With the Christmas holiday, the prophecy found in Isaiah 9 becomes a key topic in churches throughout the world. We love to read those glorious words,
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV)
The promises of the scripture give us strength as we ponder the power of the birth of Christ. We love to discuss what we are saved to… but we often miss the power of what we are saved from.
This week, Isaiah 9:4-5 captured my attention. It is a powerful text and deserves our attention. To grasp it’s meaning we must create a mental image of battle. Picture an army engaging in battle during the Isaiah the prophet’s lifetime. Soldiers walked great distances to reach the battlefront. Drones, bombs and grenade launchers were not available. They relied on Arrows and swords to defeat their enemy. Because of this, the soldier wore heavy armor complete with heavy breast plates, helmets, metal arm and leg protection, and armor coverings on their boots.
Movement of any kind could be painful, binding and pinching the skin. While the battle was raging, the soldier sweat profusely, cuts and scrapes could not be avoided, and shear exhaustion was the result. When soldiers withdrew from battle, their clothes would be drenched in sweat and blood. Their bodies were covered with sores, even if they escaped injury by enemy sword. Additional injuries were not dealt with until the day’s battle was over. This often added a great amount of extra blood, which soaked the soldier’s clothes. When they were finally able to retreat, even their boots were filled with sweat and blood. The next day, the soldier did not have a suitcase full of clean clothes. What they had on the previous day was what they had to wear that day. It is a gruesome picture but an accurate description of battle.
Sin has so many similarities to the picture of battle. We never enter into sin thinking that it will leave us bloodied, soaked, and exhausted. But, think about the actual effects of sin. Addiction, financial ruin, broken relationships, loss of health, and separation from all we hold dear are the real results of sin. Day in and day out we must wear the same garment of sin, and each day we are robbed of more of our existence, until there is nothing left to give.
The good news is that Christ came to offer salvation.
“For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.”
Isaiah 9:4 NIV
When we accept Christ, the yoke of sin is shattered. The rod of our oppressor is broken. The bar across our chest and shoulders that carries the weight of guilt and shame is lifted from us. The yoke of Christ replaces the yoke of sin. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29 NASB).
Why, after having the yoke of sin removed, would we want to have the yoke of Christ placed on us? It is for our own protection. Jesus said that if a demon is not replace by something else, it will just go and get ten more, and the problem will be even worse. Once we are safely in the yoke of Christ, he is able to carry our burden, and keep us from being recaptured.
Now, here is where this victory has its profound effect.
“Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.”
(Isaiah 9:5 NIV)
The King James Version conveys the picture of this verse beautifully. “For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise.” What a great picture of a life in sin. But when the silence of redemption comes, our bloody, smelly garments are rolled up, and thrown into God’s consuming fire along with our worn out boots.
The Voice presents verse five like this:
“It’s true. All the fabric of war will go up in flames:
the troops’ heavy boots that stamped us down and their blood-soaked garb
Will all be burned beyond recognition or use.
There will be a new time, a fresh start.”
When we come to terms with what we have been saved from, the picture of what we have been saved for becomes all that much sweeter. We like to downplay sin as simply an error in judgment, or a poor choice, which we can walk away from any time we want. But look at the real effects of sin. We see it in broken lives, destroyed families, crushed hearts, and shattered lives. The yoke of sin is a burden that crushes us. We need help if our lives are to get any better. It is because of this that Isaiah wrote:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”
(Isaiah 9:6-7 NASB)
No comments:
Post a Comment