The Incarnation According To Isaiah

When we talk about what it looked like for God to become flesh, we often go to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John. Those were eyewitness accounts of what is known as the Incarnation: the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form;  the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.  And while their generation was the only one to see it with human eyes, the reality was seen hundreds of years beforehand through very specific prophetic eyes. 

Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, God gave very specific visions to some of His servants. Here is the way the prophet Isaiah saw the coming of Jesus, and the world into which He would enter...

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.
You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy.
The people have rejoiced before You as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.
For You have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as You did on the day of Midian.
For the trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders.
He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end.
He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9:2-7)

Isaiah saw in Jesus a warrior King who advocated and guarded peace for the people. He saw the coming of Jesus as a glorious moment that would change everything for those who would be part of His Kingdom. This wasn't the only picture Isaiah saw of Christ... but it is a snapshot of his view.

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]
 
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