In the NT times, the Greeks defined the word peace as the absence of something negative, anything that threatens our sense of security and wellbeing.
1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.
3 You will multiply the nation, You will increase their joy; They will rejoice in Your presence as with the joy of harvest, as people rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:1-7, NASB).
Isaiah chapters 6 through 9 reveal the...
Pursuit of Peace
Promise of Peace
Prince of Peace
The Pursuit of Peace
The OT word for peace is shalom. The Jews used this expression when greeting one another. Why would they do that? Were they saying, “Hello! I wish you the absence of conflict?”
No, the word peace means much more.
“A sense of well-being and harmony both within and without.”
Completeness, wholeness, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, fullness, rest and harmony.
Who wouldn’t want this type of peace in our marriage, in our families, with our friends, colleagues, and in the church?
But the type of peace and harmony that shalom was first and foremost pointing to was a peace that comes from being in harmony with God, our Creator.
The peace we are talking about is not the peace that comes from the absence of evil or negative circumstances but a peace that comes because of the presence of God.
In chapters 6-8 in the book of Isaiah, the nation of Israel desired “peace” but not the peace that comes from a harmonious relationship with God. Instead, they actually made peace with the nations around them by adopting their customs, practices, and even the things they worshipped and idolized because they believed that these connections would be more beneficial and fulfilling than their relationship with God.
The northern Kingdom had consistently rejected God, His Word, His wisdom, and His prophets (Isaiah 8:6). And during the time Isaiah wrote this account, the very nations that Israel had made peace with, in this case the country of Assyria, was now besieging they country. This news filled the Israelites with incredible fear because they knew how cruel and ruthless the Assyrians were to their enemies.
In their attempts to alleviate the suffering that resulted from being besieged by the Assyrians, they did not go to God for help but rather looked for guidance and hope from spiritists, fortune-tellers, astrologers, and all other occult sources.
“It is a mystery why God is the last one we go to in times of distress. ”
In Isaiah 8:19 God asked, “why are you seeking guidance, comfort and hope from the spiritually dead?” They have no power to deliver themselves, what makes you think they have the power to save you? They can’t guarantee your future, they will not and cannot give you peace you are looking for. The fact that every plan they made and everything they trusted in failed to deliver them from the impending doom.
“The things they put their hope in gave them no lasting peace.”
Then in a moment of clarity they woke up out of their spiritual stupor. They came to the realization that none of the things in which they trusted would bring them to a place of safety and they were angry, not at themselves but at God.
Their pursuit of pseudo peace actually brought them into one of the darkest moments in the history of Israel.
And that was the moment when Isaiah spoke. What was the prophecy he spoke to the people in the midst of their turmoil?
The Promise of Peace
Isaiah prophesied that one day the light would dawn in Galilee. When we speak of light we are talking about life, hope, truth, security, and joy.
It doesn’t say that this message of peace would come from the World, but the message of peace would come to the world through the Son. God made a promise to Israel in the midst of their darkest time.
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them (Isaiah 9:2, NASB).
In verses 4-5 Isaiah was speaking about the promised future and final deliverance from every one of their enemies. One day God would send Someone who would end all wars, deal with all evil and establish an eternal Kingdom based upon righteousness and justice.
He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.
In contrast to the advice the spiritists, fortune-tellers and astrologers gave, the coming Messiah would give wondrous counsel, unfailing in the depth of its wisdom.
The promise was about the coming Savior, who would bring peace through a restored relationship to God, not just to the nation of Israel but he would be a light to the whole world.
This prophecy was written in the present tense as if this was the present, settled reality. Even though Isaiah was talking about a future Messiah, He was saying that they could experience His peace right now through the Person of peace.
The Prince of Peace
The peace that God has for us is not found in our ability to control our circumstances, it doesn’t come from our ability to eliminate anything that threatens our sense of security and wellbeing.
“Our peace can only be attained when we are in harmony with the Prince of Peace. ”
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:7).
The Jews were looking for a powerful Messiah to deliver them from the Roman government, they were looking for external peace but…
God sent the Messiah to be born on this earth as a baby to a seemingly insignificant family, in the humblest of circumstances, to die on a cross to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
“God was offering them eternal peace.”
Why is Jesus called the Prince of Peace?
Jesus is the Prince of Peace because it is only through Him that we could ever have harmony with God. He is the only One who fulfills all of His promises. It is only through Christ, the Savior, that we can experience internal as well as external peace.
It is only through a relationship with Christ that we one day be complete and whole again. He is the Person of Peace.
How did He make this peace possible?
Jesus is God incarnate. He walked with us on the earth, He experienced every human emotion, every joy and sorrow, every pain and anguish, and finally purchased our peace with His own precious blood on the Cross of Calvary.
His sacrificial death on the Cross at Calvary paid for our sins in full, justice was satisfied and peace with God was made possible for us and the whole world (Colossians 2:14). This everlasting peace comes from what Christ did for us so it would be ours.
Isaiah said He is the great Light who will shine on us and break the power of the things that enslave us, and lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders, and deliver us from the things that oppress us.
“His government and His peace will never end.”
This is what Jesus Christ, our Prince of Peace wants for us. Even when we are weighed down and overwhelmed with the circumstances and burdens, He is our ultimate peace. Jesus said:
Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge] (John 14:27).
Despite all of life’s uncertainty we can be certain about God’s promises. Once we have peace with God, then we can experience the peace of God through taking hold of His personal promises to us. We can be certain that all of our sins have been forgiven, they have been paid in full, that we are dearly loved by God,
“that no matter how dark things are, we are never alone, God is always walking with us and promises never to abandon us,”
that our future home in heaven in secure - this gives us peace. It is not the absence of negative things but the presence of God in our live that gives us peace.
It is this peace, this assurance, that has the power through His Spirit to rule over our hearts. While sitting in prison, the Apostle Paul wrote these words,
And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours](Philippians 4:7, AMP).
In the midst of our confusion, grief and loss, He promises us peace when we relinquish our fears to Him. When we ask for wisdom, He promises to give it to us as our all-wise Counselor. When we come to Him with our weakness He is our strong and mighty God.
And in the midst of life’s struggles, again and again He proves Himself invincible in battle (Psalms 24:8).
“He is our Everlasting Father. He is our Prince of Peace.”
This is the Christmas message. That a great light came into our darkness so that we can have the promise of peace through the prince of peace!
