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Friday (Day 6)

VERSES: Isaiah 9:1-7

We live in a world at war. Each generation faces its own battles and, though the faces and locations of the conflicts vary, what remains constant is the presence and threat of military battle. This is one of the lingering affects of sin in this world.

Isaiah 9:1-7 is one of the most famous passages in all of the Old Testament . . . and for good reason! What a blessed hope it promises. From the land of Galilee, a small rural province in northern Israel that often drew the first attack from invading armies because of its northern exposure, a leader would emerge that would bring glory and peace to God’s people. This leader would be a bully-buster who would establish peace on the earth and eliminate the need for trillions of dollars to be spent on national defense. Surprisingly, though, the leader who would quell the bullies would not be a bigger bully, but a child. What a contrast! The mighty Assyrian army (in Isaiah’s day) would be stopped by God working through a little child. The terror of the terrorists would be silenced from the crib of Bethlehem’s manger. This child, of course, was Jesus who would grow up and reveal Himself as Mighty God. Seven hundred years after this prophecy was given, Jesus would be born as a child, clothing Himself in humanity, to set in motion a plan to bring lasting peace to the earth.

What is amazing about reading this prophecy from Isaiah at Christmas time, though, is that the accomplishment of this prophecy has not yet fully taken place. The gifts of Isaiah 9 are still wrapped under the Christmas tree of Christ’s second advent. When Jesus returns to the earth at a future time, He will put an end to war and He will rule the world in peace. One day war will cease, and the bullies will be stopped. The One who was born a Child will return in glorious triumph and shine His light throughout our world. That is one present I cannot wait to be unwrapped.