Clive Calver once said you can’t blame the darkness for being dark, it’s its nature to be dark. The problem lies with the light.
What’s the background to Isaiah’s prophetic words in chapter 9?
In chapter 8 the people have rejected God. Because of this he is going to use the king of Assyria to bring abut judgement on the people. In the typically poetic style of Isaiah, the king of Assyria will sweep through the land like a raging river and no matter what plans the people make, they will not succeed because this is God’s doing.
In the end they will try anything to get a solution, they will even consult mediums and spiritists as Isaiah calls them, rather than enquire of God. The end result is that they will stumble around in the gloom and the darkness as they look in the wrong place for solutions. This is how chapter closes:
When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Isa.8:19-22
You can't blame the darkness for being dark.
Into this picture of darkness and gloom come the words of chapter 9:
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.
Once again it is the grace of God that opens the way to a new beginning. It’s not the sudden change of heart of the people, it’s not some sudden realisation that they have been looking in the wrong place for the wrong answers to the wrong questions, but it’s all about the the grace and mercy of God as he reaches down into their situation to rescue them.
Light breaks into darkness, and everything changes.
What does light do to darkness?
§1 Exposes everything
It’s very difficult to keep anything hidden once the lights are on. Everything becomes visible.
Our problem of course is that we don’t like everything to be exposed. In John 3 we read the verdict:
Light has come into the world but men and women love darkness because their deeds are evil.
You probably don’t think of yourself as particularly evil. Why should you? We prefer to think in shades of grey instead of black and white, we prefer the gloom of half-light rather than the either the full glare of bright sunshine or thick darkness of the night.
But there is no kingdom of gloom only a kingdom of light and a a kingdom of darkness and you must choose between these two not theses three.
§2 Reveals truth
Your word is a light to my path, a lamp to my feet (Ps.119)
I cannot be the only person who sometimes chooses not to put the light on, even when it’s dark, because I know my way to the bathroom, even at night. I cannot be the only person who also discovers that if only I had put the light on, I would have seen the washing basket on the landing before I kicked it with my bare foot. I cannot be the only person who never seems to learn from this salutary experience of pain as a result of stumbling about in the darkness.
When God shed light into our lives, not only do we see the true us, we also get to see the true him. As the light dawns the way ahead becomes clear.
Isn’t it good to know that we are not destined to wander around in darkness? Isn’t it good to know that God has a plan to bring light into our lives and into the lives of those around us?
Advent, Christmas, is a celebration of God’s gift of light.
While Matthew and Luke open up the story of the birth of Jesus and while Mark dives straight in to the ministry of Jesus, John takes deep into the the heart of God’s purposes as he declares:
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
§3 Isaiah’s outcomes
The dawning of this great light brings with it some great outcomes. It brings:
Growth
Joy
Rejoicing
Lifting of burdens
End to oppression
End to battle
And all because:
A son is born
§4 Jesus the true light
This son to be born was Jesus, the true light as John describes him. He came into the world but the world didn’t recognise him. In fact the world rejected him. But he came anyway.
Having rejected him, the world crucified him, but still he came. Knowing that he would have to suffer as he did, he still came.
He came so that you and I could experience life in the light.
Jesus said:
I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
§5 Our response
First step: repentance and faith
Our first response must be to accept God’s offer of a life in the light through Jesus. We must first move out of the darkness and gloom through confession of the dark parts of our lives. The sin of which we are so painfully aware. You might not know it as sin, you might not call it sin, but you know there are things that you have done that run counter to the light of God’s character. By a simple prayer of confession you can take a step into the light. Second, by a step of faith, you can receive all the benefits of a life lived in the light. Freely God offers you not only the forgiveness you need, but a new life to live. By faith we receive this life.
If you have taken those steps then you are part of the body of Christ, the people of God’s kingdom of light, and we too have a response to make.
Second step: Live in the light
In Ephesians Paul tells us that:
You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light.
To live as children of the light is to follow the example of Jesus. To become light for a dark world. We are not going to save the world, that’s God’s job, but we are called to live like light.
Third step: Engage in mission
It will be an uphill task. In 2 Corinthians Paul tells us:
The god of this age has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus.
But it’s a challenge we must take up because the world has no one else to do it for them.
If the church is not committed to bringing the message of hope to the word by all means possible, then the church has nothing to say to world at all.
We cannot be a people without a message, we cannot be a people who are unconcerned abut the eternal destiny of the people who live in darkness. We cannot be a people to whom the lost simply don’t matter, for whom mission is an inconvenience.
We cannot go one blaming the darkness for being dark.
Jesus calls us to walk in the light, the question is are we willing to follow?
