The Peace

You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder. 

For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.

The boots of the warrior
    and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
    They will be fuel for the fire.

Isaiah 9:3-5

Isaiah told the people of Israel that God would strengthen them and remove the heavy burden of slavery from them. He then gave the picture of burning soldier uniforms as the reassurance of coming peace.



For a people who lived in the heart of political turmoil, this prophecy brought hope. One day there will be freedom. One day there will be peace.

It was 700 years before the promised Messiah would arrive. But He did surely arrive!  And with Him came the hope of an eternity of joy, freedom, and peace. Jesus bridged the gap between this harsh world and glory, and we must only walk across in acceptance of Him to reach it.

Yet this world is still in turmoil. We still wait for the promised peace which will come with Jesus’ second coming.  It may be another 700 years.  It may be tomorrow. But because Jesus came once, we can know with certainty that He will come again. And while His first coming bridged the gap between us and glory, the significance of Christmas is that Jesus will come again and bring the promised peace to us.

Keep Seeking the Kingdom!

   Heather Penner
   Youth Ministries Director