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the living should they seek unto the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak
not according to this word, there shall be no morning unto them" (Isa. 8: 19, 20).
Light, however, dawns "in Galilee of the nations", and in Isa. 9: 2 we read, "Upon
them hath the light shined"--a promise that was fulfilled in Matt. 4: 14-16.
In Isa. 9: 3, Dr. Ginsburg suggests that one of the Hebrew word has been wrongly
divided, and that, instead of being lo, "not", it should form part of the preceding word and
read haggilo. The translation would then be:
"Thou hast multiplied the exultation, Thou hast increased the joy; They joy before
Thee according to the joy in harvest, As men exult as they divide the spoil."
Deliverance instead of invasion is now the theme. The rejoicing is associated with
"spoil" and with the thought of the "harvest", and so refers to the last days of prophetic
vision.
In verse 5, Young's literal translation reads as follows:
"For every battle of a warrior is with rushing, and raiment rolled in blood, and it hath
been for burning--fuel for fire" (Isa. 9: 5).
Here we have, not only the overthrow of Sennacherib, but an anticipation of the day
ushered in by the Prince of Peace, as spoken of by the Psalmist:
"Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He hath made in the earth. He
maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the
spear in sunder: He burneth the chariot in the fire" (Psa. 46: 8, 9).
Then, in verses 6 and 7, comes the glorious prophecy of the true Immanuel, the One
Who gathers up into Himself all the signs and prophecies that have gone before:
"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, Counsellor, 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 the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9: 6, 7).
In Isa. 10: 21 we read:
"The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the MIGHTY GOD."
This is balanced in verse 20 by the statement:
"The remnant of Israel . . . . . shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth."
Who is this "mighty God", the "Holy One of Israel"? He is Immanuel ("God with
us"), the virgin's Son, the Child Whose name is "wonderful". There are those who would
attempt to anatomize the glorious Person of the Son, but there is no justification in