Out From The Shadow of Death

Albert Barnes {1} points out that Isaiah 7 and 8 “promises comfort and deliverance, while at the same time it denounces the sins of the nation, and assures the nation that the anger of the Lord is not turned away.” The anger of Yahweh would bring dire consequences. Hope is more clearly seen in chapter 9. In fact, the Greatest Hope of all was prophesied in verses 6 and 7 (KJV*): “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of YHWH of hosts will perform this.”

Given that fact, the burden and hope of Isaiah 8:22-9:5 definitely applied to when Christ was incarnate, ministering in His flesh on earth. And, as in all Holy Scripture, what we derive by the Holy Spirit from that passage can be devotionally applied to us today.

Naturally “the shadow of death” refers to the fact that Naphtali was one of the northernmost territories of Israel and would be a target by some invaders. It, with Zebulun, was situated along a corridor of access to Jerusalem. Those that dwelt there could probably be the first to come under attack.

However, throughout the Word of God we are warned to be more concerned about spiritual death than physical death. So I sense in my spirit a spiritual concern was being related in Isaiah 9:2.

I. The Shadow – 8:22

I feel that shadow of spiritual death is described to a degree in Isaiah 8:22 (KJV)-”And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.” 

While this will definitely hold true for the time of The Beast (a.k.a. The Antichrist), it was certainly true from the four centuries before the birth of Christ, to His gracious ministry on earth, and unto our present time.

No main prophet would rise up after Malachi. Rome would be the governing empire when Messiah would be born. Herod the Great was one of Rome’s most notorious puppet kings.

When Christ was physically ministering on earth, some of the religious leaders of His time were in cahoots with Rome. Many religious teachers added human laws and sometimes fable to the Law of Moses.

Do not we find essentially the same conditions in the nominal Church today? To be brief, never mind what the popular preachers say. Follow  Isaiah 8:20 to make sure a minister is telling you the truth, keeping in mind that part truth and part falsehood equals a whole lie.

II. The Shining 9:1-2

“Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,

As when at first He lightly esteemed

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

And afterward more heavily oppressed her,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

In Galilee of the Gentiles.

The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

Upon them a light has shined.”

This article was written a day or so before Hanukkah 2012 and I planned to deliver the message to my church that Sunday. Jews celebrate Hanukkah in commemoration of the rededication of the Second Temple during the Maccabean Revolt which occurred just a century and a half before Christ was born. The Temple was rededicated after being cleansed. It had to be cleansed because Antiochus IV Epiphanes had erected an altar to Zeus in the Temple and had pigs sacrificed at the altar of the Temple. Due to this, the Jews’ Temple sacrifices ceased for three and one-half years.

If that sounds like The Antichrist to you then you are right, for Antiochus was one of many antichrists that once lived, and of those who are alive today. He foreshadowed The Beast that is to come.

And, indeed, the time of The Beast is on the way, the United Nations (UN) recognizing Palestine as a non-member state of the UN near the end of 2012. This paves the way for dividing the land against the will of God (Joel 3:1-3).

Despite all these Biblical fulfillments from the restoration of Israel in 1948 to the present, much of the world dwells in the spiritual “shadow of death.” I am afraid that many who name the Name of Christ are of that number.

Note that Zebulun and Naphtali are mentioned in the passage under consideration. Zebulun {2} means “exalted,” Naphtali means “wrestling.”

One can find themselves in “the shadow of death” due to pride. “Wrestling” with God due to one’s compromise with sin will also result in being in “the shadow of death.” Those who wrestle about whether or not to surrender to Christ dwell in that shadow.

Christ declared Himself to be “the Light of the world” (John 8:12). Isaiah 9:2 was literally fulfilled during Christ’s earthly ministry:

Luke 1:79, KJV – To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Mt 4:16, KJV – The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

These truths remain for us today for us to lay hold of. No matter in what way we struggle with sin, God makes attempts to have the light of Christ shine upon all.

III. The Sharing 3

“You have multiplied the nation

And increased its joy;

They rejoice before You

According to the joy of harvest,

As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.”

When someone truly becomes a redeemed child of God they eventually begin to multiply as they share their faith with others. True joy is discovered.

“As men rejoice when they divide the spoil,” reminds me of the following passages (KJV*):

Psalm 68:18 “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that YHWH God might dwell among them.”

Ephesians 4:7 (Which contrasts the negative condition seen in Isaiah 7 and “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”

IV. The Shattering 4-5

 Current Victory Available – 4

“For You have broken the yoke of his burden

And the staff of his shoulder,

The rod of his oppressor,

As in the day of Midian.”

Participation in sin is binding. Few realize they are slaves to their transgressions. When they do, many are powerless to escape their spiritual chains.

Yet the Holy Spirit through Isaiah states that such bondage is broken. Verse 6 tells us how it is broken, “For unto us a Son is born…,” and we know Him as Jesus of Nazareth, the promised Christ.

Continuing with the idea of light (cp. 8:20 and 9:2), we read “As in the day Midian,” no doubt referring to when God used Gideon and his 300 men to rout the Midianite army by using trumpets and burning lights inside pitchers (Judges 7:16-22).

 Final Victory To Come – 5

 ”For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,

And garments rolled in blood,

Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

Satan is already defeated because of the finished work of Christ. Whenever we find ourselves bound to sin we need to sincerely surrender to Christ for deliverance.”

Although the devil is defeated, he still roams the earth trying to take as many as he can with him to sure damnation. If you have not surrendered to Christ, or if you have done so and have slipped away, I strongly urge you to make true peace with God by fully committing to Christ now, and every day.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”–Jesus Christ as recorded in John 8:12, KJV.

Notes:

{1} From an electronic version of Albert Barnes’ commentary on the Holy Bible downloaded from onlinebible.net.

{2} From an electronic version of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, and so throughout this article whenever the ancient language of the Biblical text is explained.

This article is a form of a message (sermon) outline. God willing, you will find links to the actual message (sermon) sometime hopefully before December 30, 2012 at http://www.sapphirestreams.com/life/audioM.html#M225 .

Holy Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The NKJV text was copied from http://www.biblegateway.com.

The author may have modified any text of Holy Scripture from any version  to update spelling and / or rightfully replace “The LORD” with YHWH.

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