Isaiah 9:5
For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For every trampling boot of battle
This phrase evokes the imagery of war and conflict, common in the ancient Near East. The Hebrew word for "boot" (נַעַל, na'al) signifies the footwear of soldiers, symbolizing the relentless march of armies. Historically, the Assyrian and Babylonian empires were known for their military campaigns, often trampling over nations. The "trampling" suggests the oppressive nature of these conquests. In a spiritual sense, this phrase can be seen as a metaphor for the struggles and battles faced by believers, with the promise of ultimate peace through divine intervention.

and every garment rolled in blood
The "garment rolled in blood" is a vivid depiction of the aftermath of battle, where soldiers' clothing would be soaked in the blood of conflict. The Hebrew word for "garment" (שִׂמְלָה, simlah) refers to outer clothing, often used in the context of mourning or destruction. This imagery underscores the brutality and cost of war. From a scriptural perspective, it highlights the consequences of sin and rebellion against God, which often lead to violence and bloodshed. Yet, it also points to the hope of redemption and cleansing, as blood in the Bible also signifies atonement and sacrifice.

will be burned as fuel for the fire
The act of burning these items symbolizes the end of war and the ushering in of peace. In ancient times, burning the spoils of war was a way to purify and remove the remnants of conflict. The Hebrew word for "burned" (שָׂרַף, saraph) indicates a complete consumption by fire, suggesting a total eradication of the instruments of war. This phrase prophetically points to a future where God will establish His kingdom of peace, as seen in the messianic hope throughout Isaiah. For believers, it serves as a reminder of the ultimate victory over sin and death through Christ, who brings eternal peace and reconciliation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah's prophecies often pointed to the coming of the Messiah and the future hope for Israel.

2. Israel
The nation to whom Isaiah was prophesying, often facing turmoil and oppression from surrounding nations.

3. Messianic Prophecy
This verse is part of a larger passage that is traditionally understood as a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah, who would bring peace.

4. Warriors and Battle
Symbolic of the conflicts and struggles faced by Israel, both physically and spiritually.

5. Peace and Restoration
The ultimate promise of God to His people, where instruments of war are transformed into symbols of peace.
Teaching Points
Transformation from Conflict to Peace
The imagery of burning the warrior's boots and bloodied garments signifies the end of conflict and the ushering in of peace. As believers, we are called to be peacemakers, reflecting the peace of Christ in our lives.

The Role of the Messiah
Isaiah 9:5 is part of a larger messianic prophecy. Jesus, as the Prince of Peace, fulfills this promise, bringing spiritual peace and reconciliation with God.

Spiritual Warfare and Victory
While physical battles may cease, spiritual warfare continues. Believers are equipped with the armor of God to stand firm in faith, knowing that ultimate victory is assured in Christ.

Hope in God's Promises
The prophecy assures us of God's faithfulness to His promises. In times of personal or communal turmoil, we can trust in God's plan for peace and restoration.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of burning the warrior's boots and garments in Isaiah 9:5 reflect the transformation God promises through the Messiah?

2. In what ways can we, as Christians, be peacemakers in our communities, reflecting the peace prophesied in Isaiah 9:5?

3. How does the promise of peace in Isaiah 9:5 connect to the New Testament teachings about Jesus as our peace?

4. What are some practical ways we can prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare, knowing that ultimate victory is promised in Christ?

5. How can the assurance of God's promises in Isaiah 9:5 encourage us during times of personal or communal conflict?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 2:4
This verse speaks of a time when swords will be beaten into plowshares, echoing the theme of peace and the end of war.

Micah 5:5
Refers to the Messiah as the one who will be our peace, connecting to the promise of peace in Isaiah 9.

Ephesians 2:14
Paul speaks of Christ as our peace, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility, which aligns with the transformation from war to peace in Isaiah 9:5.
Burning Implements of WarDean Stanley.Isaiah 9:5
Destroying Weapons of WarT. W. Chambers, D. D.Isaiah 9:5
Significance of Verse 5T. W. Chambers, D. D.Isaiah 9:5
The Accoutrements of the Warrior Only Fuel for the FireJ. Parker, D. D.Isaiah 9:5
Clearest Promises of Christ in Darkest TimesIsaiah 9:1-7
Fulness of ChristW. Bridge, M. A.Isaiah 9:1-7
Good Things in the Days of the Great MessiahE. Erskine.Isaiah 9:1-7
Immanuel the Light of LifeIsaiah 9:1-7
Light Out of DarknessG. F. Pentecost, D. D.Isaiah 9:1-7
Lux in TenebrisIsaiah 9:1-7
NeverthelessD. Davies.Isaiah 9:1-7
Phases of Divine PurposeJ. Parker, D. D.Isaiah 9:1-7
The Nativity of Our LordClergyman's MagazineIsaiah 9:1-7
The Prophecy ExplainedBishop Perowne.Isaiah 9:1-7
The Remedy of the World's MiseryR. Watson.Isaiah 9:1-7
Vision of Future GloryE. Johnson Isaiah 9:1-7
People
Aram, David, Isaiah, Jacob, Manasseh, Naphtali, Rezin, Syrians
Places
Galilee, Jordan River, Midian, Samaria
Topics
Armed, Armor, Battle, Blood, Boot, Booted, Burned, Burning, Cloak, Clothing, Confused, Destined, Fierceness, Fire, Fuel, Garment, Garments, Noise, Noisy, Raiment, Rolled, Rushing, Shod, Sounding, Stamped, Step, Tramping, Tumult, War, Warrior
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 9:5

     2378   kingdom of God, characteristics
     4906   abolition
     5612   weapons

Isaiah 9:1-7

     8370   zeal

Isaiah 9:3-5

     9145   Messianic age

Isaiah 9:4-7

     2354   Christ, mission

Library
May 27. "The Government Shall be Upon his Shoulder" (Isa. Ix. 6).
"The government shall be upon His shoulder" (Isa. ix. 6). You cannot make the heart restful by stopping its beating. Belladonna will do that, but that is not rest. Let the breath of life come--God's life and strength--and there will be sweet rest. Home ties and family affection will not bring it. Deliverance from trouble will not bring it. Many a tried heart has said: "If this great trouble was only gone, I should have rest." But as soon as one goes another comes. The poor, wounded deer on the mountain
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Kingdom and the King
'The people that walked in darkness hare seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 3. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4. For Thou hast broken the yoke of His burden, and the staff of His shoulder, the rod of His oppressor, as in the day of Midian. 5. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Nativity
'Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Sun Rising Upon a Dark World
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon then hath the light shined. C ontrasts are suited to illustrate and strengthen the impression of each other. The happiness of those, who by faith in MESSIAH, are brought into a state of peace, liberty, and comfort, is greatly enhanced and heightened by the consideration of that previous state of misery in which they once lived, and of the greater misery to which they were justly exposed.
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Characters and Names of Messiah
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. S uch was the triumphant exultation of the Old Testament Church! Their noblest hopes were founded upon the promise of MESSIAH; their most sublime songs were derived from the prospect of His Advent. By faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, they considered the gracious declarations
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

December the Twenty-Fourth Entering in at Lowly Doors
"Unto us a Child is born." --ISAIAH ix. 1-7. How gentle the coming! Who would have had sufficient daring of imagination to conceive that God Almighty would have appeared among men as a little child? We should have conceived something sensational, phenomenal, catastrophic, appalling! The most awful of the natural elements would have formed His retinue, and men would be chilled and frozen with fear. But He came as a little child. The great God "emptied Himself"; He let in the light as our eyes were
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Harvest Joy
"Thou hast magnified the nation, and increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil."--Isaiah 9:3. Notice that I make a correction in the version from which I am reading. The Authorized Version has it, "Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy." This is not consistent with the connection; the Revised Version has very properly put it, "Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased their joy." I have not
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

His Name --Wonderful!
My dear friends, we live to-day upon the verge of that bright spot. The world has been passing through these clouds of darkness, and the light is gleaming on us now, like the glintings of the first rays of morning. We are coming to a brighter day, and "at evening time it shall be light." The clouds and darkness shall be rolled up as a mantle that God needs no longer, and he shall appear in his glory, and his people shall rejoice with him. But you must mark, that all the brightness was the result
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

His Name --The Counsellor
We shall now enter upon the discussion of this title which is given to Christ, a title peculiar to our Redeemer; and you will see why it should be given to him and why there was a necessity for such a Counsellor. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ is a Counsellor in a three-fold sense. First, he is God's Counsellor; he sits in the cabinet council of the King of heaven; he has admittance into the privy chamber, and is the Counsellor with God. In the second place, Christ is a Counsellor in the sense which
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

His Name --The Mighty God
The term here used for God, El, is taken from a Hebrew or root, which, as I take it, signifies strength; and perhaps a literal translation even of that title might be, "The Strong one," the strong God. But there is added to this an adjective in the Hebrew, expressive of mightiness, and the two taken together express the omnipotence of Christ, his real deity and his omnipotence, as standing first and foremost among the attributes which the prophet beheld. "The mighty God." I do not propose this morning
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

A Christmas Question
This morning, however, the principal object of my discourse, and, indeed, the sole one, is to bring out the force of those two little words, "unto us." For you will perceive that here the full force of the passage lies. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given." The divisions of my discourse are very simple ones. First, is it so? Secondly, if it is so, what then? Thirdly, if it is not so, what then? I. In the first place, IS IT SO? Is it true that unto us a child is born, unto us a Son
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

The Same Text Further Explained.
For His Only-begotten Son might, ye Arians, be called Father' by His Father, yet not in the sense in which you in your error might perhaps understand it, but (while Son of the Father that begat Him) Father of the coming age' (Isa. ix. 6, LXX). For it is necessary not to leave any of your surmises open to you. Well then, He says by the prophet, A Son is born and given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Angel of Great Counsel, mighty God, Ruler, Father of the
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Two Famous Versions of the Scriptures
[Illustration: (drop cap B) Samaritan Book of the Law] By the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, on the coast of Egypt, lies Alexandria, a busy and prosperous city of to-day. You remember the great conqueror, Alexander, and how nation after nation had been forced to submit to him, until all the then-known world owned him for its emperor? He built this city, and called it after his own name. About a hundred years before the days of Antiochus (of whom we read in our last chapter) a company of Jews
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Two Things to be Observed in Gratuitous Justification.
1. The glory of God remains untarnished, when he alone is acknowledged to be just. This proved from Scripture. 2. Those who glory in themselves glory against God. Objection. Answer, confirmed by the authority of Paul and Peter. 3. Peace of conscience obtained by free justification only. Testimony of Solomon, of conscience itself, and the Apostle Paul, who contends that faith is made vain if righteousness come by the law. 4. The promise confirmed by faith in the mercy of Christ. This is confirmed
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Christ's Prophetic Office
'The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet,' &c. Deut 18:85. Having spoken of the person of Christ, we are next to speak of the offices of Christ. These are Prophetic, Priestly, and Regal. 'The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet.' Enunciatur hic locus de Christo. It is spoken of Christ.' There are several names given to Christ as a Prophet. He is called the Counsellor' in Isa 9:9. In uno Christo Angelus foederis completur [The Messenger of the Covenant appears in Christ alone].
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8.
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Disciple, -- Master, if Thou Wouldst Make a Special Manifestation of Thyself to The...
The Disciple,--Master, if Thou wouldst make a special manifestation of Thyself to the world, men would no longer doubt the existence of God and Thy own divinity, but all would believe and enter on the path of righteousness. The Master,--1. My son, the inner state of every man I know well, and to each heart in accordance with its needs I make Myself known; and for bringing men into the way of righteousness there is no better means than the manifestation of Myself. For man I became man that he might
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

Of the Name of God
Exod. iii. 13, 14.--"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." We are now about this question, What God is. But who can answer it? Or, if answered, who can understand it? It should astonish us in
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Humility is the Root of Charity, and Meekness the Fruit of Both. ...
Humility is the root of charity, and meekness the fruit of both. There is no solid and pure ground of love to others, except the rubbish of self-love be first cast out of the soul; and when that superfluity of naughtiness is cast out, then charity hath a solid and deep foundation: "The end of the command is charity out of a pure heart," 1 Tim. i. 5. It is only such a purified heart, cleansed from that poison and contagion of pride and self-estimation, that can send out such a sweet and wholesome
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
Bernard Manning A paper read before the Cambridge University Methodist Society on February 9, 1939. SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, sometime Scholar of Jesus College in the University of Cambridge, once wrote some ingenious verses {Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy.} to help his sons to remember the chief sorts of metre. If Coleridge had been a Methodist instead of a pilgrim from Anglicanism to Unitarianism and back again, he would have needed to do no such thing: he would have needed only to advise his boys
Bernard L. Manning—The Hymns of Wesley and Watts: Five Papers

The Lord's Prayer.
(Jerusalem. Thursday Night.) ^D John XVII. ^d 1 These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven [the action marked the turning of his thoughts from the disciples to the Father], he said, Father, the hour is come [see pp. 116, 440]; glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee: 2 even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life. [The Son here prays for his glorification, viz.: resurrection, ascension, coronation, etc.,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Peace
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I Pet 1:1. Having spoken of the first fruit of sanctification, assurance, I proceed to the second, viz., Peace, Peace be multiplied:' What are the several species or kinds of Peace? Peace, in Scripture, is compared to a river which parts itself into two silver streams. Isa 66:12. I. There is an external peace, and that is, (1.) (Economical, or peace in a family. (2.) Political, or peace in the state. Peace is the nurse of plenty. He maketh peace in thy borders,
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Messiah's Entrance into Jerusalem
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. -- And He shall speak peace unto the heathen. T he narrowness and littleness of the mind of fallen man are sufficiently conspicuous in the idea he forms of magnificence and grandeur. The pageantry and parade of a Roman triumph, or of an eastern monarch, as described in history, exhibit him to us
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

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