For 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. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. -- Isaiah 9.6-7
Have you ever noticed that there is tension in the Advent season? Sure, there is tension because the “most wonderful time of the year” can be the busiest and most stressful time of year, but there’s another kind of tension. It’s the tension of living in the “already” and the “not yet.” The already of God keeping His promises, and yet we are still waiting to experience the fullness of those promises.
We often read the passage in Isaiah 9.6-7 during Advent. The grammar in these verses shows us the already and the not yet. Notice how the Lord begins this section with something that is happening in the present and the past! A child is born; a son is given. If we had lived in Isaiah’s days, we might have been tempted to go searching for this child like the wisemen or shepherds did. Where was he born? Who were his parents? But Isaiah’s generation all died without seeing this present/past promise realized, and the next generation came and died, and then their children... again and again. Perhaps around twenty-eight generations lived in this present/past promise.
Why would the Lord say it in this way? Why wouldn’t the Lord just say, “For I will send you a child to be born” (future tense)? I think we get a clue to this reason at the very end of verse 7: “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” This word for zeal is a word that describes an incredible, motivational passion. The motivation behind the Lord’s great salvation is His great love for His people. The Lord does not describe this as a possible outcome or a strong likelihood. This is a foundational truth that can be fully trusted. As certain as the sun rose this morning, a Savior will absolutely, with complete certainty, be born.
What is our response to living in the already and the not yet? It is patience in the already and faithfulness in the not yet realized. Patience and faithfulness are far harder than we often accept. Even as I’m writing this, I’m reflecting on seven deaths connected to our church family. And even beyond those deaths, there are many areas where the griefs and sorrows of sin have left great pain in our lives. Whether in relationships which have been strained, fears of financial provision, or physical pain in our bodies, sin’s effects can cause us to feel overwhelmed. And in these moments, we are reminded that we are living in the already and the not yet.
When we are overwhelmed and sometimes beyond our ability to adequately address our pain, we find strength by looking to the tension of the already and not yet. Our Advent is a season in which we do not hold onto the present/past promise of the LORD’s arrival. We hold on to the present/past promise of the LORD’s return. The Apostle John observed the future picture of God’s work in Revelation 21. In that beautiful picture, John recorded verse 5: “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” The LORD’s present promise is that all things are made new in Christ. Patience in the fullness of God’s promise and faithfulness in the obedience to trust Him today, together cause us to cry out: “Come quickly Lord Jesus!”
