Isaiah 9:2–7

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

²The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. ³You 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. ⁴For 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. ⁵For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. ⁶For 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. ⁷Of 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.

This text is read on this day of Christ's birth because Isaiah says in his day, "Unto us a child is born." Certainly, he is talking about Christ.

I.

"The people who have wandered in darkness have seen a great light and over those who dwelt in the dark land it shines brightly" (v 2).

Isaiah preaches of spiritual darkness which is the greatest misfortune and tragedy, and of the spiritual light, which is the greatest fortune and grace. For what can be more horrible than blindness of the heart and ignorance of divine matters? What can be more vivifying and nobler than an epiphany? Here there can be nothing but goodness. For what can harm one whom God himself knows and possesses? On the other hand, what can help those who are taken from God and belong to the devil? So now this great light and bright brilliance, the holy Gospel, or the Word of God's grace, is a spiritual light that shows who God is, what he does and gives to us, and what he wants to have from us. It also teaches of sins, death, devil, world, and all things.

Is this not an exceptional light by which we can see into the heart of God? A light by which we also recognize the thoughts of the devil, and what sins are and how one shall become free of them? A light that shows us what death is and how one shall come out of it? A light that shows what mankind and the world are? Previously, while mankind was of the devil, no one knew who God was, what sins and death are, nor how to be free of them.

Isaiah calls this ignorance and blindness "the darkness." He is referring to the world today, our society, the wisdom of man. But most of all, he is referring to the darkness that lies in our hearts full of sin with its evil intentions and desires.

The world and sinful man reacted to this light with hatred and anger. For although this light arose and was preached over the whole people, the greater part of mankind does not want to receive it, and in fact try to snuff it out as the ancients tried by killing him on a cross. Not that they want to be blind and dark, but rather they hold to their own works as the light.

We see today the works people have which shows their need to see the light that has come to us today as a little baby in Bethlehem. Who can do anything in the darkness? Does not Christ say in the Gospel of John [John 12] that whoever walks in darkness doesn't know where he is going? So, it is only by pure grace that a light arises in the darkness and shines brightly over the people. He is revealing the confusion of all people as he speaks of the peoples who sat in great darkness. He speaks of this most needed light as God showing mercy and enlightening us. This was not because of our great service to him, but rather by his mercy coming to us most merciless and unworthy creatures.

But by his kind mercy he sought us, by which the dayspring from on high, "has enlightened those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death and guided our feet on the way of peace."

Next the prophet says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" (v 6a).

Isaiah portrays the king of this kingdom. He is a wondrous king. He shall conquer death, sin, the law, and rule without a sword. By this he will fill the world with joy. Isaiah clearly says we shall encounter all of this because this child is born and a Son is given to us. He is saying that through the child, through the Son, come all these things.

In this text we do well to mark that little word "us." In this word lies all the power of this passage. Every child born is born for his own sake or because of his parents. Only this single child carries the title that he is born for "us." "Us, us, us," it says. This child is born for the good of all of us. He had no need to be born for himself. For this reason, everything that he is, has, and does, from birth on is all meant only for us. By everything he does, he serves us, that he shall be our salvation and holiness. That word, "us," now commands certain faith. For even if he would have been born a thousand times or a thousand times a thousand, if he were not born for us, then it would not in any way benefit us. How does it help us that so many thousands of people have been born and daily continue to be born from the beginning of the world?

We see from this word what sort of person this king might be. First, a king is born, who is by nature a man, a new born child, since he will be born of a woman. By this we know that Christ truly has a human nature, born of a woman, having flesh, blood, bone, skin, and hair, living, coming, going, and acting like any other man. Yet he would be born without sin on behalf of all the rest. For he would destroy the burden of sin, death, and the law. It makes no sense that the one who would destroy and conquer sins should be born in sin. Else the sins would have destroyed and conquered him just like they have afflicted every other human being that was born.

So it is, that this child would be a natural, yet a holy, innocent man. The fact that he is holy and innocent shall be for us, since he is born for us. Therefore, his holiness and innocence are ours as if we ourselves had them. We clothe and adorn ourselves in them before God. So we are innocent and holy in the innocence and holiness of this child.

Secondly, he is the Son who is given us. Not merely born to us, but rather given. Those are fine loving words. Given to us that he might destroy our sin and death. He calls him "Son," whereby he makes it known that this king is by nature true God. He is a different kind of son than all the other human sons, since he shall ruin sin and death and free us from the curse of the law. He must be the Son of God himself. If he would ruin sin, death, and the law, he must surely have God's power with him, especially since he shall do this not for his own sake, but for ours. For to help other people out of sin, death, and the law lies exclusively in God's power.

So here we have the person of this king. He is the true God and man. Now should he destroy sin and death. Yet he shall be born of a woman as a true natural man, as Isaiah says here, "Unto us a child is born."

Faith must believe that this is the true king and he is God by nature. Yet he must truly be a man because the passage states, "Unto us a child is born." This is Jesus Christ our Lord, God's Son by nature and Mary's Son according to the flesh. Blessed are all who believe this, for the Scripture does not lie or mislead us. Amen.