Isaiah 9:1-7 - The Commitment of a Zealous God

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Amen.

That is beautiful.

Thank you all so much.

It is really hard when it's 75 degrees to feel like Christmas, and music of Christmas

makes me excited.

So thank you all for serving us so well and leading us in worship.

I do love the songs of Christmas.

They have so much rich there about what God is actually doing in this time.

And we've been talking about that this Christmas season.

If you're visiting with us this weekend, here at Southwood, we have been talking from Isaiah

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9 during the Christmas season, looking at this wonderful prophecy of Isaiah, the titles

given to Jesus in verse 6, Wonderful Counselor.

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

We've been talking about who Jesus is promised to be as the one coming to rescue God's people

and to rule righteously forever.

However, we're going to focus this morning on the end of the passage, but let me read the

whole thing for us one more time so we get the full picture of what God is promising through

the prophet Isaiah.

I thought about that as I was preparing for this morning.

We're just looking at the last verse.

Do we need to read the whole thing again?

I've read it so many weeks in a row.

And my second thought was, if Isaiah 9 ever gets old to me, there's something really wrong

going on.

You need to come check on me, okay?

This is a glorious passage, a beautiful promise of what God is doing.

On top of that, it is God's holy word.

It is his word.

So Isaiah chapter 9, we'll start at verse 1.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

Give your attention to the reading of God's word.

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 shined.

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.

Will you pray with me?

Father, we do thank you for your word.

We thank you that it teaches us.

We thank you that it guides us in truth.

We thank you that it shows us who you are and how you love us.

Would you teach us those things again this morning?

Father, send your spirit to teach our hearts your word that we might know you more, that

we might love you more, that we might serve you more.

Would you do that?

We ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah gets to the end of all this glorious prophecy, this wonderful, hopeful words, and

he concludes with the statement of God's zeal.

It's going to see that all of this gets accomplished.

I want to talk this morning about God's zeal and what God is zealous for.

But first, let's make sure we know what the this is at the end.

Will do this.

What is this?

What has God promised will happen?

This is going to be somewhat of a review from what we've seen in this passage the past few

weeks.

But as you read through the first few verses, you see this is light coming into darkness,

verse 2.

Joy coming into sorrow, verse 3.

Peace coming into conflict, verses 4 and 5.

All, all of those things coming through a child born to be king forever.

What Isaiah is prophesying about is really God's fulfillment of his promises to redeem his people

and be their faithful covenant-keeping God.

Remember, all the way back to Abraham, God has promised his people that he will be their

God, that they'll have this special relationship with him.

He promised them a land, a place they could settle and call home.

And they'd inhabit it as a great nation, being his special people.

That's what it was going to look like to be blessed by their God.

In Exodus 19, God says it this way,

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles' wings and

brought you to myself.

What a beautiful way to picture what God did in the Exodus, right?

Not just delivering his people from slavery, but bringing them to himself to be his special

people.

Now, if you'll obey my voice, keep my covenant, you'll be what?

My treasured possession among all peoples.

All the earth is mine, but you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

We're going to have a special relationship, God says.

I will love you and protect you.

You will be my treasured possession, the ones I value and cherish.

Now have no other gods before me.

That's what comes next, right?

Trust me.

Worship me.

Obey my commandments.

But Israel doesn't do that, do they?

Over and over again, running after other gods, disobeying God's commands.

After many years, they even ask for a king like the rest of the nations.

They're not pleased with this God that they have that they don't see.

They want a king like the nations.

And after a bad experience with Saul, God gives them David, a man after his heart, to

lead his people in following after him and following his commands.

And through David, God renews his promise to his people.

Look at 2 Samuel chapter 7.

2 Samuel 7 · chapter mention

God's great promise to Israel through David.

God says,

You hear the promise of a land of their own again?

And I'll give you rest from all your enemies.

Moreover, the Lord declares to you, the Lord will make you a house, David.

I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

I'll be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.

My steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.

Your throne shall be established forever.

Forever.

The promises of God again, right?

A land of their own.

A great and prosperous nation going to be protected from their enemies and have this wonderful place.

And now a king who's going to reign forever.

Not one who's going to be up and down, who just will last for a little while,

but stability and security and a leader you can count on forever.

All of those things happening.

Why?

Because God was going to be their God.

They were his special people, and God would make all of this happen as they follow him.

They get all the promises again, but again, they go their own way, don't they?

They turn from God to idols.

Their kings even lead them astray.

They begin to get overpowered by surrounding nations,

and so they will find themselves not in a promised land flowing with milk and honey,

but far away.

Not as a powerful nation, but scattered abroad and under the thumb of Babylonians and Assyrians.

Not seeing much evidence of their God and all his wonderful promises, right?

Israel would await that promised king for a long time.

And that's what the this in verse 7 is.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this,

is that he will keep his promise and send that king.

He's going to be the righteous ruler on David's throne who indeed reigns forever.

Do the words look familiar now in verse 7?

His rule is going to keep increasing.

It will never end.

He will make God's way clear.

He will make the way to God clear.

He will be that way to God.

God himself come in might to protect his people forever.

To lead them into peace.

That's what's going to happen, God says.

This is what I'm promising.

All my promises will be fulfilled.

Despite your failures, Israel,

I'm still going to keep all my promises.

Despite your failures,

my special people will be redeemed

and led to follow me into all goodness and joy forever.

I'm still going to do it.

The Messiah is coming, right?

The one that's going to make this happen,

I'm sending him.

It's the hope and the joy of Christmas.

Rejoice.

Rejoice, Emmanuel.

God with us has come to Israel.

The God that was our hope,

that made us special,

that he was with us,

he has come.

That's what Isaiah promises.

Generations of waiting,

of anticipation.

That's what the previous seven verses hold in them.

All summed up in the this that God will do.

You've waited so long.

He's coming.

I will do it.

If you were Israel,

do you think you might have been at least a little bit skeptical?

I mean, really, God?

Really?

Again?

I've heard those promises before,

and I just,

I'm tired of getting my hopes up and being let down.

I feel like I'm just getting disappointed.

This is not what I expected.

I mean, we have a good king,

and I get worked up and think,

this is the guy,

and then he,

he all of a sudden turns rotten,

and then he dies,

and then we get two bad ones after him.

And now here we are sitting in Babylon.

Have you read Psalm 137,

the picture of God's people in Babylon?

It says they sat by the rivers and wept.

They wept,

being in exile from God's promised land.

Why?

They said things like,

how can we sing the songs of God in a foreign land?

How can we praise Yahweh

when we're not in the place He promised us

we were going to be

when we look around

and don't see His goodness to us?

Is this the prosperity and the peace

He had in mind for us?

This God seems to have lots of wonderful ideas,

but very little commitment to following through.

Can you feel how they might have felt,

what they might have thought,

hearing the prophecy of Isaiah,

the promise of a king to come?

We can feel those thoughts

because we know what it's like

to hear a commitment

and see it not followed through on,

don't we?

This Christmas,

I was told very clearly in black and white

that my Christmas cards would come in the mail

no later than December 18.

Now, I'll grant you,

I was a little behind.

That's not exactly an ideal time

to get your Christmas cards

that you're then wanting to send out,

but December 18th.

And as that day drew near

and there was no progress showing up,

as I began to call on the 17th and the 18th,

no matter whom I called,

no matter where I showed up,

the post office didn't seem to have the zeal

that I was hoping for

for getting my Christmas cards to me on the 18th.

Their commitment to the promise I had received

was pretty low.

Ah, they were going to come when they got there.

And nobody really knew where they were.

Remember,

we see promises of unending love discarded.

We hear campaign promises

and we joke about them

as things that will never happen.

That's almost the definition

of a campaign promise, right?

Something that will certainly never come true.

In a culture of low commitment

even to our promises,

is it any wonder that we doubt

God's commitment to our good?

Do you look around at your life sometimes

and look at a particular situation

you've been praying for

and you wonder if God really cares?

If He really has your best interest in mind?

Do you disclaim God's promises to yourself

and to others

and hesitate even to take them seriously

because you hate being let down

or disappointed

and you think,

oh, this is not going to go well

and I'm just going to get disappointed again?

Have you stopped thinking

about God's commitment to you at all?

When you think about God's commitment to you

and to your good as His child,

do you see it as nonchalant?

Is God being just kind of half-hearted

like, oh yeah, sure.

I mean, a little capricious.

If it works out,

if things go well for them, great.

If not, well, we'll do something else.

Is that how God feels about you?

Is that how you think

about His commitment to you?

God wants us to hear clearly this morning

something very, very different

from that level of commitment.

Something much more deeply passionate,

much more deeply secure than that.

He wants us to hear clearly

the zeal of the Lord of hosts

will do this.

His zeal, it's a Hebrew word

that speaks of ardent love,

of deep fervor.

It's a word translated usually

in the Scriptures either zeal

or jealousy.

Speaking of God being a jealous God,

like a lover who is deeply committed

to His beloved.

I love the way commentator Alec Motier

describes the word in this passage.

I want to show it to you.

He says,

it's the power of love

moving the Lord

to make His people's cause

His own

and the passionate commitment

of His nature

to fulfill His purposes for them.

That's what God's zeal means.

That He makes His people's cause

His own.

That your good

is the thing that becomes

His driving force,

His desire for you.

God makes His people's cause

His own.

Motier says it's His very nature

that makes God passionately committed

to His people

and His promises.

That's who He is.

It's not He's pretending

to be like this.

It is His very nature

to save His people,

to overthrow His foes,

and He has the power

to do it.

He will do it.

He's unwilling

to leave His people

stuck in their idolatry

of other gods.

Stuck apart from Him

and His glory.

He won't let you stay there.

He's unwilling

to leave His people

stuck in captivity

to other nations.

Stuck apart from the blessings

of His long-standing

covenant promises.

He won't leave you there.

So in Zechariah 1.14,

He uses this same word,

zeal,

to say this.

He says,

cry out,

thus says the Lord of hosts,

I am exceedingly jealous

for Jerusalem

and for Zion.

That's the way He feels

about His people.

Exceedingly jealous

for them.

I'm telling you,

this is no mild feeling

of a placid grandfather

in the sky

just with some well wishes.

This is the Lord of hosts.

The title used for God

is the commander

of all of heaven's armies

getting passionate

about someone

and something.

You know who?

About His people

and you know what?

About their salvation.

Isaiah tells us

in other parts

of his prophecy

what it looks like

when God gets zealous

for this.

Chapter 42,

the Lord goes out

like a mighty man,

like a man of war,

He stirs up His zeal.

He cries out,

He shouts aloud,

He shows Himself mighty

against His foes

because of His zeal

for His people.

Chapter 59,

He put on righteousness

as a breastplate

and a helmet of salvation

on His head.

He put on garments

of vengeance for clothing

and wrapped Himself

in zeal as a cloak.

What's God doing

when He gets zealous

for His people?

He's getting ready

for battle, isn't He?

God who's ready

to fight,

He's going to fight

for His people

to rescue the ones

He loves,

to move heaven and earth

to see His purposes

for them achieved.

Listen,

He may be coming

as a baby

in a manger,

but be assured

that Christmas

is no weak move

on the part

of an impotent deity.

Christmas is the strong

battle plan

of the omnipotent

Lord of hosts.

He will do this

and He has begun.

I want you to hear

John Calvin's words

on this because

I couldn't say

more beautifully

or poetically

if I tried

for a long time.

Calvin says,

God is absolutely

inflamed.

These words aren't

on the screen yet.

He's inflamed

with an uncommon

and extraordinary

desire to promote

the salvation

of the church.

He says,

there's no feeling

of our own

that matches

this zeal

that God has,

that we're trying

to use human words

to describe

a divine passion

that is so intense

it is wonderful

and inconceivable.

And then He finishes

this way.

God will come

with no light

or slow arm

to redeem His church

for He will be

all on flame

with amazing love

of believers

and anxiety

about their salvation.

Did you hear that?

all on flame

with amazing love

for believers.

So committed

to your well-being

that He entered

into this world

of pain

and distress

Himself

to rescue you.

He really did

want to be

your God.

Yes,

your God.

dear one

who's struggling,

who feels like

you've failed Him again

and you're stuck

in a cycle of sin

and chasing after

your own gods.

Yes,

you.

He feels that way

about you.

He came for you.

This wasn't just

a passing thought.

This was not a,

well,

maybe I will,

maybe that's a good idea,

maybe I won't.

A cosmic coin flip

in heaven,

God thinking,

heads one day,

tails the next day,

maybe,

maybe I'll care

about them.

It's very,

very different.

Since before

the creation

of the world,

He loved you

with an everlasting love

so intense

that He was willing

to die

to have you

live with Him.

That's how He feels

about you.

He has your best

interest at heart

so much so

that He was willing

to put all

of His omniscient wisdom,

all of His

omnipotent might,

all of His

eternal perspective

to work

to plan

your greatest

shalom,

your greatest

peace,

your complete

wholeness

in His perfect world

forever.

That's what this passage

says.

That's what God

has been doing.

He really is

good.

He really does

love you.

He really will

do this.

He's committed

to this.

You can be assured

of it.

Two questions

for us

by way of application

this morning.

First,

do you share

God's commitment?

Are you zealous

for the things

that He is

zealous for?

Does the kingdom

of King Jesus,

the well-being

of His creation,

the redemption

of other people

get you fired up?

Does it make you laugh

when I say that?

Or does that actually

get you excited?

What excites your passion

and engages your interest?

your intense concentration

and excitement?

This passage says

God is zealous

to see His light

come into darkness,

His joy

come into sorrow,

His peace

come into conflict,

all through His Son

coming into our lives.

Are you zealous

for that too?

Do you rejoice

in how He's come

into your life?

Are you committed

to seeing Him

come into the lives

of everyone you know,

even those

who keep failing you?

Are you committed

to seeing them know Him?

Or do you think,

ah, yeah,

I mean,

that would be nice.

Wouldn't that be cool

if someone else

met Jesus?

Do you feel like,

you know,

maybe if it happened,

it'd be neat

to be a part of?

Or are you longing

for that?

Does your heart ache

to be a part of that?

Do you want to see

that happen?

Do you pray

for His kingdom

to come?

Do you work

to see it advanced

in the lives of others?

God's heart is for people

to be blessed,

for a rule of justice

and peace

and righteousness

to impact Huntsville

and the rest of the world.

Is that your heart?

Is that what you

want to see happen

and be a part of?

Would you pray with me

that God would give us

some of His zeal

for the redemption

of people?

I think if we just,

if we just had an ounce of it,

just a fraction

of God's passionate,

burning zeal,

the way His heart

is aflame for believers

in Calvin's words.

If we just had a piece of that,

I think Huntsville

would be a different place.

Would you pray with me

that God would make

our hearts beat like His

for people in this city

and in this world?

Would we share

God's commitment?

That's certainly important.

Of course it's important

to share God's commitment.

Having our hearts

and priorities

match His.

But you know,

I think this passage

would ask us another question

even perhaps

more importantly.

Even perhaps more

at the heart

of Isaiah's prophecy.

Do you share

His commitment?

Yes.

But also do you trust

His commitment?

Do you trust

His commitment?

Why do you think

the last sentence

in verse 7 is there?

Why that sentence

at the end

of these great promises

that the zeal

of the Lord of hosts

will do this?

Why is that needed?

I mean,

God's promised.

He's given you

His word, right?

He's given you

beautiful promises.

He's told you

it's going to happen

through this child

who's going to be born

and is going to be a king.

Why the last sentence?

I think perhaps

the primary reason

is so that our hearts

will be encouraged

to trust God's commitment.

that we will trust God's commitment

enough to have hope

in the dark times.

Because God never promised

we wouldn't struggle, right?

In fact,

He promised that in many ways

we would struggle

and suffer.

But when we do,

if you're anything like me,

it's easy to look around

and it's easy to think

like God's people

in the Old Testament.

God,

you're not looking faithful

to your promises

right now.

I'm tempted to wonder

if your commitment

is wavering.

Our circumstances

often tell us that,

don't they?

Our repeated sin

and failure

tell us that,

don't they?

Satan accuses us.

And we say,

surely God's commitment

to a failure like me

must be wavering right now.

And God says what?

I'm committed to you

zealously and eternally.

I sent my Son for you.

Don't forget that.

What does Paul say

in Romans 8?

What should we say

to these things,

to God's wonderful redemption?

We should say this.

If God is for us,

who can be against us?

If God did not spare

His own Son

but gave Him up for us all,

how will He not also,

along with Him,

graciously give us

all things?

He may not give us

what we think is best

in every situation,

but the gift of Jesus

at Christmas says

He will graciously give us

all things,

never letting us be separated

from His love,

Romans 8, right?

No matter how we feel,

no matter what life looks like,

no matter what our hearts

accuse us of

and our failures,

He sent His Son.

You can count on His love.

He really does know

what is ultimately best for us.

and He really is

zealously committed

to loving us forever.

We can trust Him.

Do we trust God's commitment enough

to have hope

even in the hard times?

And also,

do we trust God's commitment enough

not to think

that we will accomplish

these things

in our own strength?

As important as it is

for us to share

God's commitment

to the redemption

of His people

and the coming

of Christ's kingdom,

it's equally important

that we remember

this work rests

on His shoulders

and not ours.

His promise

is not that we will be

strong enough,

smart enough,

holy enough

to make it happen.

That's not the guarantee

at the end of this passage,

is it?

That we will be

strong enough,

smart enough,

holy enough.

In fact,

if you'll note

the baby in the manger

at Christmas,

you'll see He loves

to work through

weakness

and humility.

No, His promise

is not that we

will be strong enough.

His promise

is that He

will be committed enough,

zealous

to accomplish

His purposes.

Maybe Christmas

can be a reminder

to us

that when He kicked off

His earthly portion

of this mission

with the miraculous

wonder of the incarnation,

He didn't need

our strategy,

did He?

Did He ask for,

was that your idea?

Was that my idea?

Did we help make,

He didn't need

our strategy,

He didn't need

our strength,

He didn't need

our permission.

Redemption

comes as a gift

from Him,

not as a

cooperative agreement,

not a partnership

where we fulfill

our part of the bargain.

Israel never

fulfilled their part

of the bargain,

did they?

That's what we mean

when we talk about

salvation

by grace

alone.

It's something

accomplished

by the zeal

of the Lord

of hosts

as it always

has been.

His passionate

commitment

to redeeming

the people

He loves

so much

knows no bounds.

He won't be

turned away

by our rebellion.

He won't be

turned aside

by Satan's

temptation.

He won't be

turned back

by the agony

of the cross.

He will never

stop loving you.

Amen?

He will have

you to be

with Him

forever.

So we have

to acknowledge

our weakness

in order to

trust His strength.

We have

to acknowledge

our foolishness

to trust

His wisdom.

And when we do,

He saves us.

Not because

we worked hard

enough,

but because

He loved us

passionately enough.

That's why

He saves us.

We trust

Him.

And He promises

that to us

a child

will be born.

And to us

trusting

Him,

a son

will be given,

one upon

whose shoulders

the government

of His kingdom

will rest

so that it

doesn't weigh

on yours

or on mine.

He will be

the wonderful

counselor,

the mighty God,

the everlasting

Father,

the Prince

of Peace.

The zeal

of the Lord

of hosts

will do this.

Let's pray.

Father,

thank You

for being

zealous.

Thank You

for caring

passionately

about Your

people.

Thank You

for Your

commitment

to the

kingdom

of Your

Son

coming in

great power

and for us

knowing

the rich

blessings

that are

ours

as a part

of that.

we pray

Thy kingdom

come

on earth

as it is

in heaven.

Bring it

today,

Lord Jesus.

Bring it

in our hearts,

in our city,

in our world.

Would we

be confident

today

that You

have come

to see

that happen

and that You're

coming again

to make it

true forever?

May that

encourage our

hearts and give

us great joy.

we ask in

Your name.

Amen.

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