1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great
light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light
has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy;
They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when
they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the
staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And
garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will
be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and
establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:1-7
(NKJV)
This passage is another prophecy about the coming of Christ. When quoted during Advent, the focus is often on verses 6-7—“unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. . .” These are marvelous promises to recall and hold in our hearts. But it’s also interesting to consider the context of this prophecy in the prior verses.
Isaiah directed the prophecy to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. These lands were in the northern part of Israel, near the sea of Galilee, and were named after two of the tribes (sons of Jacob). Zebulun and Naphtali often were the first to suffer from invasion, such as by Assyria (see 2 Kings 15:29). Also, this area was on the main trade route of that time and Gentiles congregated there, making it a place of paganism and was despised by the Jews.
These people were distressed, burdened and they walked in spiritual darkness. Yet a great light came to them. Jesus conducted most of His ministry in Capernaum and Galilee, which were in Zebulun and Naphtali (see Matthew 4:13-16). And He said: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of light" (John 8:12, NKJV). Some believed and followed Jesus, but unfortunately, most did not. They rejected Him as their Messiah.
This passage reminds us that whether Jew or Gentile, we walk in darkness without Christ. Acknowledgement of our sin and brokenness ushers us into God’s amazing grace, where we can receive the Son who was given for us. Don't shut out His light but come to Him and accept the One whose name is “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (v. 6).