The gift of security – ‘unto us a son is given’ (Isa 9:6-7)

One of the most disconcerting aspects of this year has been a sense that we do not have full control over our lives. We planned to travel or go out for coffee or to church and suddenly found ourselves constrained by lockdowns. We went to the supermarket for food essentials and could not get what we normally took for granted. We expected a reliable income through the year but may have had to take a salary cut or lost our job. A year ago, we could not have imagined how our everyday reality would be disrupted. It is in essence a similar uncertainty that Israel experienced with an ad hoc leadership such as the judges. They forgot that they had a permanent and reliable King, God Himself, and wanted something visible and tangible in the form of a human king instead, even though the price of that security was going to be enslavement to an abusive power (I discuss this in my post here). When life becomes unpredictable, we grasp for certainty, but we too need to remember that our anchor in the storm is not the predictability of our lives but the sustaining power of God.

As we read through the prophecy of Isa 9:1-7, we can observe that God wants to give the very things we crave. He knows that we need a sense of security, that we need guidance and wisdom to navigate our lives, that we desire joy and long for peace, both in terms of an inner state and an outer absence of conflict. The truth is that God wants to give us what we need, but so often we either rush ahead of Him and our timing is wrong, or the means by which we want to achieve it is wrong, or our attitude is wrong, usually all three. Our way of ensuring that we get what we need or want always entangles us in ties that make us captives and worse off than we were before. Abraham and Sarah were promised a son, but Ishmael, the result of their eagerness to achieve this (Gen 16:2), became the source of future conflict and heartache. After the exodus, God planned for His people to experience His presence through the tabernacle and gave Moses the design for it (Exod 25:8-9). Israel, however, could not wait and set up a tangible presence through the golden calf and became enslaved to idols (Exod 32:1-4). We, too, become entrapped by the things that we substitute for God to fulfil our cravings.

God’s gift, on the other hand, brings true fulfilment. The reversal of judgment, the light, the celebrations and the hope for the end of wars (Isa 9:1-5) all find their reason in this child, the one who will rule as a descendant of David (v.7). This is not a king chosen by Israel, appointed by human authority, but a gift. It is not something grasped but given by God Himself. The child’s name reminds us of the character of this giving God: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Unlike the kings that abuse power and will take, take and take (1 Sam 8:11, 13-17), this king will ensure that all in his kingdom are treated fairly. His rule will have a permanence (‘no end’ – Isa 9:7) that we crave, but the word could also have the sense of ‘no limits’. Thus, this rule is not only lasting but also one that expands and deepens. As Christians, we recognise the fulfilment of this prophecy in Jesus whose kingdom rule continues to grow in our hearts and one day will encompass the submission of all under Him (Heb 2:8; Phil 2:10-11). As we struggle with uncertainty whether due to the global situation or in unrelated personal circumstances, our anchor is the living God who works tirelessly and purposefully to accomplish His plans for us (Isa 9:7).

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