“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan.” (Isaiah 9:1)

The people of Israel were in distress. Taken captive after the fall of Jerusalem and brought to Babylon in chains, they would one day return to their own ravaged land, but never would they again be free from foreign governance. First the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans ruled over what became known as Judea. As the above Scripture reads, “In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.”

These people of Israel or Judea, now called Jews, knew their Scriptures. They clung to the promises that were read in the synagogue by the rabbis. They would have especially loved to read from the scroll of Isaiah who had received so many promises from God. For example: “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” (Isaiah 61:8-9).

But to hear a promise for something to occur sometime in the future, and to understand when it really came to pass were two different things. And so it was that when Jesus was born and actually lived among the people of Judea, he was not appreciated as the long-expected Savior. Even his disciples struggled with understanding. As we are in this Lenten season leading up to Easter, let us reflect on that first coming of Jesus.

What is especially significant to us today is that Jesus came not only to fulfill God’s covenants with his people of Israel, but he also came to fulfill his eternal plan of redemption for all mankind—Jews and Gentiles alike—who believe. And what is especially meaningful is that we Gentiles were not an afterthought. That is what the introductory scripture is referring to when it says the “Galilee of the nations…beyond the Jordan.” Jesus was born in the region of Galilee, which was not particularly mainstream Jewish. In fact, it was a cultural melting pot of Greeks, Romans, and Jews. When you read “nations” plural in the Bible, it means “all of the people groups of the world other than the people of Israel.” That Jesus was born, grew up, and ministered outside of Jerusalem is not by accident. This is just another way that he relates to all people, and is another proof that he came as the Savior to EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES.

Let us spend this time in gratitude for our Savior, who rescues us from eternal distress and death and promises us a glorious eternity with Him in Heaven.

This is one in a series on the Promises of God which started on January 4, 2023. In subsequent Chaplain’s Corners, we will continue to look at these promises and with them, the nature of our awesome God.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

In Christ,

Judy