rescue? [28:32]
3. The sermon argued that God often secures victory by reducing human means so people stop trusting themselves (the Gideon analogy). How does this shape the interpretation of Isaiah’s promise that garments of war will be burned? What is the deeper aim of God’s “weakening” of human strength? [17:58]
4. The prophecy about Galilee later links to Jesus’ ministry there and to historical attestation of Scripture. How does the combination of prophetic promise plus historical fulfillment affect the way one should treat hope rooted in God’s promises? [38:02]

Application Questions

1. The text promises that light dawns where gloom settled (the broken-down places of life). What one specific place in your life right now looks like “Ashford” or “Galilee of defeat,” and what is one immediate step you can take this week to invite Christ’s light into that place? [12:55]
2. Isaiah pictures God breaking the yoke and burning garments of war. Name a “war garment” you still carry (resentment, self-justification, control, etc.). What practical, measurable action will you take this week to begin laying it down? (e.g., a conversation, confession, a letter, a change of routine) [15:42]
3. Where do you tend to rely on your own strength or resources rather than on God? Identify one specific arena (work, relationships, reputation, finances). What is one concrete way you will reduce that reliance so God’s strength can be seen (for example, asking for help, stepping back from control, praying instead of planning)? [17:58]
4. Believing the Child is both fully human and fully divine affects how people pray and trust him. How will this truth change the way you approach prayer, confession, or dependence on Jesus this week? Name one different thing you will try (longer prayer time, specific confession, reading Christ’s words in the Gospels). [26:28]
5. Prophecy grounds hope in what God has done and will do. Which particular promise or fulfilled prophecy most anchors your confidence in Christ, and how will you remind yourself of that promise the next time despair comes? (options: memorize a verse, set a phone reminder, share it with a friend) [38:02]
6. The reign of Christ is described as increasing justice and peace now and forever. What is one practical way this small group can embody Christ-like justice or peace in our neighborhood or church this month? Pick one concrete project or relationship to pursue and agree on one next step. [34:05]