Practising joy, living at peace (Isa 9:3-5)

There is no doubt that our circumstances affect how we feel. Someone says nasty words to us and we feel down, we have a hectic day at work and are stressed, we lose our wallet on the train and are understandably upset. On the other hand, we have all experienced times, I am sure, when it seemed that there was an underlying joy in everything, when the daily frustrations of life were only small ripples that barely broke the surface. It could have been the anticipation of a long-awaited trip, getting married to the one we love, the expectation of a baby hoped for, the settling into a fulfilling job. What made the difference was a positive aspect to our lives, or the anticipation of it, that overrode all other difficulties, so that worries and sadness faded into the background. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have such overarching joy in our lives?

Our passage portrays such joy in Isa 9:3 emphasising it through the fourfold repetition of the same root that means joy, gladness, rejoicing. The reason for such joy is two-fold. First, God makes the people great (the literal sense of the Hebrew), which could mean that their territory increases or their stature or their number as a nation. This may be an allusion to the blessing promised to Abraham (Gen 12:2). Thus, it speaks of God’s faithfulness to His promises and His desire to bless His people. Secondly, God’s presence with His children is a source of great joy, which is compared to the gladness at harvest time and the division of spoil after battle. What these images convey is a reassurance of God’s care in providing for the need of His people and victory over enemies. In fact, both pictures speak of peace. During war, there is no sowing and harvesting; able-bodied men are off fighting and if the land is being conquered by the enemy, it is usually devastated by them and provisions are eaten up by the occupying army.

The next two verses expand on the idea of peace (Isa 9:4-5). God breaks the yoke that enslaves Israel, and He saves them from oppression. The battle of Midian is a reference to such a dark time when God’s people were subjugated. When they cried out to Him, He called Gideon, the insecure leader who tested God with a fleece (Judg 6:36-40). In the famous encounter with the Midianites, God reduced his troops from several thousand to a mere three hundred, equipped only with pitchers and trumpets (Judges 7). Because God was on their side, they won a mighty victory. Now in the prophecy of Isaiah, the Lord promises the lifting of burdens and the end of oppression and the reference to the battle against Midian points to God’s power to overcome in the face of human weakness. Verse 5 highlights the end of all wars and the burning of battle gear no longer needed.

As we look towards Christmas and remember Jesus’ coming, it reminds us of God’s faithfulness to His promises stretching over the centuries. He comes to bless and bring the joy of His presence: God with us, Immanuel. We can trust Him to care for our needs. He is the one who on the cross broke the power and oppression of sin. Like Gideon’s battle against the enemy, the victory speaks of God’s might to save. We still struggle with sin, there is still conflict and wars in the world around us, but there is also hope of a future, ultimate peace. It is naïve to imagine that we can set up residence on cloud nine, but our passage reminds us of the things that can bring that underlying sense of joy to our daily existence. It is important that we re-set our compass every day and consciously recall God’s presence in our lives, His promises, His faithfulness, the salvation we already enjoy and the peace that comes with it. When we remind ourselves of these truths and centre our lives on God through daily prayer and Bible reading, we practise living with the reality that brings joy and a new perspective to the struggles we face.

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