Hope at a time of hopelessness – Galilee of the Gentiles (Isa 9:1)

As Christmas approaches, we are likely to hear several of the messianic prophecies read in church. Sermons, if they explain the connections, tend to draw a quick line between OT promise and NT fulfilment in Jesus. This approach reminds me of reading neon signs on buildings where some of the letters are no longer illuminated. Once in a while, what is left spells something entirely different from the original (e.g. ‘ON TAR’ instead of ‘LONE STAR’, a restaurant chain in NZ), though most of the time we can fill in the gaps and make out the correct word. Likewise, just occasionally, correlating promise and fulfilment takes more work (see my post on Matt 3:23 here) but generally, we can get the gist of messianic prophecies. Nevertheless, reflecting on the background of these promises enriches our understanding.

The context of the well-known words in Isa 9:1 is the Assyrian crisis in the eighth century BC (see map here). Assyria, north/north-east from the Promised Land, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was the growing power in the region and from about 745 BC it started expanding its territories south conquering Syria (Aram in the Bible) and the northern kingdom of Israel, eventually taking the latter into captivity in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:6-8). Next, many of Judah’s cities were also conquered, but Jerusalem escaped harm because the king there (Hezekiah) trusted God (2 Kings 18-19). Isaiah describes these future conquests symbolically as the inundation of the Promised Land by the Euphrates river that sweeps even into Judah and comes up to the neck (i.e., Jerusalem; Isa 8:7-8).

Spiritually, God’s people are split. There is a small remnant that trusts God (Isa 8:9-10), while the majority dread political powers and conspiracies and forget God’s might (Isa 8:11-13). Thus, the Lord becomes a cause for deep division. For those who trust Him, He is a sanctuary, a place of protection; for others He is a stumbling block (Isa 8:14-16). They cannot understand what He is doing but instead of seeking Him for answers, they turn to the dead (Isa 8:19-20), a solution that God expressly prohibited (Lev 20:6). Later Isaiah describes their arrogance (Isa 9:9-10), their refusal to submit to God’s discipline (Isa 9:13) and their unjust actions that exploit the vulnerable (Isa 10:1-2). When the land will become devastated by Assyria with famine to follow, people will be so hardened against God that they will curse Him in anger and wherever they look there will be distress, darkness, gloom and anguish (Isa 8:22).

In the description above we may recognise something of the destruction that sin brings about whether in our own lives or those of others, though the experience may not be quite as dramatic as portrayed here. Wilfulness leads deeper and deeper into rebellion and destructive consequences. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali on the western side of the Sea of Galilee experienced Assyrian conquest first (see map here) and the phrases ‘the way of the sea’, ‘the other side of the Jordan’ (Transjordan, i.e. Gilead) and ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’ probably refer to Assyrian provinces established in the region (Isa 9:1). It is, of course, this region where Jesus’ ministry took place to a large extent (Matt 4:12-16). However, the principle goes deeper than a simple equation. It is in the very place of judgment, where the people became enslaved to an ungodly power, into a most unpromising situation God brings new hope. If our God could reverse the consequences of sin and bring new life where there was only death before, how much more can He deal with all our hopelessness and anguish? Whether we struggle with a situation caused by our wrong choices and wilfulness or suffer from circumstances beyond our control, may we take encouragement from the character of our God. No situation of anguish and distress is beyond His power to reverse and even the depth of our sin does not extinguish His love to save and redeem those who seek Him.

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