Isaiah 9:4
4 For thou hast broken [chathath] the yoke [`ol] of his
burden, [cobel] and the staff [matteh] of his shoulder, [shakem]
the rod [shebet] of his oppressor, [nagas] as in the day [yowm] of
Midian. [Midyan] KJV-Interlinear
4 For Thou
shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod
of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. NASB
The battle of Midian,
Judg. 7, 8, was won not by Israel, but by God who selected Gideon, and a very
small contingent of soldiers, and defeated a huge army of Midianites, not by
human ingenuity or will or power, but solely by means of the strength of God.
And in the final days of
the Tribulation, just preceding the millennial reign of Christ, God will again
do the same.
The citizen population of
Israel will be very small. Whittled down
from a once enormous size through torture and atrocity, the remnant will be
overwhelmed by the size and superior forces of the entire world.
And just as the
Midianites cowered and fled before small torches of light held by runners
coming out of the darkness, so too the world will cower when the brilliant
light of Christ descends out of the heavens, and is followed by the total
destruction of Satan, the anti-christ, and all of their evil forces.
The Midianites ran in
disbelief from what they could not see.
In the end times, all evil forces will run in terror from what they can
certainly see, but will still disbelieve.
Hast broken, is past
tense, and this renders the future prophecy as an event that will occur with
certainty, speaking of it as though it has already occurred. And in Gods mind, the certainty of it makes
it so.
Yoke, refers to the tyranny
and oppression of the enemy which has brought evil and hardship and wickedness
on all of Israel and all believers throughout history.
Staff of his shoulder,
refers to the authority taken by Gods enemies, and improperly applied in
bringing hardship on all peoples, especially believers.
Rod of the oppressor,
refers to the actual instrument and methodology of causing evil and hardship on
people.
Everything that is
anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-doctrine, is evil, and is intended for the selfish
and corrupt use of those who reject God, Christ and doctrine.
When each individual
reaches the end of their individual life, all of their efforts, attitudes,
opinions, and tools of life, will cease, having no further force or effect for
them. While they are alive and live with
their belligerence of arrogance, they fool themselves into thinking that they
are some sort of force to be reckoned with.
Not so.
Life for everyone in this
world, comes to an end sooner or later, and over that, no one has the power to
cheat death. So, given the certainty of
ones end in this world, from where does that belligerence come?
