JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS REIGN
LESSON FOR THE JUNIOR CLASSES
STUDY SCRIPTURE: ISAIAH 9:2-7
KEY VERSE
“There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.”.
Isaiah 9:7
INTRODUCTION AND STUDY
The people who know that there is in heaven their covenant keeping God who has done mighty works on their behalf and has saved them many times do not have any excuses when they choose to depend on their enemies for help instead of trusting their God to deliver them. It is difficult to understand why people, despite receiving many blessings from God in times of distress, choose to expect help from mere weak human beings.God also has done great things for usG
In our Study we learn that the blood relatives of the kingdom of Judah called the 10 tribes of the nation of Israel made an alliance with the pagan kingdom of Syria to fight the growing powerful pagan nation of Assyria. The 10 tribes of Israel knew better than to form alliances with pagan nations but they did not care to obey God. They wanted Judah to join them in the fight against pagan Assyria. But the king of Judah did not like the king of Israel or the king of Syria and he decided to ask the Assyrians for help to fight Israel his brother, and pagan Syria.
The prophet Isaiah met the king of Judah whose name was Ahaz and told him his plan made no sense. Instead he should depend on God for help and he would get this help. If he wanted encouragement all he had to do is ask God for a sign that God would help him. But he had made up his mind not to trust God but instead to depend on help from Assyria. He well knew that God did not want His people to depend on “the arm of flesh” but instead they should depend on divine help.
The prophet Isaiah then said to Ahaz that since he did not want to request a sign God would give him one anyway. Since he decided to trust pagan Assyria they would betray Judah and they would be practically destroyed In the near future. Israel would be destroyed by the Assyrians and they would be scattered away from their country. Strangers with pagan and evil beliefs and idol worshipping practices would come and live among and mix with the poor people of Israel left in the land of Israel.
There would be darkness, misery, ignorance, and little knowledge of the true God there in the land of Galilee previously occupied by the tribes of Zebulon and Napthali. It would be a bad scene.
But God loved His people and planned to have a child born of a virgin that would come and rule the nations, counsel the people, heal them of sicknesses, help their mental illnesses, drive out demons from them, heal epileptics and bring the light of God to them, removing the darkness in that part of the country. This child would be the mighty God, the wise Counsellor, the righteous king that would bring Justice to the people, and He would reign forever. There would be no end to His kingdom. He would be the Prince of Peace for He would bring Peace to the nations.
This prophecy was that this mighty ruler would come and begin His ministry work in the land of Galilee where darkness was covering the land. People who believed in the God of the covenant were happy. But this encouragement did not change king Ahaz, the king of Israel, or the kings of the pagan nations.
We today look forward to this Mighty ruler promised to Abraham and king David who would come to earth and bring peace, ruling the nations and controlling people who do a lot of evil.
We know the promise of God will be definitely fulfilled. Every prophecy God made through His prophets were 100% fulfilled. So we trust God, worship Him, thank Him, and look forward to His rule on earth as it is in Heaven. We look forward to Justice and Righteousness filling the earth. We know for sure that the darkness would be removed and full blessing would come.