"And when they shall say unto you: Seek unto the necromancers and the wizards; To them that speak inwardly, and that mutter: Should not a people seek unto their God? Should not they seek, instead of the living, unto the dead? Unto the command, and unto the testimony, let them seek: If they will not speak according to this word, In which there is no obscurity, Everyone of them shall pass through the land distressed and famished: And when he shall be famished, and angry with himself, He shall curse his king and his God. And he shall cast his eyes upwards, and look down to the earth: And lo! distress and darkness! Gloom, tribulation, and accumulated darkness! But there shall not hereafter be darkness in the land which was distressed: In the former time He debased The land of Zebulon, and the land of Naphtali; But in the latter time He has made it glorious: Even the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations." (Isaiah 8:19-23,Lowth) "The people that walked in darkness Have seen a great light; They that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Unto them has the light shined. You have multiplied the nation, You have increased their joy: They rejoice before You as with the joy of harvest; As they rejoice who divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, the staff laid on his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, have You broken, as in the day of Midian. For the graves of the armed warrior in the conflict, And the garment rolled in much blood, Shall be for a burning, even for a fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; And the Government shall be upon His shoulder: And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Father of the everlasting age, the Prince of peace. Of the increase of His Government and peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, To fix it, and to establish it, With judgment and with justice, henceforth and for ever: The zeal of Jehovah God of Hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:1-6,Lowth)
It will be noticed that in Lowth's translation, which is here printed, the chapter division is not the same as in our common version. The 8th chapter is given twenty-three verses, so that what we ordinarily call the seventh verse of the 9th chapter is here the sixth.
Some other versions follow this division, which is according to that in the Hebrew Bible. But both amount to the same thing however, since it is clearly to be seen that there is no break in the subject, and in the prophecy as originally written there was no division whatever into chapters and verses.
The scripture is just the same whether it be called 8th or 9th chapter, and attention is here called to the fact of the difference in numbering the verses, so that none may be confused.
Wisdom only from God
"When they shall say unto you, Seek ... unto wizards." (Isaiah 8:19)
The meaning of the word "wizard" is "one who knows." The Hebrew word rendered "wizard" is merely a form of the verb "to know." Of course people would not be exhorted to seek to them who did not profess to know. But if they know, why not seek to them? Because they do not know. Their knowledge is foolishness. They "speak inwardly." (Isaiah 8:19)
Their knowledge is of themselves, and not from God. It is not the wisdom that comes from above. "[God] frustrates the tokens of liars, and makes diviners mad; [He] turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolishness." (Isaiah 44:25) "The Lord gives wisdom, out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6)
In Christ are "hid all the treasurers of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:3)
The place to go for wisdom is to the Fountain Head, and not to any man, even though he got his wisdom from God. God gives to all liberally. Much less should we go to those who speak from themselves. For remember that wisdom is a gift from God. Truth is revealed, not searched out by human shrewdness.
No man knows the place where light dwells, but light springs forth, and we see it. Even so with truth, which is light, we get it merely by looking--looking to God and His Word. The man who thinks that he can "originate thought," will find out at the last that his supposed thought was emptiness. Only the thoughts of God shall stand.
But if we should not seek wisdom from living men, not even from ourselves, how utterly foolish to go to the dead for wisdom. "The dead know not anything." (Ecclesiastes 9:5) "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Psalm 146:3-4)
We pity the folly of poor heathen who ask wisdom from a piece of wood or stone; but what shall be said of the foolishness of men calling themselves enlightened Christians, who go to the dead for knowledge? What an insult to God! "To the law and to the testimony." (Isaiah 8:20)
Because, "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Psalm 19:7-8) "You through your commandments have made me wiser than my enemies." (Psalm 119:98) "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28:28)
The Lord gives wisdom, but not apart from himself in Christ. He cannot separate any of His attributes from himself. All things are in Christ, and He gives us all things in giving us Christ. Nothing is inherent in man; but whatever good thing there is in any man is the working of God in Him. Christ is: "the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24)
And He is that to us who believe. God is not niggardly with His gifts. "[He] gives to all liberally." (James 1:5)
So it is better for a man to acknowledge the truth, that he knows nothing, because then he has for use all the wisdom of God. "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." (1 Corinthians 3:18)
Even as God cannot separate His attributes from himself, for in that case He would cease to be God, so He cannot separate these attributes from each other, "for the Lord our God is one Lord." (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Therefore wisdom and righteousness go together. "[Christ is] made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30)
If we seek the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, all necessary things, including wisdom, will be added. "If any man wills to do His will, He shall know." (John 7:17)
The way of wisdom is therefore the way of the cross, which saves from sin. "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)
And this power is the direct antithesis of foolishness. All that any man has to do is to live a life of faith in God's Word, thus pleasing God, and this will bring him into such close companionship with the Source of all wisdom that he cannot fail to know things that are hidden from the wise men of the earth. How much better to seek wisdom from a living God than from a mortal man.
The Light of God's Word
Whatever reading of verse 20 we follow, we find the same thing. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20)
God's word is light, and those who reject that word have no light, and so must walk in darkness. Or we may take it as given in the Revision, "if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them." (Isaiah 8:20)
How can there be, if they reject the only source of light--God's Word? Or we may take the rendering of our text from the Lowth translation, "If they will not speak according to this word, in which there is no obscurity, Everyone of them shall pass through the land distressed and famished," (Isaiah 8:20-21) and shall find only darkness. All the readings agree in the one thing, that God's Word is light, and that apart from it there is only darkness. And it is true food also; so that those who reject it must go hungry.
By comparing verses 1 and 2 of chapter 9 with Matthew 4:12-16, we see that it is a direct prophecy concerning Christ. There was formerly great darkness in the land, but now, "He has made it glorious." (Isaiah 8:23,Lowth; ch. 9:1 in KJV)
Though "darkness cover the earth, and gross darkness the people," (Isaiah 60:2) the glory of the Lord shall lighten the gloom; for He is "the Light of the world," (John 8:12) and, "The Light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:5) "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them has the light shined." (Isaiah 9:2)
The light of Christ pierces even the darkness of the grave, for He went there; and even the grave was not able to quench the light of His life. His life--the light--triumphed over the darkness of the tomb.
The Joy of Redemption
The Revised Version renders verse 3 (verse 2 according to Lowth) just as we have it in our text: "You have multiplied the nation, You have increased the joy." (Isaiah 9:3,RV)
The connection shows that this is better than, "You have not increased the joy" [KJV]; for immediately we read, "they joy before You according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil." (Isaiah 9:3)
The question at once arises, "How can there be so marked a difference, even a direct contradiction, in the two translations?"
The answer is at hand: In the Hebrew the word "not," and the phrase "to him" are almost identical, and are pronounced exactly the same. Look now in the margin of verse 3, in the King James Version, and you will see the words "to him" given as an alternative. The nation has been multiplied by Christ, and thereby the joy to Him has been increased.
We read of Christ that, having been made an offering for sin, "He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. ... and He shall divide the spoil with the strong." (Isaiah 53:10,12)
Christ is the Seed, but, having died, He bears much fruit, so that the nation is increased. This is His joy, and His people share it with Him. It is the joy of harvest, because in the harvest--the end of the world--all His people will be gathered into the kingdom to shine forth as the sun. "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 13:38-43)
It will be the rejoicing of them that divide spoil, because He then opens the graves, and takes away from "him that had the power of death, that is the devil," (Hebrews 2:14) millions whom he has shut up in his prison house,--the grave,--claiming them as his own. The joy that is increased to Jesus in the multiplying of the nation, is shared by all His saints, because He gives them a share in His redeeming work, and thus says to them, "Enter into the joy of your Lord." (Matthew 25:21)
Destroying the Works of the Devil
"You have broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor." (Isaiah 9:4)
For Jesus took part in flesh and blood, "that through death He might destroy [not death merely, but]him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14) "Having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in himself." (Colossians 2:15,margin)
Satan is the oppressor, who binds heavy burdens on men. He has laden men with iniquity, but the bands have been broken, and liberty is proclaimed to all the captives. To all who are in prison the Lord says, "Go forth," and they can do it if they wish, for in the face of that command Satan has no power to hinder. "For all the armor of the armed man in the tumult, and the garments rolled in blood, shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire." (Isaiah 9:4,Lowth)
Yes, "[The Lord] makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in sunder; He burns the chariot in the fire." (Psalm 46:9)
War is of the devil, the destroyer. Christ redeems by destroying the destroyer, and so all the instruments of destruction will be destroyed. And the power by which at the last great battle all who destroy and all their weapons of destruction shall be destroyed, is the power by which today the yoke of Satan's oppression is broken for every believer.
Humanity is to Rule
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given." (Isaiah 9:6)
Who is He? "The Son of man." He is born unto us. The message that came to the shepherds of Bethlehem on the night of Christ's birth, is spoken equally to us, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)
He is our Saviour, our Christ, our Son. He belongs to us, and so all that He has is ours.
"With Him God freely gives us all things." (Romans 8:32) "The government shall be upon His shoulder." (Isaiah 9:6)
The Government is upon His shoulder; the kingdom is His. Therefore we shall reign with Him; for He who is born to us is also "The Everlasting Father." (Isaiah 9:6)
In Him we have obtained an inheritance. "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)
Never forget that as Christ is raised to the throne of God, "Far above all principality and power and might and dominion," (Ephesians 1:21) and we are made to sit together with Him in heavenly places, (Ephesians 2:4-6; But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, [by grace you are saved;] And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus) we have thus with Him power "over all the power of the enemy;" (Luke 10:19) so that in Christ we may assert our freedom from every bondage. Since Christ has given us power over "the prince of this world," (John 14:30) "the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience," (Ephesians 2:2) how can we have any fear of what wicked men may do to us? (Hebrews 13:6; The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me) God can restrain the wrath of man, and that which He allows to manifest itself, He makes to praise Him. "Surely the wrath of man shall praise You: the remainder of wrath You shall restrain." (Psalm 76:10)
The Great Counselor
"His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor." (Isaiah 9:6)
His name is Counselor. "[He is] wonderful in counsel and excellent in working." (Isaiah 28:29)
He is a host in himself, so that: "the multitude of counselors [in which] there is safety," (Proverbs 11:14) is found in Him. We read so often in the Bible of people who went to seek counsel of the Lord, and they were not disappointed. Why not do the same thing now, since God is the same? Of them who "walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, ... But ... delight ... in the law of the Lord," (Psalm 1:1-2) it is said that: "all that they do shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3)
The Lord himself is pledged to execute any action that He counsels, so that in Him we find not only advice as to what to do, but the thing itself done. He who is "the wisdom of God, ... is of God made unto us wisdom and right doing." (1 Corinthians 1:24,30)
The Lord Will Do It
"Of the increase of His Government and peace there shall be no end, ... The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:7)
Christ does not ask any help of man to establish His kingdom. "The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David." (Luke 1:32)
All that man has to do is to submit to His reign. We have not to enact laws and prepare the kingdom for Him, and then conduct Him to it; the kingdom is His, for God has anointed Him King in Zion, and He will put all His enemies under His feet. It is not by strife, not by force, not by human effort, but by the peaceful power of God in individual hearts, that the kingdom is made ready for the King. Then leave others alone, and "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." (Colossians 3:15)--Present Truth, February 16, 1899--Isaiah 8:19-23, 9:1-6.