Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Isaiah 9:2

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Messiah, Prince of Peace (9:1-7)

The southern kingdom under Ahaz was about to enter a time of increasing distress and darkness (see 8:21-22). The northern kingdom was about to be attacked by Assyria, and the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali in the far north Galilean region were about to be taken into captivity (2 Kings 15:29). Yet out of this darkness and from this conquered northern area will come the great deliverer, the Messiah, to lead his people to victory and to introduce an era of light, joy and peace. Oppressors will be overthrown and war will be banished (9:1-5).

This Messiah is the true Immanuel, ‘God with us’, and he was pictured in the child born in Ahaz’s day. The sign of Immanuel was given not merely to Ahaz personally, but to Ahaz as representative of the dynasty of David. Now the eternal God comes to dwell among humankind in the person of Jesus Christ, the mighty Messiah-King, the great descendant of David, who brings everlasting peace and rules with justice for ever (6-7; cf. 7:13-14; Matthew 1:21-23; Matthew 2:2).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"But there shall be no gloom to her that 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 hath he made it glorious, by the way pf the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased their joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou has broken as in the day of Midian. For all the armor of the armed man in the tumult, and the garments rolled in blood, shall be for burning, for 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, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this."

This was not a prophecy of the immediate future when Isaiah delivered it; but it is predictive prophecy of the "latter" times, and therefore, invariably in the Old Testament related to the times of the Messiah. The anguish that came upon Zebulun and Naphtali in the pre-Christian era was due partially to their physical location on the northern border of the Promised land. They were the first to reap the bitter fruit of repeated invasions; and Isaiah's prophecy here shows that the treatment of the lands of these tribes was worse than that of some of the others, and that they would also be the first to enjoy the benefits of Christ's kingdom. Look at this passage from Matthew 4:12-16 -

When Jesus heard that John was delivered up he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying:

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
Toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people that sat in Darkness
Saw a great light.
And to them that sat in the region and shadow of death,
To them did light spring up.

Thus it was in those very places of Israel which had formerly suffered the most that Christ first came forward to teach in a synagogue, and there he did his first miracle in Cana of Galilee. See Luke 4 and John 2. "Thus the light began to shine in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali where the gloom had first settled centuries earlier."Homer Hailey, p. 100.

The present tense in this marvelous passage should not be confusing. "These tenses are factitive, or prophetic tenses,"T. K. Cheyne's Commentary, p. 58. or, as McGuiggan stated it, "The language is in the present or the past because of the certainty of the prophecy."Jim McGuiggan, p. 103.

"As in the day of Midian" This brings up a question as to why that particular deliverance was the one selected for mention here. Rawlinson has the best explanation of this we have seen. The great deliverance promised under the reign of Messiah in this passage would not be accomplished by military power. The Prince of Peace would have no use for the weapons of military might but would rely upon spiritual weapons; and the deliverance from the Midianites accomplished by Gideon was the most effective illustration for the peace that would be won under the Messiah. "Gideon's deliverance was accomplished without military prowess by a small group selected out of Israel expressly for the purpose, so that Israel might not vaunt itself against the Lord, saying, My own hand hath saved me (Judges 7:2)."The Pulpit Commentary, p. 166/

"All the armor of the armed men… and the garments rolled in blood… shall be for burning (Isaiah 9:5)" The first of these words, armor, could also bear the rendition "boots" as in some versions. We would then have the meaning of rough military boots and bloody clothes.

The burning of military weapons, clothing, and equipment are spoken of here as being abolished so as to prepare our minds for the New Era under Messiah; but instead of the glorious New Age being foretold as the work of some new Joshua or Gideon, "It is the Child already foretold as Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 597. who suddenly appears as the hope of the whole world.

"And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" Thus the world's Deliverer is hailed as a child, a son, given by God Himself and destined to achieve eternal redemption for all of the sons of Adam willing to accept it upon the terms under which it became a gift to mankind.

The five names given here are understood in various ways; but as Rawlinson suggested, "Perhaps it is not very important"The Pulpit Commentary, p. 166 just how we construe these names, whether four, or five or, as including certain compounds such as "Wonderful Counselor." Cheyne pointed out that when the angel refused to give God's name to Manoah, he said, "Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful"? (Judges 13:18). From this it is clear that the Angel of Jehovah described his name as "wonderful," but that was not his name. It may be, therefore, that these are descriptions of Immanuel's name and not actually the name itself. "The royal titles of Rameses II took up six lines on a monument;"T. K. Cheyne's Commentary, p. 60. and any number of the recent kings of England have had as many as a half dozen names or more. The suggestion of McGuiggan appears to have merit. He wrote, "The expression, `His name shall be called,' is probably idiomatic for, `This will be his character and nature.'"Jim McGuiggan, p. 103.

However, these names are of such interest that we shall devote some study to each of them.

WONDERFUL

This name has sometimes been given as "Wonder," and sometimes combined as an adjective as in "Wonderful Counselor." We prefer the view that there are five of these names and that the first one is "Wonderful." We still remember reading Spurgeon's magnificent sermon on this name many years ago. Christ is indeed Wonderful in whatever dimension one views him.

He is wonderful in his pre-existence, in his Virgin birth, in his role as executive in Creation and in the "upholding" of our universe. He is indeed wonderful in his mighty miracles, his unsurpassed teaching, his sufferings, his prophecies, his death, burial, and resurrection. He is wonderful in the great Christophanies of the Old Testament and his appearance as "The Angel of Jehovah!" He is wonderful in the establishment of his kingdom, the Church, and in his providential protection and blessing of his Holy Bride throughout history. He is wonderful in what he will yet accomplish when he appears the Second Time, apart from sin, and shall judge the living and the dead, and assign to every man who ever lived his eternal destiny.

COUNSELOR

When God said, "Let us make man in our own image," the most logical view places Christ in that Council as a member of the Godhead. What a Counselor! that even the Father in heaven would discuss with the Son the creation of mankind! He is the only Counselor who ever had "the words of eternal life" (John 6:68); his counsel alone is truthfully described as "The Light of the World." His counsel only will judge men at the last day (John 12:48). The counsel of the Son of God is eternal. "Heaven and earth shall pass away," but Christ's word abideth forever. A single line of teaching from this Counselor is more valuable than libraries stacked full of the books of human wisdom. His counsel is the one and only authentic Handbook and Guide to the Christian religion. No other authority exists, except through the devices of sinful men. When at the Last Day all the nations of earth have been summonsed to appear before the Great Assize, the word of this Counselor will be enforced as the final and ultimate determiner of the fate of every man ever born.

MIGHTY GOD

Many Christians and practically all commentators have trouble with the application of words like these to Christ, and yet they are surely appropriate.

In the New Testament, the following texts refer to Jesus Christ Our Lord as "God."

John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 1:18: "No man hath seen God at any time; God only begotten (from the margin of the ASV), who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Without any reasonable doubt this is the correct rendition in this verse. See the technical dissertation on this in Vol. 4 of my New Testament Series of Commentaries. pp. 30-32.

John 20:28: "Thomas (the apostle) answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."

Acts 20:28: "Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops to feed the church of God which he purchased with his own blood."Ancient manuscripts, including the two oldest manuscripts, give this reading; and there is no doubt at all as to its accuracy. See the American Standard Version's margin.

Romans 9:5: "Of whom (the Israelites) is Christ as concerning the flesh, WHO IS OVER ALL, GOD, BLESSED FOREVER. AMEN!." (See a more complete discussion of this text in Vol. 6 of my New Testament Series of Commentaries, pp. 315-318.) The noted Charles Hodge stated that the rendition given here is the only correct rendition, pointing out specifically, that "over all" actually means "over all things." "It is supremacy over the universe that is here expressed."Charles Hodge, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), p. 300.

"Great is the mystery of godliness:
He (God) who was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen of angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16)

The use of the pronoun for the first word is very misleading, because it obscures the identity of just who was "manifested in the flesh." The antecedent of "who" in this passage is God and cannot be anyone else. The KJV is correct here.

Titus 2:13 - "Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." The margin (American Standard Version) here gives the alternate reading, "Our Great God and Saviour," which is doubtless correct, as honored in the NIV. Also, see Titus 2:10.

Philippians 2:5-6 - "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped."

Hebrews 1:8 - "Of the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of thy kingdom."

James 1:1 - "James a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." James had heard the Master say that no man can serve two masters; and could he have meant here that he was indeed serving "two masters"? Did he not rather mean that Christ and God were one?

2 Peter 1:1 - "A like precious faith with us with the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ." Here we took out the italics word "the," the italics indicating that it is not in the Greek, leaving the correct reading here as, "Our God and Saviour."

1 John 5:20 - "And we know that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

EVERLASTING FATHER

In the Bible, especially the New Testament, it is frequently said that God, the Holy Spirit, or the Son of God did certain things that in other passages may be attributed to a different member of the Godhead; and while it is true that the New Testament nowhere says that Christ begot us through the gospel, it is stated that God did so (James 1:18; 1 Peter 2:3); and since the "gospel" delivered to mankind is the word of Christ delivered through him and his apostles, it is no violation of the scriptures to say that Christ indeed is the "father" of all who believe in him through his word. It may be that "Everlasting Father" includes something of this meaning. Kidner also pointed out that, "Father signifies the paternal benevolence of the Perfect Ruler over the people whom he loves."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 597.

Christ is called the "Author and Finisher" of our faith (KJV), and the author and protector of our faith (ASV) in Hebrews 12:2. In the same sense, therefore, that Abraham is called "The Father of the Faithful," Jesus Christ is entitled to be called the "Everlasting Father."

PRINCE OF PEACE

Jesus Christ is the only true Prince of Peace the world ever knew, and the only one that shall ever be. When the angels announced his birth over the hills of Judaea, their first word was, "Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased (Luke 2:14)." Implicit in this verse, is the declaration that the promise of peace is not given to all men on earth, but only to those with whom God is pleased. Only the obedient and faithful shall know the blessedness of that peace which only the Lord can give.

Alas, the rebellious majority of mankind shall continue to travel in the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The prophecy of Revelation also reveals in the visions that attended the opening of the seals that wars and desolations shall continue to the end of time. "Wars and rumors of wars… but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6). Furthermore, the peace which the Lord gives is a glorious inner tranquillity that has no relation whatever to any turbulence on earth, whether general or personal. It comes from a oneness with God that securely rests in the confidence that no matter what may happen to one's person, his health, his property, his country, his family, or anything else, absolutely nothing can happen to him, because he is the Lord's; and as Paul stated it, "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:8).

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The people that walked in darkness - The inhabitants of the region of Galilee. They were represented as walking in darkness, because they were far from the capital, and from the temple; they had few religious privileges; they were intermingled with the pagan, and were comparatively rude and uncultivated in their manners and in their language. Allusion to this is several times made in the New Testament; John 1:46 : ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ John 7:52 : ‘Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet;’ Matthew 26:69; Mark 14:70. The word walked here is synonymous with lived, and denotes that thick darkness brooded over the country, so that they lived, or walked amidst it.

Have seen a great light - Light is not only an emblem of knowledge in the Scriptures, but of joy, rejoicing, and deliverance. It stands opposed to moral darkness, and to times of judgment and calamity. What is the particular reference here, is not agreed by expositors. The immediate connection seems to require us to understand it of deliverance from the calamities that were impending over the nation then. They would be afflicted, but they would be delivered. The tribes of Israel would be carried captive away; and Judah would also be removed. This calamity would particularly affect the ten tribes of Israel - the northern part of the land, the regions of Galilee - “for those tribes would be carried away not to return.” Yet this region also would be favored with a especially striking manifestation of light. I see no reason to doubt that the language of the prophet here is adapted to extend into that future period when the Messiah should come to that dark region, and become both its light and its deliverer. Isaiah may have referred to the immediate deliverance of the nation from impending calamities, but there is a fullness and richness of the language that seems to be applicable only to the Messiah. So it is evidently understood in Matthew 4:13-16.

They that dwell - The same people are referred to here as in the former member of the verse.

In the land of the shadow of death - This is a most beautiful expression, and is special to the Hebrew poets. The word צלמות tsalmâveth, is exceedingly poetical. The idea is that of death, as a dark substance or being, casting a long and chilly shade over the land - standing between the land and the light - and thus becoming the image of ignorance, misery, and calamity. It is often used, in the Scriptures, to describe those regions that were lying as it were in the penumbra of this gloomy object, and exposed to all the chills and sorrows of this melancholy darkness. Death, by the Hebrews, was especially represented as extending his long and baleful shadow ever the regions of departed spirits; Job 38:17 :

Have the gates of death been opened to thee?

Hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Before I go - I shall not return -

To the land of darkness

And of the shadow of death.

Job 10:21

It is thus an image of chills, and gloom, and night - of anything that resembles the still and mournful regions of the dead. The Chaldee renders these two verses thus: ‘In a former time Zebulun and Naphtali emigrated; and those who remained after them a strong king shall carry into captivity, because they did not remember the power which was shown in the Red Sea, and the miracles which were done in Jordan, and the wars of the people of the cities. The people of the house of Israel who walked in Egypt as in the midst of shades, came out that they might see a great light.’

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

2.The people walking in darkness hath seen a great light. He speaks of future events in the past tense, and thus brings them before the immediate view of the people, that in the destruction of the city, in their captivity, and in what appeared to be their utter destruction, they may behold the light of God. It may therefore be summed up in this manner: “Even in darkness, nay, in death itself, there is nevertheless good ground of hope; for the power of God is sufficient to restore life to his people, when they appear to be already dead.” Matthew, who quotes this passage, appears to torture it to a different meaning; for he says that this prediction was fulfilled when Christ preached along the sea-coast. (Matthew 4:16.) But if we take a just view of the comparison, it will be found that Matthew has applied this passage to Christ correctly, and in its true meaning. Yet it does not appear that the view generally given by our commentators is a successful elucidation of the passage; for they merely assert that it belongs to the kingdom of Christ, but do not assign a reason, or show how it accords with this passage. If, therefore, we wish to ascertain the true meaning of this passage, we must bring to our recollection what has been already stated, that the Prophet, when he speaks of bringing back the people from Babylon, does not look to a single age, but includes all the rest, till Christ came and brought the most complete deliverance to his people. The deliverance from Babylon was but a prelude to the restoration of the Church, and was intended to last, not for a few years only, but till Christ should come and bring true salvation, not only to their bodies, but likewise to their souls. When we shall have made a little progress in reading Isaiah, we shall find that this was his ordinary custom.

Having spoken of the captivity in Babylon, which held out the prospect of a very heavy calamity, he shows that this calamity will be lighter than that which Israel formerly endured; because the Lord had fixed a term and limit to that calamity, namely, seventy years, (Jeremiah 25:11,) after the expiration of which the light of the Lord would shine on them. By this confident hope of deliverance, therefore, he encourages their hearts when overpowered by fear, that they might not be distressed beyond measure; and thus he made a distinction between the Jews and the Israelites, to whom the expectation of a deliverance so near was not promised. Though the Prophets had given to the elect remnant some taste of the mercy of God, yet, in consequence of the redemption of Israel being, as it were, an addition to the redemption of Judah, and dependent on it, justly does the Prophet now declare that a new light has been exhibited; because God hath determined to redeem his people. Appropriately and skilfully, too, does Matthew extend the rays of light to Galilee and the land of Zebulun. (Matthew 4:15.)

In the land of the shadow of death. He now compares the captivity in Babylon to darkness and death; for those who were kept there, were wretched and miserable, and altogether like dead men; as Ezekiel also relates their speech,

Dead men shall arise out of the graves. (Ezekiel 37:11.)

Their condition, therefore, was such as if no brightness, no ray of light, had shone on them. Yet he shows that this will not prevent them from enjoying light, and recovering their former liberty; and that liberty he extends, not to a short period, but, as we have already said, to the time of Christ.

Thus it is customary with the Apostles to borrow arguments from the Prophets, and to show their real use and design. In this manner Paul quotes (Romans 9:25) that passage from Hosea,

I will call them my people which were not my people,
(Hosea 2:23,) ⁽¹⁴⁰⁾

and applies it to the calling of the Gentiles, though strictly it was spoken of the Jews; and he shows that it was fulfilled when the Lord brought the Gentiles into the Church. Thus, when the people might be said to be buried in that captivity, they differed in no respect from the Gentiles; and since both were in the same condition, it is reasonable to believe that this passage relates, not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles also. Nor must it be viewed as referring to outward misery only, but to the darkness of eternal death, in which souls are plunged, till they come forth to spiritual light; for unquestionably we lie buried in darkness, till Christ shine on us by the doctrine of his word. Hence also Paul exhorts,

Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light. (Ephesians 5:14.)

If therefore we extend the commencement of the deliverance from the return from Babylon down to the coming of Christ, on whom all liberty and all bestowal of blessings depends, we shall understand the true meaning of this passage, which otherwise has not been satisfactorily explained by commentators.

(140) In the original text the reference reads: Hosea 2:13 which I assume was a typographical error. — fj.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 9

Now as we get into chapter 9, he said,

Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her that was by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in the Galilee of the nations ( Isaiah 9:1 ).

Now the invasion, of course, began with the north and the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali wherein the northern part, the upper Galilee regions. There's where the invasion began. When they began to move into there, you would think that the people would repent and turn to God and really seek the Lord, but they didn't.

Now, again, he leaves the immediate scene and prophecy flashes to the future. And here is where you come into prophecy.

The people that walked in darkness [that is, the Gentile world] have seen a great light: and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and the men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, and the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and the garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with the burning and a fuel of fire ( Isaiah 9:2-5 ).

And now the fabulous prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus Christ and His ministry:

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 everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. And of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this ( Isaiah 9:6-7 ).

So the beautiful flash of inspiration, prophetic inspiration, as Isaiah again looks beyond the immediate turmoil. This confederacy with Syria and Samaria, it's not going to stand. It's going to fall. Assyria's going to move in and take that territory. Assyria's going to come down into this area, but they won't take this area. But on down into the future, the hope of the future isn't in man. The hope of the future is in a child that would be born of a virgin. "For unto us a child is born." That is looking at the birth of Jesus Christ from the human side. A child is born in Bethlehem. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" ( Luke 2:11 ). A child is born.

Looking at it from the divine side, a Son is given. The two aspects. From the human side a child is born. From the divine side, it's more than just a child born; a Son is given. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" ( John 3:16 ). Humanly, a child is born; divinely, a Son is given. "And the government shall be upon His shoulder." Now that portion of the prophecy is not yet fulfilled. That portion of the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.

Now this is why, and please, let's have mercy and understanding for the disciples. They were completely confused with Jesus. They were looking for their Messiah. They were waiting for the Messiah, anticipating the Messiah, for they knew these prophecies. And whenever Jesus would start to talk about His death, they would get bugged because they didn't want to talk about His death; they wanted to talk about Him sitting upon the throne of David. They wanted to talk about the kingdom and the reigning over the world. And so every time He would bring up the fact that He was going to be crucified, Peter said, "Lord, be that far from Thee." Peter began to rebuke Him for talking about His crucifixion. And in turn got rebuked. They didn't understand. And they were always saying, "Well, Lord, when are You going to set up Your kingdom? When is that aspect going to come?" Jesus said, "Hey, there's a job to be done in the meantime. Don't you know that a point in His time He's going to do that. But in the meantime, there's a job to be done."

Now the kingdom shall be established. This portion of the prophecy is yet unfulfilled. The child was born; the Son was given. Given in a way that they didn't anticipate. His life was given as a ransom for our sins. But now we await the day when the government will be upon His shoulder. But that day will come very soon. I'm convinced of that. When Jesus returns to set up the kingdom, the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God. Whose name is going to be The mighty God? The child that was born, the Son that was given. Oh, how that bugs the Jehovah Witnesses.

Even more, The everlasting Father. And the Prince of Peace. His name. "And of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end." And He shall reign forever and ever. "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end." Thinking of Micah's prophecy, "And thou, Bethlehem of Judea, though thou be little among the provinces of Judah, yet out of thee shall come He who is to rule my people Israel; whose going forth is from henceforth, even forever" ( Micah 5:2 ). Ruler on the throne of David, "and upon His kingdom, to order it, to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on even forever. For the zeal of the Lord of hosts."

So fabulous prophecy of that yet future time when Jesus comes and establishes the kingdom. Coming again in power and in great glory. Not coming as a child, as a servant to die. He died once and for all. He's coming now to reign, to establish His eternal kingdom.

Now God is going to bring His judgment upon these people, and he comes back now to the immediate.

The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. And all the people shall know, even Ephraim [that is, the Northern Kingdom] and the inhabitant of Samaria [the capital of the Northern Kingdom], that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones ( Isaiah 9:8-10 ):

In other words, they've attacked us and they've knocked down our bricks, but we will build with stones.

the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join the enemies together; The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all of this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still ( Isaiah 9:10-12 ).

In other words, God is going to start bringing Samaria, even the confederacy that they've made with Rezin, Syria is going to come against Samaria and they will be joined by the Philistines in the attack. But even that the people's hearts are stiffened and hardened against God. And thus, God continues His judgment. His hand is stretched out still, because this isn't going to change them and bring them revival.

For the people turns not [they turn not] unto him that smites them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts ( Isaiah 9:13 ).

Now God oftentimes brings judgment into our lives or chastisement into our lives, or judgment in the life of a sinner in order to turn that sinner unto God. And if you don't respond, it will get worse and worse and worse, until you'll finally be destroyed. And so the nation, His hand is stretched out still. For all of this they will not turn to God. They will not hearken.

Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel the head and the tail, the branch and the rush, in one day. The ancient and the honorable men, [the older men or] the head; and the lying prophets or the tail ( Isaiah 9:14-15 ).

God's going to wipe them out.

For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed ( Isaiah 9:16 ).

That's a tragic thing when the leaders and supposed spiritual leaders are leading the people into error. Jesus said, "If the blind lead the blind, they're both going to fall in the ditch" ( Luke 6:39 ). That makes sense. And if people are following blind leaders, false prophets who are leading them into error, then the people will be destroyed. I think of Jim Jones and that tragedy of Guyana which never needed to be. Except that he began to put himself and his word above the Bible. He began to be the god unto the people. The people were left without a true authority of God's Word. They were led to challenge and to doubt the Word of God as authority and they began to accept the word of man as an authority.

There are a lot of people today who are being led by false prophets. There are so many hypes in the world today. So many of these big-named ministers, evangelists and all, who are using totally worldly practices in order to try to gain support for their ministries. Sending out these letters in which they are begging for funds. But there is such a total inconsistency in it all. If anybody has eyes, surely they can see the inconsistency in these letters that are being sent out.

They used to have a radio station down in Del Rio, Texas that used to broadcast every wild evangelist in the country. And the gimmicks that these guys would offer you can't believe. There was one fellow who was offering miracle wallets. You could send in for this miracle wallet and he guaranteed that you'd never be broke as long as you kept this miracle wallet. Blessed of God, a miracle wallet, and it will always have something in it. And he would, you know, ten-dollar donation and all, you get this miracle wallet. But then he'd say, "Now friends, I want to talk to you about the program. We're needing your support and if you don't send your support right away, we're going to have to go off the air, friends. So please now, send in your tithes and your offerings so that we don't have to go off the air. And if you give a generous offering, I'll send you the miracle wallet, you know." Man, is that inconsistent! Why doesn't he use one of the wallets himself and stay on the air?

And so they send these poor-mouth letters where, "Our ministry is being threatened. We're not going to be able to carry on this great program of God." Or, they usually don't say the great program, "our great ministry. We won't be able to carry it on unless we hear from you. And if we hear from you, we will send you our free book on how to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. How to have more faith." Why don't they exercise their faith as far as the funding of their program? Or their possibility thinker, why don't they use that for themselves? Why do they have to send out letters begging people for the funds? And why in the letters do they say, "We are trusting in you." That's why. Because they are trusting in you and not trusting in God, and that's why they're having financial problems. If they were trusting in the Lord, they wouldn't be going through the financial problems. But you can read the inconsistencies right into the letters. And those that follow them are being led astray. The blind are leading the blind.

"The leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed." It's tragic. Tragic indeed. All of the spiritual hype that is going on in the country today. All of these computerized letters that these people are receiving.

We received a letter the other day with a check enclosed. Person said, "We really enjoy your program. We wanted to send in some support. But please don't put us on a mailing list, because this is all we're going to send, you know." And I wrote back and I said, "Thank you for your check. Rest at ease, we don't have a mailing list. We don't need a mailing list. I don't read of Paul the apostle or of Jesus using mailing lists to support their missionary endeavors. They trusted in the Father."

It was neat. I was up in Napa Friday night at a special service. The auditorium was just packed. People standing around on the outside. And it was so glorious that I could stand before those people and say, "I'm not here tonight because I had nothing else to do. Probably have a lot that I could be doing this evening. I'm not here tonight because I need an offering, because I'm not going to receive one penny of the offering that you gave tonight. Not one penny comes to me. In fact," I said, "we spent more money coming up here and putting Future Survival on your television than what the offering will even cover. It won't even cover expenses. But that's not why we're here. Because I have a very wealthy Father who takes care of my own needs and my expenses wherever I go. So we're not up here depending on you."

And it's so glorious to be able to say that. To go into a community and not say, "Well, we're going to have to have ten thousand dollars in order... " But just to go in and say, "Hey, we're here for one reason. Because we believe that Jesus Christ is coming soon and He sent us out to warn you." And to just be able to go out and freely preach the gospel and not have to beg the people for money or anything else, because that always makes, to me, the whole issue suspect if you get up and spend the first hour in taking up an offering and telling the people the great needs. You really wonder, "Why did they try and get me out here tonight?" Well.

Therefore the LORD shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall he have mercy on the fatherless or the widows: for every one is a hypocrite, an evildoer, every mouth speaks folly. For all of this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still ( Isaiah 9:17 ).

Even in all of this, when they have become desolate, still they're not turning.

For wickedness burns as the fire: and it shall devour the briers and the thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all of this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still ( Isaiah 9:18-21 ).

The stretched out hand of God in judgment, but still the people are not turning but staying up obdurate in their ways. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Light would come to those walking in darkness-the Israelites-as they lived in a dark land (Isaiah 9:1). Many prophetic perfects in this section assure the certainty of the things predicted. In Hebrew, a writer sometimes described as past what was really in the future. He used this verb tense to emphasize that what was future was as sure to happen as if it had happened already. God would enlighten those in darkness by bringing new light to them, even though they did not deserve it (cf. Matthew 4:15-16). This was revelation about the future that was sure, compared to the unreliable predictions of mediums and wizards (cf. Isaiah 8:19).

". . . the very region where Assyrian armies brought darkness and death would be the first to rejoice in the light brought by the preaching of Christ (Matthew 4:15-16)." [Note: The New Scofield . . ., p. 720.]

"The darkness-light motif points to a creative work of God, who alone can make such a transformation (cf. Isaiah 4:5; Genesis 1:2-3; 2 Corinthians 4:6)." [Note: Motyer, p. 100.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The faithful king to come 9:2-7

In contrast to Ahaz, who refused to listen to and obey God, the Lord would raise up a faithful king who would be born and reign in the future (the Millennium). This pericope climaxes the present section (Isaiah 7:1 to Isaiah 9:7) dealing with the signs of God’s presence. Again a child is the centerpiece of the prophecy and provides a sign and hope for the future. Isaiah 9:2 begins chapter 9 in the Hebrew text.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

The people that walked in darkness,.... Meaning not the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, in the times of Hezekiah, when Sennacherib besieged them, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; and much less the people of Israel in Egypt, as the Targum paraphrases it; but the inhabitants of Galilee in the times of Christ; see Matthew 4:16 John 1:48 and is a true character of all the people of God before conversion, who are in a state of darkness, under the power of sin, shut up in unbelief; are in gross ignorance of themselves, and their condition; of sin, and the danger they are exposed to by it; of divine and spiritual things; of the grace of God; of the way of peace, life, and salvation by Christ; and of the work of the blessed Spirit; and of the truths of the Gospel; they are in the dark, and can see no objects in a spiritual sense; not to read the word, so as to understand it; or to work that which is good; and they "walk" on in darkness, not knowing where they are, and whither they are going; and yet of these it is said, they

have seen a great light; Christ himself, who conversed among the Galilaeans, preached unto them, and caused the light of his glorious Gospel to shine into many of their hearts; by which their darkness was removed, so that they not only saw Christ, this great light, with their bodily eyes, but with the eyes of their understanding; who may be called the "light", because he is the author and giver of all light, even of nature, grace, and glory; and a "great" one, because he is the sun, the greatest light, the sun of righteousness, the light of the world, both of Jews and Gentiles; he is the true light, in distinction from all typical ones, and in opposition to all false ones, and who in his person is God over all.

They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death; as Galilee might be called, because it was a poor, miserable, and uncomfortable place, from whence no good came; and this character fitly describes God's people in a state of nature and unregeneracy, who are dead in Adam, dead in law, and dead in trespasses and sins, dead as to the spiritual use of the powers and faculties of their souls; they have no spiritual life in them, nor any spiritual sense, feeling, or motion; and they "dwell", continue, and abide in this state, till grace brings them out of it; see John 12:46:

upon them hath the light shined: Christ in human nature, through the ministration of his Gospel, by his spirit, so as to enlighten them who walk in darkness, and to quicken them who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, and to comfort them in their desolate estate; and this light not only shone upon them in the external ministration of the word, as it did "upon" the inhabitants in general, but it shone "into" the hearts of many of them in particular, so that in this light they saw light.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.   2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.   3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.   4 For thou hast 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 battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.   6 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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.   7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

      The first words of this chapter plainly refer to the close of the foregoing chapter, where every thing looked black and melancholy: Behold, trouble, and darkness, and dimness--very bad, yet not so bad but that to the upright there shall arise light in the darkness (Psalms 112:4) and at evening time it shall be light,Zechariah 14:7. Nevertheless it shall not be such dimness (either not such for kind or not such for degree) as sometimes there has been. Note, In the worst of times God's people have a nevertheless to comfort themselves with, something to allay and balance their troubles; they are persecuted, but not forsaken (2 Corinthians 4:9), sorrowful yet always rejoicing, 2 Corinthians 6:10. And it is matter of comfort to us, when things are at the darkest, that he who forms the light and creates the darkness (Isaiah 45:7; Isaiah 45:7) has appointed to both their bounds and set the one over against the other, Genesis 4:4. He can say, "Hitherto the dimness shall go, so long it shall last, and no further, no longer."

      I. Three things are here promised, and they all point ultimately at the grace of the gospel, which the saints then were to comfort themselves with the hopes of in every cloudy and dark day, as we now are to comfort ourselves in time of trouble with the hopes of Christ's second coming, though that be now, as his first coming then was, a thing at a great distance. The mercy likewise which God has in store for his church in the latter days may be a support to those that are mourning with her for her present calamities. We have here the promise,

      1. Of a glorious light, which shall so qualify, and by degrees dispel, the dimness, that it shall not be as it sometimes has been: Not such as was in her vexation; there shall not be such dark times as were formerly, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and Naphtali (which lay remote and most exposed to the inroads of the neighbouring enemies), and afterwards he more grievously afflicted the land by the way of the sea and beyond Jordan (Isaiah 9:1; Isaiah 9:1), referring probably to those days when God began to cut Israel short and to smite them in all their coasts,2 Kings 10:32. Note, God tries what less judgments will do with a people before he brings greater; but if a light affliction do not do its work with us, to humble and reform us, we must expect to be afflicted more grievously; for when God judges he will overcome. Well, those were dark times with the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, and there was dimness of anguish in Galilee of the Gentiles, both in respect of ignorance (they did not speak according to the law and the testimony, and then there was no light in them,Isaiah 8:20; Isaiah 8:20) and in respect of trouble, and the desperate posture of their outward affairs; we have both together, 2 Chronicles 15:3; 2 Chronicles 15:5. Israel has been without the true God and a teaching priest, and in those times there was no peace. But the dimness threatened (Isaiah 8:22; Isaiah 8:22) shall not prevail to such a degree; for (Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 9:2) the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. (1.) At this time when the prophet lived, there were many prophets in Judah and Israel, whose prophecies were a great light both for direction and comfort to the people of God, who adhered to the law and the testimony. Besides the written word, they had prophecy; there were those that had shown them how long (Psalms 74:9), which was a great satisfaction to them, when in respect of their outward troubles they sat in darkness, and dwelt in the land of the shadow of death. (2.) This was to have its full accomplishment when our Lord Jesus began to appear as a prophet, and to preach the gospel in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, and in Galilee of the Gentiles. And the Old-Testament prophets, as they were witnesses to him, so they were types of him. When he came and dwelt in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali, then this prophecy is said to have been fulfilled, Matthew 4:13-16. Note, [1.] Those that want the gospel walk in darkness, and know not what they do nor whither they go; and they dwell in the land of the shadow of death, in thick darkness, and in the utmost danger. [2.] When the gospel comes to any place, to any soul, light comes, a great light, a shining light, which will shine more and more. It should be welcome to us, as light is to those that sit in darkness, and we should readily entertain it, both because if is of such sovereign use to us and because it brings its own evidence with it. Truly this light is sweet.

      2. Of a glorious increase, and a universal joy arising from it, (Isaiah 9:3; Isaiah 9:3) "Thou, O God! hast multiplied the nation, the Jewish nation which thou hast mercy in store for; though it has been diminished by one sore judgment after another, yet now thou hast begun to multiply it again." The numbers of a nation are its strength and wealth if the numerous be industrious; and it is God that increases nations, Job 12:23. Yet it follows, "Thou hast not increased the joy--the carnal joy and mirth, and those things that are commonly the matter and occasion thereof. But, notwithstanding that, they joy before thee; there is a great deal of serious spiritual joy among them, joy in the presence of God, with an eye to him." This is very applicable to the times of gospel light, spoken of Isaiah 9:2. Then God multiplied the nation, the gospel Israel. "And to him" (so the Masorites read it) "thou hast magnified the joy, to every one that receives the light." The following words favour this reading: "They joy before thee; they come before thee in holy ordinances with great joy'; their mirth is not like that of Israel under their vines and fig-trees (thou hast not increased that joy), but it is in the favour of God and in the tokens of his grace." Note, The gospel, when it comes in its light and power, brings joy along with it, and those who receive it aright do therein rejoice, yea, and will rejoice; therefore the conversion of the nations is prophesied of by this (Psalms 67:4), Let the nations be glad, and sin for joy. See Psalms 96:11. (1.) It is holy joy: They joy before thee; they rejoice in spirit (as Christ did, Luke 10:21), and that is before God. In the eye of the world they are always as sorrowful, and yet, in God's sight, always rejoicing,2 Corinthians 6:10. (2.) It is great joy; it is according to the joy in harvest, when those who sowed in tears, and have with long patience waited for the precious fruits of the earth, reap in joy; and as in war men rejoice when, after a hazardous battle, they divide the spoil. The gospel brings with it plenty and victory; but those that would have the joy of it must expect to go through a hard work, as the husbandman before he has the joy of harvest, and a hard conflict, as the soldier before he has the joy of dividing the spoil; but the joy, when it comes, will be an abundant recompence for the toil. See Acts 8:8; Acts 8:39.

      3. Of a glorious liberty and enlargement (Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 9:5): "They shall rejoice before thee, and with good reason, for thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and made him easy, for he shall no longer be in servitude; and thou hast broken the staff of his shoulder and the rod of his oppressor, that rod of the wicked which rested long on the lot of the righteous," as the Midianites' yoke was broken from off the neck of Israel by the agency of Gideon. If God makes former deliverances his patterns in working for us, we ought to make them our encouragements to hope in him and to seek to him, Psalms 83:9. Do unto them as to the Midianites. What temporal deliverance this refers to is not clear, probably the preventing of Sennacherib from making himself master of Jerusalem, which was done, as in the day of Midian, by the immediate hand of God; and, whereas other battles were usually won with a great deal of noise and by the expense of much blood, this shall be done silently and without noise. Under his glory God shall kindle a burning (Isaiah 10:16; Isaiah 10:16); a fire not blown shall consume him,Job 20:26. But doubtless it looks further, to the blessed fruits and effects of that great light which should visit those that sat in darkness; it would bring liberty along with it, deliverance to the captives,Luke 4:18. (1.) The design of the gospel, and the grace of it, is to break the yoke of sin and Satan, to remove the burden of guilt and corruption, and to free us from the rod of those oppressors, that we might be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Christ broke the yoke of the ceremonial law (Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1), and delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, that we might serve him without fear,Luke 1:74; Luke 1:75. (2.) This is done by the Spirit working like fire (Matthew 3:11), not as the battle of the warrior is fought, with confused noise; no, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal; but it is done with the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of burning, Isaiah 4:4; Isaiah 4:4. It is done as in the day of Midian, by a work of God upon the hearts of men. Christ is our Gideon; it is his sword that doeth wonders.

      II. But who, where, is he that shall undertake and accomplish these great things for the church? The prophet tells us (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 9:7) they shall be done by the Messiah, Immanuel, that son of a virgin whose birth he had foretold (Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 7:14), and now speaks of, in the prophetic style, as a thing already done: the child is born, not only because it was as certain, and he was as certain of it as if it had been done already, but because the church before his incarnation reaped great benefit and advantage by his undertaking in virtue of that first promise concerning the seed of the woman,Genesis 3:15. As he was the Lamb slain, so he was the child born, from the foundation of the world,Revelation 13:8. All the great things that God did for the Old-Testament church were done by him as the eternal Word, and for his sake as the Mediator. He was the Anointed, to whom God had respect (Psalms 84:9), and it was for the Lord's sake, for the Lord Christ's sake, that God caused his face to shine upon his sanctuary, Daniel 9:17. The Jewish nation, and particularly the house of David, were preserved many a time from imminent ruin only because that blessing was in them. What greater security therefore could be given to the church of God then that it should be preserved, and be the special care of the divine Providence, than this, that God had so great a mercy in reserve for it? The Chaldee paraphrast understands it of the man that shall endure for ever, even Christ. And it is an illustrious prophecy of him and of his kingdom, which doubtless those that waited for the consolation of Israel built much upon, often turned to, and read with pleasure.

      1. See him in his humiliation. The same that is the mighty God is a child born; the ancient of days becomes an infant of a span long; the everlasting Father is a Son given. Such was his condescension in taking our nature upon him; thus did he humble and empty himself, to exalt and fill us. He is born into our world. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. He is given, freely given, to be all that to us which our case, in our fallen state, calls for. God so loved the world that he gave him. He is born to us, he is given to us, us men, and not to the angels that sinned. It is spoken with an air of triumph, and the angel seems to refer to these words in the notice he gives to the shepherds of the Messiah's having come (Luke 2:11), Unto you is born, this day, a Saviour. Note, Christ's being born and given to us is the great foundation of our hopes, and fountain of our joys, in times of greatest grief and fear.

      2. See him in his exaltation. This child, this son, this Son of God, this Son of man, that is given to us, is in a capacity to do us a great deal of kindness; for he is invested with the highest honour and power, so that we cannot but be happy if he be our friend.

      (1.) See the dignity he is advanced to, and the name he has above every name. He shall be called (and therefore we are sure he is and shall be) Wonderful, Counsellor, c. His people shall know him and worship him by these names and, as one that fully answers them, they shall submit to him and depend upon him. [1.] He is wonderful, counsellor. Justly is he called wonderful, for he is both God and man. His love is the wonder of angels and glorified saints; in his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, he was wonderful. A constant series of wonders attended him, and, without controversy, great was the mystery of godliness concerning him. He is the counsellor, for he was intimately acquainted with the counsels of God from eternity, and he gives counsel to the children of men, in which he consults our welfare. It is by him that God has given us counsel,Psalms 16:7; Revelation 3:18. He is the wisdom of the Father, and is made of God to us wisdom. Some join these together: He is the wonderful counsellor, a wonder or miracle of a counsellor; in this, as in other things, he has the pre-eminence; none teaches like him. [2.] He is the mighty God--God, the mighty One. As he has wisdom, so he has strength, to go through with his undertaking: he is able to save to the utmost; and such is the work of the Mediator that no less a power than that of the mighty God could accomplish it. [3.] He is the everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity; he is God, one with the Father, who is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the author of everlasting life and happiness to them, and so is the Father of a blessed eternity to them. He is the Father of the world to come (so the LXX. reads it), the father of the gospel-state, which is put in subjection to him, not to the angels, Hebrews 2:5. He was, from eternity, Father of the great work of redemption: his heart was upon it; it was the product of his wisdom as the counsellor, of his love as the everlasting Father. [4.] He is the prince of peace. As a King, he preserves the peace, commands peace, nay, he creates peace, in his kingdom. He is our peace, and it is his peace that both keeps the hearts of his people and rules in them. He is not only a peaceable prince, and his reign peaceable, but he is the author and giver of all good, all that peace which is the present and future bliss of his subjects.

      (2.) See the dominion he is advanced to, and the throne he has above every throne (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 9:6): The government shall be upon his shoulder--his only. He shall not only wear the badge of it upon his shoulder (the key of the house of David,Isaiah 22:22; Isaiah 22:22), but he shall bear the burden of it. The Father shall devolve it upon him, so that he shall have an incontestable right to govern; and he shall undertake it, so that no doubt can be made of his governing well, for he shall set his shoulder to it, and will never complain, as Moses did, of his being overcharged. I am not able to bear all this people,Numbers 11:11; Numbers 11:14. Glorious things are here spoken of Christ's government, Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 9:7. [1.] That it shall be an increasing government. It shall be multiplied; the bounds of his kingdom shall be more and more enlarged, and many shall be added to it daily. The lustre of it shall increase, and it shall shine more and more brightly in the world. The monarchies of the earth were each less illustrious than the other, so that what began in gold ended in iron and clay, and every monarchy dwindled by degrees; but the kingdom of Christ is a growing kingdom, and will come to perfection at last. [2.] That it shall be a peaceable government, agreeable to his character as the prince of peace. He shall rule by love, shall rule in men's hearts; so that wherever his government is there shall be peace, and as his government increases the peace shall increase. The more we are subject to Christ the more easy and safe we are. [3.] That it shall be a rightful government. He that is the Son of David shall reign upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, which he is entitled to. God shall give him the throne of his father David,Luke 1:32; Luke 1:33. The gospel church, in which Jew and Gentile are incorporated, is the holy hill of Zion, on which Christ reigns, Psalms 2:6. [4.] That it shall be administered with prudence and equity, and so as to answer the great end of government, which is the establishment of the kingdom: He shall order it, and settle it, with justice and judgment. Every thing is, and shall be, well managed, in the kingdom of Christ, and none of his subjects shall ever have cause to complain. [5.] That it shall be an everlasting kingdom: There shall be no end of the increase of his government (it shall be still growing), no end of the increase of the peace of it, for the happiness of the subjects of this kingdom shall last to eternity and perhaps shall be progressive in infinitum--for ever. He shall reign henceforth even for ever; not only throughout all generations of time, but, even when the kingdom shall be delivered up to God even the Father, the glory both of the Redeemer and the redeemed shall continue eternally. [6.] That God himself has undertaken to bring all this about: "The Lord of hosts, who has all power in his hand and all creatures at his beck, shall perform this, shall preserve the throne of David till this prince of peace is settled in it; his zeal shall do it, his jealousy for his own honour, and the truth of his promise, and the good of his church." Note, The heart of God is much upon the advancement of the kingdom of Christ among men, which is very comfortable to all those that wish well to it; the zeal of the Lord of hosts will overcome all opposition.