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| For to Us a Child Is Born
9 [a] But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.[b]
2 [c] The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon[d] his shoulder,
and his name shall be called[e]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel;
9 and all the people will know,
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and stirs up his enemies.
12 The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west
devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
13 The people did not turn to him who struck them,
nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
14 So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day—
15 the elder and honored man is the head,
and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.[f]
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns like a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns;
it kindles the thickets of the forest,
and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land is scorched,
and the people are like fuel for the fire;
no one spares another.
20 They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
together they are against Judah.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still. |
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Are you a Christmas Tree?
Paul Wildermuth
Have you ever thought of yourself as a tree? Not a Christmas tree but a fruit tree. Did you know the Bible refers to us as being like a tree? Psalm 1:1-3, Luke 6:43, and Matthew 12:33-35 are just a couple examples of this. The emphasis in these passages is mostly on the fruit, what type of fruit and why the tree bears a particular type (good or bad fruit). Scripture teaches us the type of “fruit” is determined by the underlying roots and compares the roots to our heart. Jeremiah 17:5-10 is another passage that uses this tree analogy. Here we see that the main factor in good or bad fruit is not the environment or circumstances. The determining factor is the roots - the heart - and if it is trusting/worshiping God. So, why do we often turn to trusting and worshiping things other than God (idols). What is an idol?
“An idol is anything or anyone that begins to capture our hearts, minds, and affections more than God” - Brad Bigney
“Sin is what we do when we’re not satisfied in God; sin is what we do when we’re chasing after something other than God, which is our idol” - John Piper
Idolatry will always bring/bear bad fruit. How do we then turn from these idols and false worship and grow in our worship of and trust in God? I have found that we trust in and worship what we value most and long for. Reading God’s Word and growing in our understanding of Him, His attributes, promises, and character will cause us to value and desire Him more and more, finding our satisfaction in Him. In turn we will bear “good fruit” built on true worship, bringing glory to God.
- How does this passage increase your worship of God?
- Think through some of the false worship (idols) and bad fruit (sin) you struggle with. How do the descriptions and attributes of God below affect these struggles? As we grow in our knowledge and worship of God, we will naturally not pursue idols, and the fruit of them will not persist in our lives.
- Light in the darkness
- A child is born
- A son is given
- Wonderful Counselor
- Mighty God
- Everlasting Father
- Prince of Peace
- Peace where there will be no end
- God reigns… over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness.
- God’s righteous wrath toward the wicked and sin
As we go through this Christmas season, let us reflect on and worship not the season and all it brings, but the God who came and dwelt among us!
Praise- Praise and glorify God for what He has revealed about Himself in our passage.
Confession- Be honest with God about times of valuing and pursuing idols over Him.
Petition- Ask Him for power, through the Holy Spirit, to put off false worship.
Thanks- Thank God for His promises (His forgiveness, His goodness, His presence, His sovereignty, etc.)
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