Wednesday 24 December 2025

Psalm 100

Background
‘The Coming Light’ (our theme for this week) is getting closer. Today we return to the Hebrew scriptures and dip into the prophecy of Isaiah, another book about whose date and authorship much has been written. The early chapters probably date from the last part of the 8th century BC and come from ‘Isaiah of Jerusalem’, a prophet in Judah, the southern kingdom. Much of the content of these chapters contains warnings to the community that their failure will lead to punishment; Judah was at that time under threat from Israel and Damascus, and later from Assyria.

In the midst of such warnings these verses are a song of thanksgiving and hope, somewhat in the style of a royal birth announcement or coronation. The words may originally have referred to King Hezekiah, but since the earliest days of the Christian Church they have been applied to Jesus and that is our approach today.

Verse 2 declares that the 'darkness' (of disobedience perhaps, or of threat of war) is shattered by the shining of a great light. The following verses 3-5, omitted from today’s selection, speak of the joy of harvest or of the triumph of conquest, then in verse 6 comes the climax of the passage with the announcement of the reason for this joy, the source of this light, "a child has been born for us". He is immediately given four impressive titles, perhaps akin to the ‘throne names’ which were given to royalty in the Ancient Near East.

• "Wonderful Counsellor" suggests a kind of miraculous wisdom, which might be a source of wonder to those who witness it.
• "Mighty God" brings together divinity and strength – God will fight for the people.
• "Everlasting Father" emphasises the role of protector.
• "Prince of Peace" promises freedom from wars and points to the wholeness understood by ‘shalom’ (peace).

In verse 7 there is reference to the enduring covenant made between God and King David (2 Chronicles 21:7), and his descendants, of whom Jesus is one (Luke 1:27).  The kingdom to come will have peace, justice and righteousness. The final phrase in verse 7 is repeated in Isaiah 37:32 and emphasises the dependable nature of God’s protection against enemy attack.

To Ponder:

• What do you see as constituting the kind of darkness of which Isaiah speaks in verse 2? How and where might we see a great light shining?
• When many countries now are experiencing war or the threat of war, what does it mean to speak of Jesus as the 'Prince of Peace'?
• Today’s hymn, 'Glory be to God on high' (StF 199) is to my mind a brilliant exposition of the Incarnation (God taking human form as Jesus). Can you make space today to read and ponder on the words with all their powerful contrasts and paradoxes?

Prayer (from StF 199: 'Glory be to God on high')
"Glory be to God on high and peace on earth descend: God comes down, he bows the sky, and shows himself our friend: God the invisible appears: God, the blest, the great I AM, sojourns in this vale of tears, and Jesus is his name." Amen.

Bible notes author: Jill Baker
Jill Baker is a Local Preacher and tutor in the Methodist Church in Scotland, now living in Stirlingshire, surrounded by mountains and lochs.