How Does God Meet Us in Our Deepest Darkness?
Into a world crushed by fear and deep darkness, God promised a child whose light would break oppression and restore hope forever.
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2 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[b] his shoulder,
and his name shall be called[c]
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.
The Light That Dawns in Deep Darkness
Context for Isaiah 9
The words of Isaiah 9:2-7 come out of a period of deep darkness and brokenness among the people of God. These verses paint a picture of when an outside foe oppressed Israel. Isaiah delivered this message to the people of Judah during the reign of King Ahaz, who was afraid of a powerful army coming from the nation of Assyria.
When you read the Old Testament and then the New Testament, you notice both contrasts and similarities. The similarities are that the patterns remain the same. The pattern we see in both testaments is that fear is not a factor that should reign in the life of God’s people. Fear distorts our perceptions of God and His availability. Fear also weakens our trust in God and prevents us from seeing that there’s something more.
King Ahaz led the nation in a way that they failed to trust God in a crisis. Fear is a great enemy to the believer.
A Nation Surrounded by Darkness
Israel was under the dominion and oppression of Assyria. They had surrounded Israel on three sides. The armies of Assyria had destroyed towns, raiding and killing men, women, and children, shipping off exiles who survived from northern Israel into Babylon.
The darkness Isaiah describes in this passage is much deeper than having a bad day. Try to put yourself in their place—the loss of loved ones, fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, all tragically killed. Think of the darkness that this brings to the human heart. Think of the despair, the oppression, the hopelessness that bears down on your soul. Think of the horrors of war that surround them.
War is hell. Never romanticize war. All of its dark effects affect the deep psyche of human beings. All of this is symptomatic of the fallenness of the human condition on our planet.
As we read this episode from the history of God’s people and how this oppression came upon them, we’re mindful that we’ve all encountered dark times as well. Think about the broken relationship you grieve deeply. The childhood trauma that’s difficult to talk about. The depression that won’t let up. The grief you navigate over a loss or broken dream. It might be darkness you can’t seem to explain, something that eludes description. Sometimes it’s a secret you carry inside yourself, something you find difficult to talk about.
Isaiah has no illusions about the reality of despair that can cripple God’s people. For God’s people in Isaiah’s day, despair and hopelessness, the darkness of the soul, became a way of life.
The Word of Hope
But Isaiah has a word for God’s people, and it’s not an opinion Isaiah offers. It is a word from God Almighty.
“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.” Isaiah 9:2
Isaiah is doing something counterintuitive here. He’s telling God’s people that, regardless of the gravity of their circumstances, the despair that grips their hearts, God is birthing not a make-believe hope, but a real hope. God is declaring an end to the suffering His people have undergone. Isaiah declares that yes, you’ve been walking in darkness, but a light is about to dawn. A new day is arising.
Then he describes it with specificity: “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” (Isaiah 9:3). He’s painting a picture of a stunning reversal. They’re going to experience great joy, not because they’ve become the conquerors, but because their conquering enemy will be no more.
It reminds us of what Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). You’ve got an enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, to render you anemic and weak in your Christian walk. But Jesus says, “I’ve come that you might have life and have it abundantly.”
Isaiah continues: “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” (Isaiah 9:4). God’s people will no longer be burdened, and they will no longer be oppressed. This parallels what the Messiah says:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Isaiah paints a picture that the war will cease, and the destruction will end: “For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire” (Isaiah 9:5). Their burning means the violence the people have known when they’ve been oppressed will come to an end.
It reminds us of what Isaiah wrote in chapter two: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).
The Reason for This Extravagant Hope
The reason for this extravagant hope is the advent of a new ruler described in verses six and seven—a Wonderful Counselor, a Prince of Peace.
Isaiah delivered this message during the time of King Ahaz, who was afraid of the Assyrian army. Fear governed his decision-making. Ahaz failed to trust God, and fear drove him to seek compromise through an alliance with Assyria.
This prophecy has a dual fulfillment. Its partial fulfillment happened through Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, who came to Israel as a godly ruler. However, here’s what Hezekiah could not fulfill: His reign was not eternal. Only Jesus’ reign is eternal.
Here’s a pointer as you study the Bible: When you read prophecy in Scripture, it often has a dual meaning. It has a present tense meaning in the context in which you read it, but it also has a future meaning that will be fulfilled in years to come. That’s what’s happening in this passage, because only Jesus’ rule lasts forever.
As we get to the New Testament, we recognize that when Jesus comes, He too comes into humanity in an hour of great difficulty, darkness, and despair. People are living in dark times, oppressed by the Romans. Jesus was born into an atmosphere of imperial violence. Things were so dark that when the king heard this new king had been born, he ordered the death of all male children two years old and below (Matthew 2:16). Deep darkness. This is the world Jesus was born into—Jesus, the light of God, into the midst of utter darkness and despair.
Now God declares: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). God in our midst. “And the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6). He has supreme authority. The Bible tells us He’s “the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). The Bible tells us that Jesus created the heavens and the earth (John 1:3).
Wonderful Counselor
“His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus has ultimate, absolute, infinite, unlimited, perfect wisdom in every circumstance.
Mighty God
He is “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6)—powerful and divine. We serve a God who cannot exaggerate. He is Mighty God. Not only did He create the heavens and the earth, but He alone also has the might to deal with the three biggest issues in your life as a Christian: your sin, the devil, and your death.
Christ went to the cross to bleed and die and atone for your sin. Jesus alone has the power to overcome the devil. Only Jesus can birth you into eternity. These enemies are too strong for you to conquer on your own. He is Mighty God.
Everlasting Father
He is “Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6)—the author and source of everlasting life.
Prince of Peace
He is “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)—the source of your peace between you and God. You cannot have peace from God until you are first at peace with God.
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:3 that in Christ you are delivered from judgment, delivered from God’s wrath, who must judge sin. Romans 5:10 tells us that before you came to know Jesus, you were an enemy of God. First Thessalonians 1:10 tells us Jesus alone “rescues us from the coming wrath.”
When you’re at peace with God because you trust that Jesus Christ has atoned for your sins and you’ve turned to Him in faith and repentance, the Bible declares that God births you into the kingdom. When you are born into the kingdom, you are now at peace with your Creator. And now you have access to the peace of God.
This is why Paul writes in Ephesians 2:14, “For He Himself is our peace.” Peace is a person.
He Shall Reign Forever
“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.” Isaiah 9:7
This is where Handel was inspired to write the words in Messiah: “He shall reign forever and ever.” All these points point to the reality that there’s something more than just a naturalistic worldview. There’s something more.
One of the most popular psalms in the Bible is Psalm 61:2: “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Dr. Tim Tennent, former president of Asbury Theological Seminary, writes about this psalm:
“Why do Christians love this psalm so much? The iconic phrase, ‘Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,’ captures in a single phrase the entire Christian worldview. It is the joyful abandonment of the naturalistic worldview that says there is no reality above or higher than the autonomous self.”
Be mindful that there is a rock higher than you. He is a Wonderful Counselor. He is a Mighty God. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Everlasting Father, and He shall reign forever and ever and ever.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. That light is Jesus Christ, born into the world to bring hope, peace, and eternal life to all who trust in Him. In the midst of whatever darkness you face, whether personal despair, broken relationships, trauma, or grief, the light still shines. The Prince of Peace still reigns. And His government and peace will have no end.
This Advent season, remember that the child born in Bethlehem came not just as a baby in a manger, but as the Mighty God who conquers sin and death, as the Wonderful Counselor who offers perfect wisdom, as the Everlasting Father who gives eternal life, and as the Prince of Peace who reconciles us to God.
The darkness has not overcome the light. It never will.
TL;DR
Isaiah speaks to a people drowning in fear, oppression, and grief, yet God announces that a great light is breaking into their darkness.
The end of war, despair, and domination is promised through a coming ruler marked by wisdom, strength, eternal care, and lasting peace.
Isaiah’s prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the child born into a world of violence to become our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
True hope isn’t the absence of darkness but the arrival of God’s presence—His light leading us to the Rock higher than ourselves.
