I Find It Interesting

I find it interesting, in Isaiah, that in the chapter where God promises his son to the people, is also a chapter where we read a lot about how angry God is with his chosen people. How they repeatedly turned from him, how when he corrected them, they still turned from his. and his anger burned against them.

Read Isaiah 9. See it for yourself.

Here is God's promise to his people:

2The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
3You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.

Right after God gives Isaiah this promise to tell the people we read words like this:

8The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel;
9and all the people will know,
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10"The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place."
11But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and stirs up his enemies.
12The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west
devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.

Do you see how angry God is?
Isaiah continues:

13The people did not turn to him who struck them,
nor inquire of the LORD of hosts.
14So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day--
15the elder and honored man is the head,
and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.

God repeatedly corrected the people for the error of their ways. And instead of turning like children to their father, they continued in their folly.

BUT if we go back to verses 2-7 we read words like "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" and "you have increased its joy;they rejoice before you" and "the rod of the oppressor you have broken" and for what reason has God done this?

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is givenand the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore

WHY did God do this? "The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

So I wondered.. what does the zeal of the Lord of hosts mean?

From this dictionary I learned that zeal is "excessive fervor to do something or accomplish some end". God was fervent in his desire to accomplish this.

Can you imagine it? God so much wanted to give his people who were walking in darkness a light. He wanted to give them hope at reconciliation with him. This Stubborn, stiff-necked people. God was so fervent, so zealous for them, that he gave them his son. He sent his son for these people. Just kinda blows my mind.

It makes me more clearly see what God did for us.
It makes me see more clearly, the level of eagerness that God wants to see from me as I serve him. For he does say, do as I do (that is a very rough paraphrase) but we are his children and we are to live as he tells us, as he shows us to. And this level of zealousness I often see missing in my life. It is a thing to repent of, and a thing to aspire to. God doesn't want any half-hearted Christians. He wants people of zealousness.