Bible Society of South Africa
Neville Turley

Jesus, our Messiah – Day 7

Isaiah, a prophet without equal

Bible text(s)

Isaiah 9

6A child is born to us!

A son is given to us!

And he will be our ruler.

He will be called, “Wonderful Counsellor”,

“Mighty God”, “Eternal Father”,

“Prince of Peace”.

Isaiah 9:6GNBOpen in Bible reader

Isaiah 61

The Good News of Deliverance

1The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit.

He has chosen me and sent me

To bring good news to the poor,

To heal the broken-hearted,

To announce release to captives

And freedom to those in prison.

Isaiah 61:1GNBOpen in Bible reader

Isaiah 35

5The blind will be able to see,

and the deaf will hear.

6The lame will leap and dance,

and those who cannot speak will shout for joy.

Streams of water will flow through the desert;

Isaiah 35:5-6GNBOpen in Bible reader

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

God’s prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit. They fearlessly revealed God’s will. In their preaching and teaching, they would relentlessly attack the evils prevalent in their society. Their messages were not always well received and many were martyred.

Isaiah was the greatest of the Hebrew prophets. He was born in Jerusalem in 765 BC and at the age of 25, accepted God’s call to be a prophet (Isaiah 6:8).

The prophecies and events Isaiah foretold are so accurate, he could have been giving an eye witness account of the life of Jesus. He wrote of the human nature of the Messiah, his miraculous birth and the twofold form of his ministry.

Isaiah said the Messiah would heal and uplift his people spiritually. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners …” (Isaiah 61:1)

The Messiah would also heal physical disabilities. “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.” (Isaiah 35:5-6)

The book of Isaiah contains such a wealth of detail, one needs to study it closely. In our verse for the day, there is a line that is sometimes overlooked. It refers to that first Christmas – “to us a child is given”.

Long before you were born, God gave you your first Christmas gift. It is the most precious gift you will ever receive. God’s love for you is so great, the Father gave you his beloved son – the long-awaited Messiah, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

He gave you his son, so that he could be your Father too.

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