Discover the Light of the World (Advent week 2)
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Jesus is our Peace
Jesus is our Peace
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.
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.
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.
For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Thousands of people each year visit the Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California. This massive structure was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the gun company owner. For thirty-eight years, from 1884 until her death in 1922, the house was under constant construction. Teams of carpenters, masons and other workers were employed around the clock. Various stories have been told about the reason for this unusual practice. Most center on Mrs. Winchester’s belief that she either was haunted or would be haunted by the ghosts of those killed by her husband’s weapons unless she kept building her house. Others claim that she thought she would not die as long as building continued.
Whatever the reason, she continued ordering more renovations and construction as long as she lived. There are more than 10,000 windows in the Winchester Mansion, doorways and stairs that lead to blank walls, and some 160 rooms in total. It is estimated that she spent more than $70,000,000 in today’s money on largely pointless construction—all in a desperate search for peace that was ultimately doomed to fail.
Many people today are seeking peace through equally fruitless means. They turn to pleasure, drugs, alcohol, immorality, wealth and other dead end avenues. Like the staircases that lead nowhere in the Winchester Mansion, pursuing such paths will never bring peace. Instead we find peace when we follow the path that God has given us in His Word. Those who keep the law of God in their hearts and obey it in their actions add peace to their lives. Rather than seeking peace as an end, we should seek to follow Christ. When we do we will find that peace comes as a side effect that we receive from Him.
Source: The History of Winchester Firearms, Dean Boorman
Today is the 2nd week of the Advent Season. Last week, we studied hope. As we look back to Christ’s 1st arrival and look forward to His 2nd and final arrival; we are going to look at peace. Our Scripture today is actually a War Poem. Like most War Poems, this Passage is about peace. This is a reminder to us that the Bible is full of real stories- Stories about war, political corruption, murder, sickness, disease, etc… So, this Advent when we talk about hope, peace, love, and joy; we are talking about real life, not just Christmas tales that we tell our children every year. As we learned last week, Advent means arrival. Let’s look at what Jesus brought at His arrival.
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.
Jesus brought…
1. Light into a world of darkness.
This Scripture begins in darkness. This was written when the Assyrians invaded Israel and took many as captives. The Nation of Israel was already split with 10 Tribes as Israel and Judah and Benjamin as the Nation of Judah. When the Assyrians attacked, Judah would not help them. God promised Judah that if they would follow Him, that He would not allow Jerusalem to be destroyed. Instead, King Ahaz of Judah took money from the Temple to pay the Assyrian King to protect them. While Judah was not taken captive at this point, their political alliance meant nothing.
Ahaz wanted peace and security apart from God. He trusted in his own resources, policies, and power. Are you seeking peace and security apart from God? Are you seeking peace in the result of an election, personal finances, or personal health? We are sinful, which means that we are prone to seek peace and security in things apart from God; but we can only have peace by trusting in God and in His provision. God’s provision of peace is found in the Christ child. This war poem about peace points to Jesus.
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.
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.
For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
Jesus brought…
2. Peace into a world ravaged by war.
The passage begins in darkness, but verse 2 says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light”. Jesus the Galilean has come bringing joy to all Nations. The passage moves from a picture of war to a picture of peace. Jesus is the One who will liberate all people from slavery to sin and death. Verse 4 refers us to previous military victories led by God- Liberation from the yoke and burden of slavery in Egypt and God’s victory over Midian in the Book of Judges. The same God who worked these mighty acts in the past is working to bring peace through the Messiah. Verse 5 gives us a picture of Soldier’s boots, blood-soaked uniforms, and gear being burned in the fire. Christ is bringing in a time of peace, when war is over and there is no need for garments of war.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Jesus brought…
3. Something great out of the insignificant.
The government is on Jesus’ shoulders. The burdens put on us by the government have been taken by Jesus. Then, we are given 4 names of Jesus.
* Wonderful Counselor.
This word literally means “wonder-counselor.” The word wonder that is used here refers to Supernatural acts of God.
* Mighty God.
Jesus is God and He has the same power as the Father.
* Everlasting Father.
The Old Testament does not refer to God as Father very often. When it does, it refers to God’s covenant relationship with His people. He provides them with loving care and discipline of a Father.
* Prince of Peace.
Prince here means ruler, official, sometimes it refers to a military leader. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Jesus’ Kingdom will not grow through violence and war; but through peace. The only person that will shed blood in this battle will be Jesus.
Conclusion:
There will be no end to Jesus’ Kingdom and peace. Jesus will rule in righteousness and He is the peace that passes all understanding.