Written by Paul J Bucknell on December, 24, 2024
Isaiah 9:1-7 The Glory of God’s King
Purpose: Just as radiant light pierces the darkness, God’s promises in Isaiah 9:1-7 ignite hope in the bleakest and most tragic circumstances. These promises focus on the birth, life, and everlasting reign of Christ Jesus.
The themes of darkness and light are again contrasted, embellishing the powerful allusions to the coming changes Jesus Christ will have in His kingdom on earth. Throughout Isaiah 9:1-7 we see promises of changes that bring inspiration and joy to our lives.
A) The Hope of Coming Light (Isaiah 9:1-5)
“But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. 3 Thou shalt multiply the nation, Thou shalt increase their gladness; They will be glad in Thy presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. 5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire” (Isaiah 9:1-5).
The Cast of Darkness (Isaiah 9:1-3)
Darkness has a shrill coldness about it. Depression is a darkness of the soul. The glimmer of hope has dissipated. This black theme forms the backdrop of Isaiah 9:1-7. One can see this through keywords used in the first two verses: gloom, anguish, darkness, dark land, etc..
They would, however, take a promise into the dark cave. People without the promise are like having Christmas without Christ: a candle but no light, a heart but no love, a body but no clothes, a face with only a frown.
They had nothing because there was nothing to live for except a lone message of hope from some prophet. This is the only thing the survivors could take to the distant exiled land. As captives, they had no possessions but only a glimpse of hope. Though our circumstances are very different, this message of hope remains the only light source for our lives.
Darkness by definition, is the absence of light. No warmth or security. There is no direction or pattern. Isaiah was probably commenting on how the northern kingdom had recently been captured (721 BC), and the threats of extermination were now reaching the southern kingdom of Judah, where King Ahaz was then ruling. “In the days of Pekah king of Israel, ....Assyria came and captured ... Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria” (2 Kings 15:29). Judah was next and being threatened.
Darkness abounds in our land, too. We display our lack of constraint by greedily spending money we do not have and through many sad reports on how the culture has reached new lows. At the Ivy colleges like Harvard and Andover, they have been forced to rethink their policies. Back in the 1960s, they abandoned their house rules:
“The moves are the latest effort to regulate campus behavior since rules controlling students -- known as in loco parentis -- were abolished in the 1960s. Disobedience crested last year for Ivy League schools… With campus excesses becoming more unruly and, in some cases, deadly, schools are no longer standing by.”
Are not these schools that decry the rules? What is wrong? Are they finally seeing what harm the drug, alcohol, hazing, and casual sex scenes are bringing? Probably not. They are probably concerned with litigation or lost of donations. On the other hand, they just approved some sex clubs. This evil is not contained by the educated but has spread into the culture and even the church.
Sure, we will say in our pride that we will not do that ridiculous and harmful thing, but we will do others. One ad went around having a child with a cigarette asking for light among young smoking adults. The older ones repeatedly told the children that they should not smoke then listed specific harmful reasons. The children then handed them a tract stating how smoking hurts adults, too. People have difficulty seeing what is wrong with their choices but easily condemn them in others. Our generation claims darkness is light, but also that light is darkness. Though man boasts of evolving, he indeed is retreating into beast-likeness by his ruinous choices.
Violence, drugs for escape, and emotional troubles are all occurring because people are refusing to live by God’s ways. We live in moral darkness, and specific forces are brazenly spreading this pernicious filth over all of us, no matter what country we live.
The Promises
These verses indicate man’s ongoing dilemma and deliver wonderful promises. When discouraged, think of the night sky. Everywhere you look is dark, but then your eyes are trained for the little light you find. Here are six promises in Isaiah 9:1-7 which, when fixed on, bring about an increasing degree of glory and light.
Glory (1): “He shall make it glorious.”
The opposite of glory is perhaps depressed or shameful. Glory speaks of the incredible display of some person or situation. The situation near Galilee drastically improved when Jesus walked through (Mat 4:23-25).
“Jesus was going through all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and the brought to Him all who were ill.... Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan” (Mat 4:23-25).
Matthew states this “was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet” (Matthew 4:4-16). It is evident that though the light appeared in Zebulun and Naphtali, people from all over came to be healed by the Lord Jesus. (See Appendix “Galilee of the Gentiles” for more discussion).
Light (2): “The light will shine on them.”
Isaiah stresses the theme of lightness, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them” (Isaiah 9:2).
John speaks much about light shining. John affirms that this light was Jesus Christ, coming in human form. “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (John 1:9). Light forms part of the glory earlier mentioned. Light’s emphasis is on bringing understanding, clarity, and direction. As the world leaves God, they enter greater darkness, lacking the direction and experience needed and suffering pain from their poor choices.
Joy (3): “Thou shalt increase their gladness.”
“Thou shalt increase their gladness; They will be glad in Thy presence as with the gladness of harvest.”
Verse 3 announces the joy that comes to the people who know Jesus. “Increase their gladness,” “will be glad,” and “gladness of harvest” are three phrases highlighting the joy that comes from knowing the Lord. Paul says several times, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4).
Do you see the effect of the promises? Verse 2, however, states that there would one day be people who walk in darkness, but something would happen to them that would revolutionize the world. They would see a great light. This light would not be something that they just saw from afar. That light would shine upon them and bring about significant changes, resulting in exceeding joy. This is what we remember in Luke’s gospel.
“And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
What God did 2000 years ago in a tiny Middle Eastern nation was astonishing. The angel said it was good news of great joy. We see the angel using a double expression, “good news of great joy,” to describe the fantastic scene. Although we might draw back from the black background, God uses it to serve as a contrast in which His light is more easily seen and appreciated.
Freedom (4-5): “Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden”
“Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.”
Wherever oppression rules, people seek help. By this time, the northern kingdom had already been taken captive. King Ahaz is scrambling to protect the southern kingdom from being grabbed. Due to their wickedness, however, even the southern kingdom of Judah would be captured. The Lord is a freedom giver, not freedom in the sense they can live without restraint. The joy and life He promises come from following His proposed way of life.
During Jesus’ time, people sought liberation from Herod’s harsh rule. The Roman occupation instilled fear among the populace. When foreign powers invade a nation, feelings of resentment grow. Taxes rise. In Jerusalem, pagan soldiers were stationed near God’s holy temple. Isaiah 9:4-5 speaks to this grim situation. Consider the terms yoke, burden, rod, oppressor. God promises a radical change, but what will it entail? It is challenging to imagine toppling the vast Roman Empire from the weakened state of Israel. Israel lacked a king and an army. Any uprisings that occurred were swiftly crushed.
Hopelessness does not believe it can escape its bleak situation. Fortunately, God has a way. This is the reason the Midian battle was mentioned. Hundreds of years back, Gideon the Judge freed the people from the Midianites (Judges 6:6). Joshua 7 records God's amazing victory with a few people. But could God do it again? Would He? He sure did.
God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, would bring deliverance to us. This is what the name ‘Jesus’ means, “Deliverer” or “Savior” (Matthew 1:21). The rest of this message explains the glory of this new government. In the New Testament, the phrase ‘the kingdom of God’ or the ‘kingdom of heaven’ is commonly used. We should humble ourselves as we sit back and see the glory of God’s kingdom eclipse the whole earth.
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).
Responding to difficult situations
What are two ways people respond to ‘dark’ and decaying situations?
#1 Accommodating, tolerant, ignore
Our values slowly change along with the culture, increasingly reflecting the world more than God, until there is no difference.
#2 Challenge, identify, change
We sense that we are drifting from God and we cry out for deliverance.
Most of the world is like a frog or lobster in lukewarm water. They are content to remain there even when the heat rises–resulting in their sure death. However, if we took that same frog and put it in hot water, the frog would jump to safety. We need to understand the urgency of turning from the world and turning to the Lord.
Applications
- Explain the dark features that exist in your life.
- Do you get hopeless? How do you respond to these situations?
- Which way do you respond to them? Do your pastor and parents think likewise?
B) The Source of Comforting Light (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Verses 6 and 7 go on and mention two additional promises: the deliverer and security–enduring peace.
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Our hope focuses on the child that would reign forever over a kingdom that brings people out of darkness into light. This is the glorious kingdom of God now in our midst, and yet it is growing more and more apparent worldwide. The liberal news will mention nothing of the growing Kingdom of Jesus, but in fact, nothing will stop its reach to the ends of the world. If we could stand on the observer deck of earth and time, we would see God’s mighty redemptive plan being fulfilled.
Isaiah mentions that this Messiah or king has four two-word descriptive nouns. They serve as a foundation for His extraordinary reign. His Names reflect never-changing policies built on His person rather than mere passing preference. Let us summarize them and then discuss each in more detail. Each summary reveals the advantage of trusting Him and the result if one does not.
- Wonderful Counselor: I can gain from Christ’s wisdom.
- Mighty God: I can rely on Christ’s power.
- Eternal Father: I can embrace Christ’s care.
- Prince of Peace: I can receive Christ’s healing.
Without this trust in our great Lord, we will not love our neighbor as ourselves. We will be too busy trying to satisfy our own needs. Let us now turn to think of our Glorious Lord by describing each of these names of Christ.
Each Name is a faith enabler. It is like a key to a special part of our hearts. It gives us faith to live a good and powerful Christian life. Without one of these keys, we will undoubtedly remain chained to our resources.
(1) Wonderful Counselor: I can gain from Christ’s wisdom
Without trusting His wisdom, I am either prideful over my success and knowledge or depressed over my failures. Still, by relying on the Wonderful Counselor I can trust Him with every detail of my life and in what goes around me.
Counseling rooms are being filled as never before. More narcotics are legally being distributed than one could ever have anticipated. But there is no healing. Counselors do not promise a cure. Guidance counselors are not sure of their advice. We would expect the world to be this way, but it describes the church in many ways. Pastors have given up hope. No one knows what to say to people anymore. Listen to God's desire to instill this trust in our wonderful counselor.
“For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them. Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future!” (Dt 32:28-29).
Although there seem to be many books on finding God’s will, it seems there is a crisis of trusting God with their lives. Instead, we picked up the magic wand and went for the self-help books. The healthcare crisis that this and other modern nations face stems from this problem of not seeking and following the advice of the Wonderful Counselor.
The good news is that Christ’s kingdom is here now. I can trust Him. We all can trust this infinitely wise God. He does marvelous things for those who trust in Him. Peter and Paul quotes from the Old Testament.
“For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED” (1 Peter 2:6).
Unless we trust His counsel, we will not wait on Him and find the outstanding answers to prayer. One person I know had two cars. One was smashed and couldn’t be repaired. His job requires him to run around to and fro. His wife and 4 children find it very difficult to get by with one car. But they had promised the Lord money for missions beyond their tithe. They decided to trust God with one car rather than use the money they had.
Early one Sunday morning, a couple from their church, who had heard about this need, delivered their car, a Honda, to them as a gift. To wait upon the Lord, we need to trust Him. In this case, the couple that received was blessed; the couple that gave stored up riches in heaven, and the church was encouraged by that brave giving!
Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor with His infinite wisdom. It is His special purpose and means by which He accomplishes His perfect and most wise will. Christ incorporated wisdom into every aspect of His creation to form His excellent plan. Why would we ever think other sources of knowledge are better than knowing Him?
Application
Is there some way that you do not trust the Lord with your life? Perhaps it is some sickness, closeness of death, odd circumstance, or the person who has entered your life. Go to the Wonderful Counselor. It’s free! His counsel can’t be beaten. Remember to obey Him even if it seems silly or strange.
(2) Mighty God: I can rely on Christ’s power
When I don’t trust in His power, difficult times and evil take away my joy and hope. However, by depending on the Mighty God, I can rely on His strength and grace during the most desperate and challenging moments in life.
You and I go through difficult times. It is part of life. God uses these difficult times to develop our lives like He did with Job. The many promises in the scriptures are meant to encourage us to trust the Mighty God during these times.
We should note here that this Name describes the Messiah, the Christ. This name is clear evidence of Christ’s deity. Confusion over Christ’s deity often stems from a misunderstanding over the life of Christ. We must remember that Jesus purposely limited His Godhead powers to live on earth. He depended upon His Father to do those miracles. He did nothing on His own. He deliberately trusted His communion with His Father to get by just as we need to. See Philippians 2. Jesus was fully God and fully man. But this is not true of Jesus in His resurrected power to whom the Father gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Mat 28:18).
What does this teach us? Our Lord is the specialist for working through impossible situations. What do you do when you hit a crisis? You have a bill without money or a problem that cannot be solved. Do you pray? You should.
Our church just had a crisis. We rent our building. Most of our congregation consists of overseas students from China and don’t have much money. We have rented their premises for many years. We suddenly heard that in three months, our rent would be raised to a minimum of five times up to ten times the previous rental fee.
Where could we, a congregation of over 200 hundred, find a new home so quick that we could afford in our crowded university area? We decided to trust the Lord. After our annual Thanksgiving service, where we share testimonies of God’s faithfulness through the year, we had a late-night prayer meeting from 9:30 to 12:30. God answered the prayer. They greatly softened their stance and reduced that rental.
We are hopeful because God can and often desires to do the miraculous. Let’s return to the God who parts the Sea, who causes men to be swallowed alive by great fish and can raise the dead. Christ in His power, lives today! Is there a circumstance in your life that needs a miracle? Bring it to the Lord.
(3) Eternal Father: I can embrace Christ’s care
Without assurance of His care, I look to other people and things to satisfy my deepest heart longings, but by relying on the Eternal Father I can trust Him to always lovingly care and watch over my life needs.
The Lord is the Eternal Father! We are not content only with our great counsel. Man also needs the warmth of God’s love. This love and security of God is the cornerstone of our lives.
Modern psychology has fully identified the basic need of man in his need for self-esteem. Along this same line, we hear many Christians saying that we need to love ourselves more so that we can love others. This is not Christ’s command.
As long as man lives the secular life excluding God from his life, his solutions will always focus on what he sees. We are not saying that love from one’s parents is not essential. They are crucial for a healthy start in life. Many of our insecurities and diseases come from not being properly cared for while we are young. But our solutions are not found there. Our lives need to center around our Eternal Father.
God’s sacrifice of His one Son enabled many to be His sons. Listen to the simple words of John, who issuing forth some of the most wonderful words we could hear here. These words form our very adoption papers.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12).
Some think God is our natural Father because man is made in the image of God. No, no Jesus said. Jesus said our natural father is the devil. He told them it is easy to identify the father by what the child does. It is the principle of imitation. God was gracious; we are to be forgiving. God is faithful; we need to be loyal. God is truthful; we need to be truthful. If you find a contradiction, you must start wondering about your life or relationship. Something is wrong. It is funny when a little Chinese child hears me speaking Chinese; he will turn to his parents and ask whether I am Chinese. It is obvious that I am not, but I am doing something that he knows only Chinese people do.
The Lord does not want us to question our salvation unless what we say and do is not like our Heavenly Father. As scripture says, the covetous, lustful, arrogant, boastful, immoral man will not inherit the kingdom of God.
We can get a head start in knowing this secure relationship with our Father by a good earthly father. However, even still that cannot substitute what we need the most: a security that comes from the eternal One by being adopted into His family. Once a child of God, forever a child of God. Once in the favor of the Father, always in the favor and protection of the Father. It never stops. He will discipline us if needed, but that itself as Hebrews 12 tells us that it also is an expression of His love.
We are hopeful because Christ as a Father faithfully watches over all of our needs, emotional and otherwise. It is a delusion to think that emotional security comes from trying to meet our needs. Our security and general sense of welfare come from trusting the Eternal Father. – Matthew 6:33.
Jesus gives eternal life; in that sense, He is the Eternal Father, giving His children life eternal.
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes” (John 5:21).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).
(4) Prince of Peace: I can receive Christ’s healing
In the absence of His peace, I often become competitive, overly ambitious, and envious. This makes it difficult for me to prioritize meaningful connections with my spouse, child, colleagues, neighbors, and friends. Nonetheless, by leaning on the Prince of Peace, I can trust Him to mend all my relationships with both God and others.
What does “Prince of Peace” mean to you? Christ is the greatest peacemaker. Does that mean He has no enemies? No. Clearly not. He has, however, taken brave and sacrificial steps to create peace. The world uses money to pretend peace. “I’ll give you so many dollars to be a friend.” We know that kind of friend is not a real friend. They are bribed. People can’t stand those people or nations they allow to manipulate them because they lust for money–even though they might accept it.
Christ is the great reconciler. He has brought man to God. Through the decisive work on the cross, Christ made peace. If we followed our Lord’s way, God would do great things in our midst. I am not saying that every relationship will become sweet, but you change when you do everything you can because of your love for another. People change. They are so attracted to the love of God that they change.
Where is the greatest need of making peace? Usually in the families. The closer you are to someone, the greater the need for peace. Sometimes as parents, we have created our own family storm center.
Application
How is your relationship with your children? We might need to be the peacemakers if there is a problem. Ask your child whether there is anything that you have done that needs to be forgiven. A promise broken? An act without love? Overcritical? Don’t defend your bad moment in life. Humble your heart and confess your sin to the Lord and your child. Ask them to forgive you.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Clearly, we see the Lord working mighty things in our lives where we tear down the walls and build bridges. The person on the other side will be suspicious. Just quietly and humbly pray and confess. Good relationships are everything about peace and love. The Lord is concerned not only with peace between God and man but also man and man.
We are hopeful for peace because God can bring peace even when facing difficult people.
Isaiah 9:7 Security: “There will be no end”
“There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (Is 9:7).
The sixth promise here is security: your peace and joy will be retained. Once one knows everything you were hoping to experience goes on forever, one can focus on true enjoyment! Most people get anxious during tragedy and sudden changes because they fear what they have will be taken away. In this case, it is the great Ruler, the descendant of David namely Jesus, who has the eternal kingdom (2 Sam 7:14).
The words indicating the permanence of His rule stand out: “Will be no end,” and “From then on and evermore.” They form a special sandwich effect on guaranteeing there will be no rebellion to thrust him from power, an oversight of the situation that his peace, justice and righteousness will continue on and on. The exquisite glory of this situation inspires one to long for such an age.
Most important is this program’s high place on the Lord’s agenda: "The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” We need not ask what the Lord is interested in. He has made it clear that this kingdom has become an all-encompassing plan that he is presently enacting. All the prophecies are subtly but indeed pointing this way.
The New Testament promises of “forever be with the Lord” and eternal life are all based on the Lord’s purpose to establish this kind of king and kingdom and maintain it. The kingdom concept is repeated by both New Testament gospels and epistles.
“But of the Son He says, “THY THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM” (Heb 1:8).
“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Heb 12:28).
Peace is only eternal peace. Glory only is glory when it is never extinguished. And so the Lord will remake all to reflect the glorious preservation of what is noble, good and pure for ever and ever.
Summary
Think of a dark and dirty city. Trash everywhere. But then the slightest snow begins to fall. The snow slowly increases with its flakes twirling about as they brighten every dark corner with their silvery shine. With not much time, the very dark world has become white. The ugliness has been miraculously changed into beauty. Snowstorms wonderfully remind us of how fast and complete these changes can occur, changes that do occur because of Jesus the glorious king.
Jesus’ four names highlight key principles of God’s kingdom. It sets on four beautiful crystals: wisdom, power, love and peace. Combined, we find an irresistible reign. We long to be part of it. We see it partly in David and Solomon’s kingdoms, but that is nothing compared to the eternal and most glorious reign of Jesus Christ.
Do you live under the reigning influence of our great savior or do the world’s words and ways dominate you? As we approach this Christmas time, let us step back and remember the Christ who was born is now the ruler of all. As we live in response to His kingdom and ways, His counsel, might, love, and peace become our way of life.
Jesus has the cure for anxiety, despair, injustice, and confusion. Turn to Him. Let His light shine through you in this season and into the beyond.
Application
Think of a situation where you have given up hope. As you quietly tell the problem to the Lord, let us raise these needs to the Lord in faith. He will hear us. We only have to pay attention to the circumstances in life.
I was praying with a pastor a couple of weeks ago. He had a leader wanting to do something that would most likely offend. He tried to improve the effectiveness of the ministry for one brother was very insensitive to the others. This pastor prayed. We prayed together. Would you believe that the very next day, the pastor got an email stating that God had caused the one that might be offended to decide on their own? This is God’s way. The pastor respected this brother’s desire for better ministry. God solved it in His majestic way. Isn’t it nice we have the Wonderful Counselor with us to accomplish the great works of God. You can meet him right in your living room on a cold, snowy day. He is there. “Come to Me all you are heavy-laden,” Christ declares. Let’s look at the second name.
And you, like me, perhaps have given up hope in many circumstances during our lives. What have we given up hope in? We have given up hope in people, in circumstances, in the world, and even in ourselves or God. Cynical Christians are the most dangerous kind of Christians. They choose to pop the hope of others.
There are masses of people all around today. They are trying to buy the peace, joy and love of Christmas. They think the parties will make their sadness and loneliness go. They think that the happy greetings will diminish the hate. We know they don’t. It’s false and phony. But we know Christ did come. He came to bring the real hope of life into our lives. Is He your Savior? Is He your Lord? If not, you have a mess. But with Him, you have joined an eternal and mighty kingdom, one which is based on real fairness and justice. One is characterized by peace; one in which the Wonderful Counselor calms our lonely hearts. His kingdom is without end to increase; I hope you can share this good news of the genuine Christ of Christmas with a friend, stranger, whoever the Lord puts in your path.
Appendix 1: Galilee of the Gentiles (Isaiah 9:1)
Some are confused by this phrase, Galilee of the Gentiles, as many towns along the Galilee are notably Jewish, like Capernaum. The problem indicated in the text is what had happened recently in Samaria, the kingdom of the north. They were captured and uprooted. Foreigners were seeded in with the poorest of poor to cultivate the land (later became known as Samarians). The general description of Zebulun, Naphtali, as being mistreated primarily refers to the land in Isaiah’s time.
What about in Jesus’ time? We find an interesting mix. Though the land seemed free, it was under the rule of the Romans. Events surrounding Jesus’ birth and death both show the oppression of the Israeli people. Many pagan towns and even pagan temples were built around Galilee.
“Obviously, many of the cities adjacent to Galilee were predominantly gentile, such as Scythopolis, located just to the southwest; other cities of the Decapolis, several of which were located to the east of the Sea of Galilee; Caesarea Philippi, to the northeast; Tyre and Sidon, to the northwest. On and just beyond the northern fringes of Upper Galilee, there were indisputably pagan settlements, such as the settlement at Tel Anafa and the village of Kedesh (a Tyrian community). Even further to the north, at Jebel Balat, stood a temple.”
Edersheim states that some cities were influenced by the Greeks, several of which had big pagan temples. The Decapolis stood for ten towns on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which were more Syrian-influenced.
“But it must not be imagined, that these districts were inhabited exclusively, or even chiefly, by Greeks. One of these groups, that towards Peræa, was really Syrian, and formed part of Syria Decapolis;403 while the other, along the coast of the Mediterranean, was Phoenician.”
More important to the prophecy’s interpretation is that Christ will make that land glorious. Jesus ministered mainly on the west/north side of the Galilee but sometimes went to other cities skirting the Sea of Galilee. But with His miracles and teaching, the land was indeed considerably changed due to His teaching. See Matthew 4 and Matthews’ clear affirmation that Isaiah 9 was fulfilled then by Jesus.
Let us remember, however, that the darkness was much more than political oppression, It pointed to the trouble people were facing in all aspects of their lives because they did not live under the rule of Jesus Christ.
