Isaiah 9:2-7 (NRSV)
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Verse 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness- on them light has shined. Verse 3You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. Verse 4For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. Verse 5For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. Verse 6For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Verse 7His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Devotion
Like so many of his fellow prophets, Isaiah was a poet, and in verse 3 of this passage, he offers two metaphors to express the depth of rejoicing the people feel before God. The first, “as with joy at the harvest,” recalls the natural rhythms of life, and the feelings of happiness and relief when fields have yielded enough to sustain a people for another year. The second metaphor, though, is disturbing: “as people exult when dividing plunder.” By putting the depravity of the spoils of war in parallel with the life-giving imagery of the harvest, the poet artfully indicts human bloodlust.
But Isaiah has another twist in his poem. In verse 5 we hear the promise that war will end, and all its bloody remnants—including the boots and cloaks taken from the enemy as spoils—will be turned into fuel. The coming Savior diverts our hope and our joy away from the death-dealing powers of the world, and toward the life-giving warmth of God’s good creation.
Prayer
Merciful God, help us to put away our confidence in violence, fear, and death. Divert our hope toward the peace and joy that only you can provide. Amen.
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