Isaiah 9:1-5 (Matthew 4:12–17; Mark 1:14–15; Luke 4:14–15)
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future, He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor. For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.”
What was this “Galilee of the Gentiles?” Biblestudytools.com gives the following information: Galilee was the venue for most of Jesus’ ministry. It was located in modern-day Northern Israel, which in Jesus’ day was part of the Roman Empire. One of the three provinces of ancient Palestine, it included the whole northern section of the country, the Jordan River and Sea of Galilee forming the Eastern border. Lower Galilee, with great plain and hill country running down into the Jordan, was “one of the richest and most beautiful sections of Palestine,” explains Smith’s Bible Dictionary Upper Galilee, known biblically as “Galilee of the Gentiles,” was mountainous.
Jesus grew up in Nazareth, one of the two major cities of Galilee, says Encyclopedia Britannica. Isaiah 9:1 says, “…but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan.” Galilee can be translated to mean wheel or revolution. Though much effort was made by the Roman Empire to keep it a peaceful territory, word of Jesus and His followers threatened to disrupt that peace, and eventually reached all the way to Rome.
Galilee, a piece of land containing approximately twenty towns, was gifted to King Hiram of Tyre by Solomon “for his work in conveying timber from Lebanon to Jerusalem” says Smith’s Bible Dictionary. During the reigns of King David and King Solomon in the 10th century BC, Encyclopedia Britannica says “it came under the northern kingdom of Israel.”
Historians have varying theories about why Galilee was largely deserted for over half a millennium after the Assyrian invasion. A century before Jesus, the area was re-populated by Judean immigrants. “Galilee was the most pagan of the Jewish provinces,” says theologian Frederick Bruner. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia adds, “Their mixed origin explains the differences in speech which distinguished them from their brethren in the South, who regarded Galilee and the Galileans with a certain proud contempt.”
A large population settled there in the century before Christ. “Galilee was a region of great natural fertility,” records Bible Hub, continuing that “It rejects no plant, for the air is so genial that it suits every variety.” It was a rich land and a cultured people. “Josephus (a 1st Century AD Roman-Jewish historian) estimates the population at 3,000,000,” records the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. “This helps us to understand the crowds that gathered and followed Jesus in this district.”
During the life of Jesus, Galilee was part of the Roman Empire. Located strategically between Syria and Egypt, Roman leaders and allies were placed in rule there to ensure peace. Ruled by foreigners, relations between the Gentiles and Jewish people were tense. Historically significant is Galilee’s strong resistance to the Roman Empire, putting up the greatest fight among Jewish populations. Easton’s Bible Dictionary notes Galilee was “the scene of some of the most memorable events of Jewish history.”
Jesus lived in Galilee for approximately thirty years. Galilean Jews had a recognizable accent, therefore Jesus’ disciples were easily identified. Jesus left Judea for Galilee when John the Baptist was arrested, to allude the Pharisees (experts in Jewish law). The way in which He traveled from Judea to Galilee is significant. Originally from Nazareth of Galilee, Jesus would have been very familiar with the route most Jews took to avoid going through Samaria. The Jews and Samaritans hated each other, yet Jesus chose to walk through Samaria before beginning His public ministry in Galilee.
Every step Jesus took on earth was intentional. He had been rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, and so traveled to begin His ministry in the Galilean city of Capernaum. The people Jesus choose to preach to first were “looked upon with contempt as rude and boorish,” Matthew Henry records. The Galilean people were predominately Jewish, but heritage had been blended over the decades, leaving “the purely Jewish element” to be “relatively small.” Christ humbled Himself to begin His preaching, not to scholarly men, but those “fit for soldiers.”
God shows up in the most unlikely places! Of all the places in which to minister in Israel, Galilee seems like the least likely, and yet, that’s where Jesus would spend most of his ministry. God knew that the racially mixed people of Galilee would be spiritually hungry and would flock to hear Jesus. The tough Galilean fishermen might have outlandish accents but they had stout hearts and would become fathers of the Christian Church. Jesus would preach in the Galilee and ignite spiritual flames that would continue to burn until his return.
While we can understand the verses about rejoicing, what about this prediction? “For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor. For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.” As far as we know, this part of the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled; however, fulfillment might come when Messiah returns. On the other hand, the establishment and continued survival of the State of Israel is nothing short of miraculous, so perhaps this prophecy has already been fulfilled.
What about us? Many of us may have faced rejection or scorn, if not in our families, then at school or in our communities. We may have felt that we, like the Galileans, have been living “in the land of the shadow of death.” The good news for us is that Jesus, the Messiah, has already come and has conquered death, hell, and the grave. We too may see a great light in our hearts and lives.
This Advent season, why not give yourself the greatest gift of all-surrender your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness of sins, pardon, and new life? The gifts under the Christmas tree will eventually fall apart, wear out, or otherwise become useless. But the gifts and joy Jesus gives are presents that will become ever brighter and more precious through the years.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners, caught in our own wrong-doing. Please forgive us and deliver us from those sins. Help us to follow hard after You for the rest of our lives, knowing that You give eternal life and that when we die, we will be in heaven with You forever. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment