The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-09-21
ISAIAH: FORETELLING THE
BIRTH OF THE MESSIANIC KING

LESSON TEXT-Isaiah TIA; GIT; ILLS
GOLDEN TEXT-His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God The
everlasting Father. the Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9:6:
Christ is coming! Christ has come!
Christ is coming again! All three OF
these great truths are declared by
Holy Scripture. In our lesson for
today we study the prophecy of His
birth which was given by Isaiah
about $50 years before the event
took place, and with it we find many
beautiful details concerning His
blessed character and accomplish
ments. 1t is entirely appropriate that
the lesson for today should be taken
from the Old Testament and relate
to the prophecy of the coming of the
Messianic King, thus binding to-
gether the Old and the New Tesla
ments. Isaiah's prophecy prepares
us to study His life in the Gospel of
Matthew, beginning next week.
l. The Coming of the King OLA;
9:1-6).
To us it is entirely understandable
that the Son of God was to be-
come flesh and dwell among us and
that all the grace and power Of God
should be upon Him, for we know
that He did come in perfect fulfill.
ment of the Scriptures. But let US
not fail to note the marvel of this
revelation made centuries in ad-
vance through Gods prophet.
l. Born Of Virgin (7:14; 9:6).
He was to be born. Christ did
not come as a fully matured divine
being after the fashion of the So
called gods of mythology, but He
entered our needy world as the Babe
of Bethlehem's manger. What in
finite condescension!
He was to be born of a virgin,
and so He was. There are those
who would minimize the Importance
of this, or try to explain it away by
interpreting the word virgin" to
mean a young married woman. The
late Robert Dick Wilson, an out
standing authority, says, 1.-The great
and only difficulty lies in disbelief
in predictive prophecy and in the al
mighty power of God, or in the de-
sire to throw discredit on the divine
SonShip."
2. God with Us (7:10.
Emmanuel means God with
u.s." Isaiah had a foregleam of the
incarnation which brought the eter-
nal Son of God into that Goldman
relationship which was absolutely in
dispensable if there was to be re-
demption. Sin had made barrier
between God and man which man
could not pass, and only as the God
man, Christ Jesus, came through
that barrier to be God with us"
could there be any hope of our saliva
ton.
8. A Great Light (9:2).
The Messiah was to break through
the dense darkness of sin and sor-
row to bring light and joy. How
gloriously that prophecy has been
fulfilled!
III. The Character OF the King g:
6, z; 11:1-5.
The prophet foretold not only the
meaningful names of the coming
Messiah, but pictured in glowing
beauty the mighty things which He
was to accomplish.
/. Revealed by His Names (9:6).
"Wonderfup'-that word has been
so misused that it means compare
lively little to us. 1t really fulhlls
its true meaning in Christ. He is
unique, remarkable, yes, truly Won
derful. Counsellor" in every de-
tail of life, great or small, an in
fallible guide. mighty God"-not
just like God, or representing God;
Christ is God. Everlasting Fa-
ther"--the tender and loving, I'M
failing One to whom time does not
bring any change, for He is the
Father of eternity" prince of
Peace"-He is not yet the ruler of
the nations of the world, hence we
hear not only of wars but of rumors
of wars. Mark it well that there
will be no enduring peace until He
comes to reign whose right it is to
reign, the divine Prince of Peace.
2. Revealed by His Deeds OF;
11:1-5).
Eternal justice and righteousness,
peace, wisdom, understanding, coun-
sci and might, the spirit of knowl-
edge and the fear of God, unfailing
equity-all these glorious accom-
plishments are to characterize the
Messiah according to Isaiah's proph-
ecy.
Has the prophecy been fulfilled?
We know that all of these qualities
were in Christ when He came to
earth the first time, but the COM
plete fulfllment of this prophecy
awaits that day toward which the
child of God looks with Joy and
hope when Christ shall come again.
AS we study this portion of our les
son, our hearts should cry out with
John, even so, come, Lord Je-
sus" (Rev. 22:20).