The Lord’s zeal is his intense and passionate love to save you. The promise of a son isn’t only for Abraham, David, and Israel; it’s a promise also for you. His zeal is what drove the Lord to provide his Son on the mountain called Calvary to those sitting in darkness (Gen. 22:8–18; Matt. 27:33–44; John 3:14–17). The second person of the holy Trinity became man for our redemption. What zeal the Lord has for his creation!

Believers appreciate Isaiah 9:2–7 because Isaiah prophesies about the child, a son, who will be named “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.” However, we often overlook the final verse: “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (v. 7). Let’s consider what the “zeal of the LORD of hosts” is and why it is important for us today.

Before diving into Isaiah’s understanding of the zeal of the Lord, let’s consider the word “zeal” and where it appears in Scripture. The Hebrew noun behind this translation is qanah. The verbal root (qna) appears 85 times in the Old Testament, and the noun form shows up 43 times. Most of these occurrences mean something along the lines of “jealous” or “jealousy.”

Zeal and the Promise of Abraham

The Lord God describes himself by saying, “I the LORD your God am a jealous God” (Ex. 20:5; emphasis added). God doesn’t take kindly to idolatry. His people do not belong to anyone else.

Remember, the Lord had just brought Israel out of the land of Egypt, that house of slavery, with his mighty arm (v. 2). The Lord loves his chosen people, as he made a promise to Abraham, their father, that he’d remember Abraham’s descendants and bring them to the land (Gen. 15:12–16).

Zeal and the Promise of David

As we turn to Isaiah, we see God act similarly. God is keeping his promise to David—he swore in 2 Samuel 7 that his steadfast love wouldn’t depart from David’s house. David would have a son who would sit on the throne forever (vv. 12–16).

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