Isaías 9
J. Vernon McGee · Citado em PreceptAustin
Isaías 9
Vernon McGee comments on Psalm 46: The Messiah comes to the earth in judgment. He is the One who will make wars to cease, breaks the bow, cuts the spear, and burns the chariot in the fire. This picture sets before us the last days on earth, when the One who is “the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands" (whom Nebuchadnezzar saw in his vision in Da 2:45-note) will deal an annihilating blow upon this earth. The prophet Zechariah describes this same glorious time when all war will end… I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zec 9:10).
Isaías 9
Vernon McGee puts it "In other words, God says, “I skinned them alive by the prophets.” See Related Resource - Power of God's Word As Young says… Sometimes God sends plagues; sometimes He sends help; now He sends a word, and this word was sent into Jacob. (Ibid) Jacob - This refers to the 10 Northern Tribes. Isaiah had primarily addressed the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin in chapters 7 and 8, but now turns his attention to the 10 northern tribes with a similar but not identical message. Israel - The name Israel in this context again refers to the ten tribes which in the next verse are referred to as the kingdom of Ephraim. While a play on words was probably not intended with the phrase a message… falls on Israel, the truth as the subsequent passages demonstrate is that the message has fallen on spiritually deaf, staunchly defiant ears. Irregardless the word spoken would come to pass just as it was predicted. Isaiah 9:9 And all the people know it, that is , Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart: All the people: Isa 26:11 1Ki 22:25 Job 21:19,20 Jer 32:24 44:28,29 Eze 7:9,27 Eze 30:19 33:33 Ephraim: Isa 7:9 10:9-11 pride: Isa 46:12 48:4 Pr 16:18 Mal 3:13 4:1 1Pe 5:5 Isaiah 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE FIRST STANZA: PRIDE AND ARROGANCE And all the people know - God's prophetic Word (His divine threatening) had permeated the entire society of Ephraim (even without email!) No one will have an excuse when the Word falls! Everyone would know. This was not a dropped call like we all encounter with our cell phones but a message from the Lord which was "loud and clear." In short, this prophecy of judgment was not cloaked in mystery or doubt but was one that was to be known by everyone in the Northern Kingdom. Why? Because when the prophecy was fulfilled, they would understand that it was clearly from the Lord (for only the Lord can tell the future because only the Lord controls the future.). Ephraim… Samaria - These names (along with Jacob… Israel in Isa 9:8) signify the northern kingdom (the 10 tribes that joined Jeroboam when God tore the undivided kingdom of Israel from Solomon's son Rehoboam, circa 931BC - for background read 1Ki 12:16-33). Guzik… Ephraim was the largest and most influential tribe in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. So, often the Lord refers to the Kingdom of Israel by the name Ephraim. Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. There isn’t any doubt whom this prophecy is directed to. (Isaiah 9 Commentary) Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart - All the people of Ephraim had heard and understood but they continued to indulge their pride and self-security. This is the condition of the people's heart and it sets the stage for the words they speak in verse 10 (cp Jesus' teaching on heart condition and the words out of our mouth - Mt 12:34, 35). Pride (01346) (ga'avah from gaa = to be high) is an interesting Hebrew word which in some contexts can describe the violent agitation of a body of water (Ps 46:3), in other contexts can mean "majesty" (loftiness of God) (Ps 68:34), but which usually signifies pride (loftiness of self!), arrogance, conceit as in the present passage. Ga'avah - 19v in NAS - Deut 33:26, 29; Job 41:15; Ps 10:2; 31:18, 23; 36:11; 46:3; 68:34; 73:6; Pr 14:3; 29:23; Isa 9:9; 13:3, 11; 16:6; 25:11; Jer 48:29; Zeph 3:11. NAS translates as arrogance(2), back(1), haughtiness(1), majesty(3), pride(8), proud(2), proudly(1), swelling pride(1). Arrogance (01433) (godel) means greatness in terms of size (Ezek 31:7), of divine power (Ps 79:11), of divine dignity (Dt 32:3), of divine majesty (Dt 3:24), of divine mercy (Nu 14:19), of the false greatness or bravado of one’s heart (Isa. 9:9) and was used to describe the extreme arrogance of the heart of the king of Assyria (Isa. 10:12). Godel - 13v in NAS - Nu 14:19; Dt 3:24; 5:24; 9:26; 11:2; 32:3; Ps 79:11; 150:2; Isa 9:9; 10:12; Ezek 31:2, 7, 18. NAS = arrogance(1), arrogant(1), greatness(11). Regarding arrogance Motyer comments… Arrogance (gōdel from gādēl, ‘to be great’) is the spirit of Moab in Isa 16:6 (not godel but 01347 = ga'on), not to be beholden to any, superiority blended with self-sufficiency. The heart is the organ of thought, feeling and response, and is coupled here with pride and arrogance to depict one who stubbornly backs his own judgment, trusts his own responses, depends on his own resources and puts his own policies to work. (The Prophecy of Isaiah An Introduction Commentary 1993) Beloved, it behooves us all to be on "high alert" for the subtle rise of pride in our hearts because God is always forced to oppose such an attitude. James writes that God gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED (antitasso = set an army in array against, to arrange in battle order, to line oneself up against and so to resist, oppose or be hostile toward) TO THE PROUD (pictures a sense of superiority, haughtiness, inflated opinion of self), BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." (Jas 4:6-note) Comment: This is a verse all believers should memorize and upon which they should frequently meditate. Ponder for a moment being continually opposed (the verb antitasso is present tense = continuous action) by the Omnipotent God! We also do well to notice how pride shuts off the flow of God's grace in view of our continual need for His grace to live the supernatural life (cp 1Co 15:10-note). Heart (03824) (lebab) (LXX = kardia - see word study) refers not only to his intellect per se only but in Hebrew speaks of that which rules one's very being, the very center of human life -- the seat of affections, emotions, desires. The heart connotes "the totality of man’s inner or immaterial nature." Israel's root problem was the problem with their heart. And beloved when we begin to backslide, you can usually trace the pathogenesis to a "heart condition". Watch (command) over your heart with all diligence (watching takes spiritual alacrity = a cheerful readiness or promptitude), (Why is guarding one's heart so critical to our spiritual lives?) For from it flow the springs of life. (Pr 4:23-see in depth note on this vitally important topic!) Isaiah 9:10 The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with smooth stones. The sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.": bricks: 1Ki 7:9-12 10:27 Mal 1:4 Isaiah 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Alexander comments… The very words of the self-confident Ephraimites are now recorded. Instead of being warned and instructed by what they had already suffered, they presumptuously look for greater prosperity than ever!… The oriental bricks are unburnt, so that most of their brick structures are as little durable as mud walls. The sycamore is durable but too light and spongy to be used in solid building. The latter is accordingly contrasted with the cedar and the former with hewn stone, the two most highly valued building materials. (The Prophecies of Isaiah) The bricks have fallen down - This is Israel's prideful declaration and this portion of their arrogant assessment was accurate - the bricks had fallen down! But we will rebuild with smooth stones… but we will replace them with cedars - Sin (and pride is the height of sin) is deceitful (Heb 3:13) and so here we see a but, which in context marks a change from an accurate statement to an inaccurate statement! It is as if the Northern Kingdom was saying "Who cares if God judges us, for we will rebuild with something better (smooth stones and cedars surpass bricks and common sycamore) and so we don't fear what God brings against us!” By definition, when someone is deceived, they don't know it. The people of Israel are sorely deceived by their sinful pride and arrogance and they think they can oppose the hand of God which is stretched out against them! They will be proven wrong! Bultema adds… What a brief but deeply psychological picture this is of an unfaithful generation that keeps dreaming of better times to come and lightheartedly ignores the severe judgments of God. Notice the repeated phrase we will… we will which reflect their pride and arrogance of heart. National disaster should have prompted national repentance, but their hearts were hard and their necks were stiff (spiritually speaking). Jehovah's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease and His compassions never fail for they are new every morning even in the midst of wrath He is forced to bring on a people. And in His great mercy, He provides a way of escape, even as He did for King David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah. Had Israel repented, He would have relented of His wrath. In Second Chronicles we read God's response to the heart that repents… If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Chr 7:13, 14) Isaiah 9:11 Therefore the LORD raises against them adversaries from Rezin, and spurs their enemies on,: Raises up: Isa 8:4-7 10:9-11 17:1-5 2Ki 15:29 16:9 Isaiah 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Therefore - Whenever you observe a term of conclusion, stop and interrogate with the 5W/H'S. You can always ask "Why is it there for?" Even when God's punishment comes, the people will still arrogantly disregard the clear signs of His hand of discipline and trust in themselves to rebuild the damage. Their hard hearted response forces God to continue His punishment of these prideful people.