Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20030817.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part VIII: God's Salvation For Those In Great Spiritual Darkness
(Isaiah 8:19-9:7)
  1. Introduction
    1. There are places and times when Christians must deal with great, deep, seeming impervious spiritual darkness in other unsaved people or even in fellow believers. In such circumstances, it seems as though we can not in any way disciple the parties so afflicted with this spiritual darkness!
    2. Isaiah 8:19-9:7 reveals God's salvation from such spiritual darkness, giving us direction and hope in such situations as follows:
  2. God's Salvation For Those In Great Spiritual Darkness, Isaiah 8:19-9:7.
    1. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had slipped into deep spiritual darkness in Isaiah's era, Isa. 8:19-22:
      1. Under king Jeroboam, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was led to worship golden calf idols in Bethel and Dan to keep from returning to Rehoboam's realm to worship God in Jerusalem, 1 Kings 12:25-30.
      2. In time, Israel only descended deep into idolatry, turning from Scripture to demonism to meet the craving of the human heart for supernatural insight, Isaiah 8:19, 20.
      3. Such a turn left the nation drifting into spiritual darkness, gloom and judgment, Isa. 8:21-22 with 8:5-8.
    2. Opposite this tragic turn of events, Isaiah 9:1-7 presents God's great salvation for the people of Israel:
      1. Since Israel's king Jeroboam had established his idolatry to keep people from returning to Judah in the south, and set up a golden calf up north in Dan as well as in Bethel in southern Israel, the people left to the deepest of spiritual darkness were those furthest from Jerusalem, those who lived in the far north in Galilee on the border between the tribal lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, cf. Isaiah 9:1.
      2. Then, into this most spiritually darkened region of Israel did God send His Son, the Lord Jesus, to be His Incarnate Light of divine revelation of the truth to those who had rejected the written revelation of God's Word, cf. Isaiah 9:2 and Isaiah 8:19-20 with Matthew 4:12-16.
      3. The complete, final victory over Galilee's deep spiritual darkness is briefly described in Isaiah 9:3-5:
        1. In Christ's Messianic Kingdom of ultimate divine revelation of the truth to the world, there will be great joy in the land of Galilee where there had once been gloomy depression, Isa. 9:3 with 8:21-22.
        2. The cause for joy would be the final destruction of afflicting Gentile armies, for there would be no more need for judgment on the cleansed people of Israel, Isa. 9:4-5 ESV; 8:6-7 with Zech. 13:1-2.
      4. Isaiah then offered a detailed description of the Person and Work of Jesus of Nazarth, Isaiah 9:6-7:
        1. Messiah, the Incarnate Mighty God, would arrive as a child as God's gift to Galilee, Isaiah 9:6a,d.
        2. He would one day rule Galilee's government in place of foreign dominators, Isaiah 9:6b.
        3. He would be the Supernatural Counsellor (these words go together) Who would heal those afflicted by the great darkness created by trafficking with demons to gain insight, Isa. 9:6c with 9:19, 21-22.
        4. He as the Mighty God would possess all the power needed to reverse Galilee's troubles, Isaiah 9:6d.
        5. He would be the Father of Eternity, a source of identity as to their roots as a people for those who had known only a loss of identity and roots by repeated Gentile invasion and domination, Isa. 9:6e.
        6. He would be the Prince of Peace, the hope of a peaceful future with His coming Kingdom of eternal power to a people that had lost their hope in spiritual darkness and war, Isaiah 9:6(f).
        7. He would provide permanent government stability to an area where wickedness had once kept the society of the realm in turmoil and uncertainty relative to its events of government, Isaiah 9:7c.
        8. Where the people in Galilee had been worn out with gloom, God with great motivation would save them with the glorious salvation of the Lord Jesus from Nazareth, Isaiah 8:21-22 with 9:7d.
Lesson: God sent His own Son into the spiritually DARKEST and NEEDIEST realm of Israel, that of Galilee, showing his POWER and WILL to save those who are lost in the WORST kinds of darkness!

Application: (1) May we HOPE in CHRIST and HIS salvation for our OWN spiritual needs, and may we (2) SHARE that HOPE with those who exist in even the WORST kinds of spiritual darkness as based on Isaiah 8:19-9:7! (3) May we not be dismayed if God assigns us to the DARKEST of realms to minister His blessed truths: if God sent His own Son, Jesus into dark Galilee, should we surprised if He sends the brightest of His lights in godly believers into the spiritually neediest areas of today's world?