Day 19: The Prophets Promise a Coming Savior

Read: Isaiah 9:1-7 Reflect: A major responsibility of the prophets was to warn the people about the consequences of their sin. Yet they also held out the hope that a day of restoration was coming. This became particularly important after the people went into exile, when they lost all the blessings they had received thus far as punishment for their sin. They especially drew hope from God’s promise to send them a Messiah, or savior, and they looked forward to the day when they would be rescued from their troubles. Hundreds of years would pass between the time that the prophecies about the Messiah were recorded and the time when people would start to see their fulfillment. Today’s passage prophesied that the day would come when the people would be brought out of slavery and back from exile, just as God had done in the Exodus. Instead of walking in darkness, feeling far from God, they would enter the light. This defeated people would once again experience the kind of joy they had known during Israel’s glory days, and that David’s kingdom would be restored. David was a shepherd boy when God called him to become Israel’s king. Yet because of his great love and devotion to God, he became the greatest king in all of Israel’s history. Under his leadership, Israel’s many enemies were defeated and he established a unified, peaceful, prosperous kingdom. Isaiah prophesied that the coming Messiah would inherit David’s kingdom—only this time, the Messiah’s reign would last forever—and it would be established with justice and righteousness. How could this be possible? No king of Israel had been more devoted to God than David. David showed the nation what it meant to truly love God with all one’s heart. But David was still a sinner like all the rest of humanity. He committed some grievous sins which had devastating effects on the nation. As a member of the human race, David could not live forever, and could not guarantee righteousness, justice and peace forever. And his descendants deviated even further from God. Taking it Further:Many years later, Peter would describe the word of the prophets as “made more certain”, and exhort believers to “pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” Biblical prophecy is not man-made, but is God’s own word—and we can be sure that God what promises He will accomplish, no matter how long it takes (see 2 Peter 1:19-21). What promises has God made to you, and what helps you to wait patiently for their fulfillment?