Category: Isaiah and Jesus

Isaiah and Jesus, Hope

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

Good news brings light to dark places. It offers an exhale of relief. It relieves the heaviness of a burden.

Jesus was anointed to proclaim good news—to the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the sorrowing.

We all deal with poverty, possibly financial but perhaps emotional poverty. We also have been brokenhearted, for a variety of reasons, including loss and betrayal. We know how it feels to be held captive, whether our captors are haunting fears, debilitating habits, daunting guilt, abusiveness, obsession, or something else. We also know what it is to mourn and grieve, be it over the death of a loved one, of a marriage, our purpose, or cherished dreams.

This is why the first three verses of Isaiah 61 fall like water over our thirsty souls.

We read that Jesus offers us hope, binding up our broken hearts, freeing us from captivity, releasing us from darkness, comforting us in our mourning, and providing for us in our grief.

He replaces our ashes with a crown of beauty, gives us joy in place of sorrow, replaces our despair with praise.

Christmas is about so much more than the nativity scene we display on our lawn or fireplace mantle. The Messiah has come! He is our rescue and our salvation. He gives us hope and changes our weak selves into strong oaks of righteousness. He firmly plants us as displays of His splendor.

Merry Christmas, my Splendorous Friends!

Isaiah and Jesus, Prince of Peace

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

The coming of a peace-keeping ruler had to sound as good in Isaiah’s time as it does today. As a remnant of God’s faithful people grieved at the surrounding godlessness, Isaiah’s words must have sounded sweet—a Prince of Peace would be born to rule on David’s throne.

Think for a minute about the conditions the Jews were living in. Their leadership was corrupt. their religion compromised, and their enemies roaring and advancing. While Isaiah warned the people about captivity as the consequence of their sin, he also prophesied deliverance—on two levels. They would be brought out of human bondage and, more significantly, they would be delivered from spiritual bondage by the coming Messiah. He would be the Prince of Peace. Peace—a word that fills the heart with longing.

“He will be called Wonderful Counselor, 
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, 
Prince of Peace.”

Now consider the conditions we currently live in. South Korea called for martial law. The Syrian regime was overturned. Gaza is decimated. Ukraine fights on, suffering bloodshed and destruction. Russia threatens nuclear warfare. Mysterious drones hover over New Jersey and Iran is suspect. In NYC a murderer has been praised and a hero has been demonized.

Isaiah steps into our chaos and assures us,

“A child is born, to us a Son is given,
 and the government will be on His shoulders.”

We need more than a political leader. We need the Prince of Peace whose government and peace will be endless and who will reign with justice and righteousness (see verse 7). But it is not for salvation from wars and wickedness so we can live in a safe environment.

We need the Prince of Peace who will rule in our hearts and minds now, and rule over the heavenly kingdom in our future. As much as we long for peace on earth, it is not enough—we need peace within and assurance for tomorrow. Jesus is brought to the forefront of our minds at Christmas. Let us make certain He is also in the forefront of our hearts.

Immanuel

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

This beloved Christmas verse evokes a sense of warmth with its familiarity and fulfillment. However, the comfort it offers is often not as deep as its context. It is far more than an oh, yay, another prophecy of the Messiah!

The words that follow verse 14 describe the devastation that will come upon God’s people—their city and the temple will be destroyed; the Jews will be captured and brought into exile. I find it interesting that Isaiah doesn’t prepare them for their captivity with a call to repentance or a speech about endurance. Instead he points them to an event in the far future, beyond their 70 years of bondage, beyond 400 years of silence from Heaven. What he gives them is hope for their ultimate deliverance.

Immanuel, God with us, will be born.

We are still a suffering people. Like the Jews Isaiah spoke to, we feel the pain of desolation, the loss of people we love, the anxiety of an insecure future, the disappointment of our frailty—all keen reminders that we are not “home.” That’s why Isaiah’s words are also for us.

At Christmas we will enjoy festive decorations, giving and receiving gifts, gathering with family and friends, and singing familiar carols. But they will soon be filed under “Christmas 2024” and we will continue to face the troubles and trials of life. The deep and lasting joy we find in Christmas is not only that the Messiah has come, but that He will come again. And He will bring us home, to the place we were created for.

When we say, “Merry Christmas” is not about a day dubbed “the most wonderful day of the year” but for the promised day when, not only will God be with us, but when we will be with Him.