For To Us a Child Is Born

“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 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. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 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. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”  (Isaiah 9:1–7)

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received in my long and very lucrative baseball career (please do not be misled, I never made it past J.V. baseball) was this: “Keep your eye on the ball.” If you fail to keep your eye on the ball, you almost certainly miss it.

In a similar way, that same piece of advice could be given to anyone who wants to understand what Christmas is truly all about. Or even what the entire Bible is about. But instead we might say it like this: “Keep your eye on the child.” Because if we do not keep our eyes fixed on this child, we will miss the main point of history, the main point of Scripture, and the main point of Christmas itself.

Maybe you find yourself wondering what Christianity is really all about. What is the Bible about? What is this Christmas season about? What is life all about? God’s Word woudl tell you: “Keep your eye on this child. Keep your eye on this baby who was born in Bethlehem.”

In Isaiah 9, the prophet invites us to do exactly that. He directs our eyes toward a child, a promised child, whose birth would change the world. This prophecy was written more than 800 years before Jesus was born. Yet Isaiah speaks with such clarity, such certainty, and such hope that it feels as though he were standing right there at the manger. This prophecy was meant to bring hope into a very dark time. And that is exactly what Christmas does for us today. Christmas is about the light of Jesus Christ breaking into the darkness of our world. And in Isaiah 9, we are given one of the clearest pictures in all of Scripture of who this child would be and why He would come.

The New Testament writers understood the significance of Isaiah’s words. They quote Isaiah more than any other Old Testament prophet. In fact, no one foresaw the birth and mission of Jesus with more clarity than Isaiah. That is why Matthew tells us, when describing the angel’s visit to Joseph in Matthew 1, that Jesus’ birth took place “to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah.” The virgin-born Son would be Immanuel: God with us.

Two things help us when reading this passage as well as many other biblical prophetic passages. First of all, it is important to keep in mind that the Old Testament  prophets often speak of future events as though they have already happened. This is called the “prophetic past tense.” The use present tense language for future events. Isaiah says, “For to us a child isborn,” even though the birth would not take place for centuries. Why is that? Because when God makes a promise, it is so certain, so guaranteed, that the prophets speak as if it has already occurred.

Second, it is also important to note that Isaiah (as well as many other biblical prophets) blends prophecies of Jesus’ first coming and His second coming together. He sees them as one sweeping event. From our vantage point, we know His first advent brought salvation and His second advent will bring the fullness of His kingdom. But Isaiah presents the two together, giving us a panoramic view of Christ’s work. For example, in vs. 6, Isaiah says, “to us a child is born,” which speaks of Christ’s first coming. But then, in vs. 7 Isaiah prophesies, “of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” When will that occur? At his second coming. Isaiah “blends” these prophesies together though they are separated by thousands of years, seeing them as one event.