Sunday, December 1, 2024 // Day 1
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:2,6
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:2,6
A GREAT LIGHT OF HOPE
This is one of my favorite OT passages, as I’ll explain below. But first, some
historical context.
Isaiah prophesied to Israel during times of national distress. Sennacherib, King of
Assyria, was threatening to conquer Jerusalem. With the specter of his army on the border, the Israelites could well feel like they were ‘…living in the land of the shadow
of death.’ Isaiah’s prophesy was taken as a message of hope and encouragement for
Israel, and there was rejoicing across the land when the Assyrians were miraculously
turned away (2 Chronicles 32:20-23).
But Isaiah’s message was intended for a much larger audience than the people of
Israel; the metaphors of darkness and shadow were not meant to be limited to the
days of Sennacherib or Israel’s wartime scenario. All of mankind walks through life
in darkness until as individuals we enter the light of the Gospel, and the shadow
of death hangs over each of us until we put our faith in the resurrection of Christ.
Isaiah has written a message of hope for us all – Jew, Gentile, or otherwise.
This passage ranks among my OT favorites because of its use of the word wonderful,
which today no longer means ‘full of wonder,’ but instead has been degraded
through overuse to the diminished status of ‘really good.’ (Q: How do you like your
new shoes? A: They’re wonderful! No! Shoes are never wonderful, unless they enable flight, or allow you to walk on water, or some other manifestation of magic.)
A passage in the Book of Judges (Jud 13:18) provides a clue in assessing the word. The angel of the Lord asks Manoah, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond
understanding.” The NIV footnote indicates that beyond understanding can also be
translated as wonderful, the same word used by Isaiah. Except here, Isaiah uses the
noun form of the word, not the adjective. Isaiah’s wonderful can stand alone as a
noun, which is how it was presented by George Handel when he composed “Messiah.” The next time you hear it, listen for the extended pause as the choir sings:
“And his name shall be called Wonderful (pause, pause, pause), Counselor…”
The Son will be known as Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
But He will be much more than a really good Counselor. He will be The One Whose
Name is Beyond Our Understanding.
Jeff Sommerville
historical context.
Isaiah prophesied to Israel during times of national distress. Sennacherib, King of
Assyria, was threatening to conquer Jerusalem. With the specter of his army on the border, the Israelites could well feel like they were ‘…living in the land of the shadow
of death.’ Isaiah’s prophesy was taken as a message of hope and encouragement for
Israel, and there was rejoicing across the land when the Assyrians were miraculously
turned away (2 Chronicles 32:20-23).
But Isaiah’s message was intended for a much larger audience than the people of
Israel; the metaphors of darkness and shadow were not meant to be limited to the
days of Sennacherib or Israel’s wartime scenario. All of mankind walks through life
in darkness until as individuals we enter the light of the Gospel, and the shadow
of death hangs over each of us until we put our faith in the resurrection of Christ.
Isaiah has written a message of hope for us all – Jew, Gentile, or otherwise.
This passage ranks among my OT favorites because of its use of the word wonderful,
which today no longer means ‘full of wonder,’ but instead has been degraded
through overuse to the diminished status of ‘really good.’ (Q: How do you like your
new shoes? A: They’re wonderful! No! Shoes are never wonderful, unless they enable flight, or allow you to walk on water, or some other manifestation of magic.)
A passage in the Book of Judges (Jud 13:18) provides a clue in assessing the word. The angel of the Lord asks Manoah, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond
understanding.” The NIV footnote indicates that beyond understanding can also be
translated as wonderful, the same word used by Isaiah. Except here, Isaiah uses the
noun form of the word, not the adjective. Isaiah’s wonderful can stand alone as a
noun, which is how it was presented by George Handel when he composed “Messiah.” The next time you hear it, listen for the extended pause as the choir sings:
“And his name shall be called Wonderful (pause, pause, pause), Counselor…”
The Son will be known as Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
But He will be much more than a really good Counselor. He will be The One Whose
Name is Beyond Our Understanding.
Jeff Sommerville