“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
Isaiah 9:2 [KJV]
Picture: our nativity window decoration
It’s less than two weeks to Christmas. Depending on who you are, you’re either indifferent to that statement, struck with dread, excited by it, or overwhelmed by the length of your must-be-done-before-the-25th list. Christmas – I use that term loosely here – decorations have gone up all over my neighbourhood. There are kangaroo statues wearing tinsel, inflatable Santas, an eight-foot-tall snowman, plastic candy canes galore, and enough flashing lights adorning houses and fences to give me months of migraines.
Inspired by the neighbourhood decorations, we put a single string of plain white lights along our front veranda. (Shush, don’t tell anyone we already had them in our garden). But we do have one real Christmas decoration in our front lounge window. It’s a wooden nativity silhouette, showing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in a manager. It’s lit from behind by lights, and under the image are the words, “Immanuel… God with us”. Forget obese Santas, snow scenes, and blowing your electricity budget, there’s a light far more important than any the shops try to sell you. Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
What is this light mentioned in the verse? We don’t have to speculate, because the Bible tells us exactly. Matthew 4:13-16 says of Jesus, “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” This passage states that the verses in Isaiah were a prophecy fulfilled by the coming of the Jesus Christ. This prophesy refers to a specific event involving a specific Messiah coming to a specific geographical region and bringing hope to a specific people group. Yes, that’s a lot of ‘specifics’. The level of detail means we can be confident God, not chance, fulfilled that prophecy. Even though the prophecy has technically now become history, it also continues to be fulfilled through the transformation of hearts that believe in Jesus, “the Light of the World” (John 8:12). As I reflected on Isaiah 9:2, I was struck by two things; the reality of darkness, and the reality of light.
Let’s start by talking about the reality of darkness. Frankly, if I read that sentence, I would be tempted to skip this whole section. We don’t like thinking about the darkness of evil and sin. When Jesus was born, Israel was a defeated nation, controlled by the Romans, a people known for brutality, oppression and racism. Additionally, Israel was spiritually lifeless. There were some, such as Simeon and Anna (Luke 2), who eagerly waited for the Messiah, and thousands initially followed Him. Yet many “went back and walked no more with him” (John 6:66b), His disciples fled at His arrest (Matthew 26:56), and the Jewish leaders and people Jesus came to save demanded His execution (John 19:12-15). Similarly, there is much darkness in our world today. Some of us live in countries that call themselves democracies, and yet we see the influence of Satan himself in some of the laws that are passed, government positions taken, and prevailing societal attitudes. At times Satan is a roaring lion who attacks openly and viciously (1 Peter 5:8). Other times he is a deceiver who appears as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan cannot control us the way he manipulates the unsaved (Ephesians 2:2), but he rules the world and creates plenty of trouble for us. How much we need the spiritual armour of Ephesians 6! Additionally, our world is so darkened by the consequences of sin. There is much death and suffering; Romans 8:22b says, “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”. Darkness also exists in human hearts. In 1 Peter 2:9, the apostle says that when we were saved, we were called “out of darkness.” Once saved, always saved; we can never become controlled by evil again. But we remain tempted to sin, with 1 Peter 2:11 continuing, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul”.
Even though I don’t enjoy thinking about sin and evil, I find the Bible’s warnings about these oddly reassuring. Some religions claim people can achieve states of self-perfection, or promise utopias can be created in our present world. But the Bible describes exactly what we see around us. Both Jesus and the apostles warned Christians they would encounter persecutions (John 15:18, 2 Timothy 3:12), unreasonable and wicked men (2 Thessalonians 3:2), and temptations (Matthew 26:41). Jesus never tried to trick anyone into thinking life on this earth would be trouble-free. Instead, He warned us difficulties would come (John 16:33), prayed for our protection (John 17:15), sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter (John 14:26), and gave us many instructions to help us “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15d). No matter how dark things are, we can confidently trust Jesus to see us through. Why? Because Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Yes, darkness is real, but the light of Christ is also real. Isaiah 9:2 describes Jesus as a “great light’. Jesus is not a pathetic, flickering candle. He is a glorious sun. There are many false lights. Isaiah warns of those who call evil good and darkness light (Isaiah 5:20), while Satan deceives many into thinking he is an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). But Jesus is the true light (John 1:9). Nativity scenes are cute – no, I won’t be debating the historical accuracy of having the Wisemen and shepherds in the same scene. But the heart of Christmas is the cross, because “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14b). Christmas can be a difficult time for those who are grieving, hurting, have complicated family situations or other challenges. Opportunities to catch up with people and share the gospel can bring physical and spiritual weariness. If you’re finding things difficult this Christmas, think about physical lights for a moment: the darker the night, the brighter the light shines. The bigger our troubles, the more God is glorified when He works things together for good in ways that only He can bring about (Romans 8:28). Jesus’ name is “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6b). He came as light to earth 2000 years ago. He continues to be our source of light through salvation, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). He is the means of sanctification: Paul says, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). And He will be both our spiritual and physical light in the future. He is coming again, just as He promised, and one day we will live in a new Jerusalem, which will have “no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23b)
This Christmas season – and all our lives – may our hearts be encouraged by knowing that Jesus is the Light. May we rejoice in the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophesy, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
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