Isaiah 9:1-4 contains a promise.
Isaiah 9:1 offers a promise. Here is an unusually obscure verse. 1But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In Isaiah 8:22, they will see only the gloom of anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, described in Isaiah 8:21-2 as a land distressed and hungry, seeing only distress and darkness, but the Lord promises that in the latter time, an apocalyptic reference, he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The Assyrian king Tiglath-pilesr seized lands belonging to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, along with parts of Galilee and Transjordan, from the Israelite king Pekah son of Ramallah in the aftermath of the Syro-Ephraimite crises.
Isaiah 9:2-4, part of a segment continuing to verse 7, is a sign for Ahaz. It describes the ideal Davidic king. He describes liberation from some form of adversity. Given the context, the Assyrian conquests of Israelite territory described in the previous verses are a good possibility. It could refer to the pressures from the Syro-Ephraimite war upon Judah. Outside forces threatened the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the God-blessed dynasty of King David. The Deuteronomic Historian condemns Ahaz in II Kings 16:2-4: “He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had done.” We learn from II Kings 16 and Isaiah 7 that (about 734 B.C.) the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) had allied itself with Aram and Syria against Judah. Rather than trust in the Lord to counter the threat, Ahaz had tried to ally himself with the dangerous and pagan Assyrian Empire. The use of the past tense in the verses may mean that it predicts future events by saying they are as good as done. Therefore, it is not clear whether the Davidic king whose birth and rule are described in verses 6-7 has already been born or will be born in the future. If the former, it would refer to the son of Ahaz, Hezekiah. If it refers to the future, it will describe an ideal future ruler latter called the Messiah.
Isaiah 9: 2-3 begin with an expression of joy, for 2 The people who walked in darkness, for they have lost their way metaphorically, have seen a great light. Darkness never sleeps. It is always open for business. Darkness entices its victims with whispers of illicit pleasure, then springs the trap. Darkness has swallowed up far too many lives and devoured them whole. It is against the darkness of his historical period that Isaiah foresees a great light. Note that the voice of this poem is in the past tense, as though these events have already taken place. The prophet can look back and tell the people with confidence what has already occurred. Against the dismal present that traps the people, the prophet sees that the light that has come. Those who lived in a land of deep darkness—, (tsalmaweth or death-shadow). The word conveys the notion of palpable malevolence that frightens. The word, while not rare, is not common. It occurs 17 times in the Hebrew Bible, in the book of Job (nine times) and Psalms (four times, including its best-known occurrence, 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” translated in NRSV as “darkest valley.” One can compare the usage parallel to the Isaiah passage in Psalm 107:10, 14.
People of every age and culture know this darkness. Our personal darkness comes from depression, disillusionment, or doubt. It originates in discouraging work or a deteriorating relationship. It comes from having nothing to look forward to, no contribution to make, or no one to love.
Yet, on them light, referring to the saving action of God, has shined!
Consistent with that theme, Matthew 4:14-16 quotes this passage. The point Matthew makes is a good one. As Jesus begins his ministry in the region surrounding Galilee, the territory that once belonged to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, he fulfills the hope contained in this prophecy by Isaiah.
Jesus also came in dark times for the Jewish people, a time of Roman occupation and internal division. Yet, hope came in the person of Jesus. He would offer light in the form of preaching the nearness of the rule of God. He called some disciples to be with him. As Martin Luther King Jr put it, "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Isaiah continues with his hope for the successor of Ahaz.
As human beings, we will go to great lengths to cure physical blindness. Artificial retinas are an amazing innovation. They focus on degenerated rods and cones. Yet, when it comes to another form of blindness, we will hesitate to seek healing. Blindness of mind and spirit is serious, we need healing, but we avoid the medicine. Our personal darkness comes from depression, or disillusionment, or doubt. It originates in discouraging work or a deteriorating relationship. It comes from having nothing to look forward to, no contribution to make, or no one to love. Suddenly, the people who walk in darkness can see a great light, and those who dwell in a land of darkness — on them the light shines! (Isaiah 9:2). In fact, if you read Isaiah 9:2-7, you will find that the prophet wants us to see the world differently. Do we dare?
Christian preaching and teaching make a bold claim. It claims to point people to the meaning and purpose of their lives. It attempts to help us see reality. In Christian preaching and teaching, Christ is the center of reality. Some of us embrace that claim early in our lives and live it out. It might even appear that they live it out easily, although I doubt that is the case for anyone. Some of us embrace that claim early in our lives but at some point, reject it. Many of us have family and friends who come to mind right now. I was talking with one youth pastor who had his young people write on the wall in the youth room their names. He could point to persons who signed their names ten or fifteen years ago. He could also point to the young people who had embraced the faith in High School, but who had now become atheists. It made him reflect upon what he was doing. The story he could tell is the one we usually hear, namely, that of the movement from believing to atheism. Yet, I want us to ponder for a moment the adult who moves from atheism to faith.
Why does it take so long for the light to dawn for some of us? We may need to have enough life experience to become aware of the darkness before we grasp the need for the light. It is significant that some people who have first come to Christ in full adulthood have done so while struggling with certain darkness in their lives.
For example, Joy Davidman (d. 1960), an American poet and writer who eventually became the wife of C.S. Lewis, was initially an atheist. After her first marriage broke down, her resistance to God broke down:
"For the first time my pride was forced to admit that I was not, after all, 'the master of my fate'... All my defenses -- all the walls of arrogance and cocksureness and self-love behind which I had hid from God -- went down momentarily -- and God came in."
Let us consider Mortimer J. Adler (d. 2001), an American philosopher, educator, and popular author in making philosophy understandable to the rest of us. He was agnostic for most of his life and even described himself as a "pagan." During an illness, however, he sought solace in prayer and accepted the grace of God. He professed his belief "not just in the God my reason so stoutly affirms ... but the God ... on whose grace and love I now joyfully rely."
Sally Read, raised in an atheist home, became a poet. She did not give God much thought until mid-life. Literary critics considered her a rising star in the poetry world. She had been a psychiatric nurse. She was pondering some psychiatric patients she interviewed when she started wondering about the soul. She talked with a priest. She came to think of God as the poet of the world and God was using her as an instrument in this world. She then looked at the priest and said he would not convert her. His response was that he could not convert her, but Christ could. A few months later, she prayed one of those, “Jesus, if you are real” prayers. It took nine months, but the light dawned in her life. She had an assurance of the presence of Christ in that moment. Regardless of when the light dawns upon the life of a person, we celebrate.
On the other hand, think of Christopher Hitchens' brother Peter, who is an English journalist and author, and whom people know in the United Kingdom as well as his brother was here in the United States. He, too, was an unbeliever in his youth and early adulthood. In fact, he says that at age 15, he set fire to a Bible his parents had given him. Nevertheless, he explains that later, as he advanced in his career, he lost his faith in politics and his trust in ambition, and he became fearfully aware of the inevitability of his own death. He says, "I was urgently in need of something else on which to build the rest of my life." Somehow, in that mood, he "rediscovered Christmas," which, he says, he had "pretended to dislike for many years," and he attended a carol service. He began to be aware of the light. He was also engaged to be married. Something moved him to choose to have his wedding in a church service instead of a civil ceremony. Of that he says,
"I can certainly recall the way the words of the Church of England's marriage service, at Saint Bride's in London, awakened thoughts in me that I had long suppressed. I was entering into my inheritance, as a Christian Englishman, as a man and as a human being. It was the first properly grown-up thing that I had ever done."
Here is the point. Sometimes, the darkness of our own struggles creates a place where we become aware of the light of God. Every congregation has people on whom light has dawned late in life. Their testimony often includes the experience of confusion that comes when stumbling around in darkness. Certainly not everyone who chooses God and embraces Christ does so from a point of need or darkness, but many do. It supports the truth of what Isaiah said so many centuries ago, and Matthew said found fulfillment in Jesus Christ: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined."
So, what is the point for those of us who are already walking in the light of God? First, let us be clearabout the Christian mission and message. Second, atheists remind us to keep Christ intricately connected to real life. Third, atheists also teach us to offer thoughtful answers to life's tough questions. Fourth, atheists also push us to take the Bible seriously and invite people to follow Jesus.
Sometimes, we can be the ones through whom people who feel the weight of darkness almost want to believe in something. Here is a true story. A crosstown bus in New York City was caught during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated — with one another; with the rainy, sleety weather; with the world itself. Two men barked at each other about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy would be found here. But as the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver got on the intercom. “Folks,” he said, “I know you’ve had a rough day and you’re frustrated. I can’t do anything about the weather or traffic, but here’s what I can do. As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into the palm of my hand, okay? Don't take your problems home to your families tonight — just leave ’em with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive by there later, I’ll open the window and throw your troubles in the water. Sound good?” It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out laughing. Faces gleamed with surprised delight. People who’d been pretending for the past hour not to notice each other’s existence were suddenly grinning at each other like, is this guy serious?[1]
Once there was a grandmother, struggling with a life-threatening illness, who had her little granddaughter with her one Christmas. The granddaughter watched her as she lit a candle and placed it in the window. "Grandma, why do we light candles on Christmas?" "We light candles on Christmas, my dear, to tell the darkness we beg to differ." God has plenty of light for us as we face our darkness. Some people prefer to walk in darkness. God holds on to us, even when we let go. God keeps drawing us and pursuing us. Most importantly, followers of Jesus need to reflect the light of Christ in the world so that others may see it.
The secularity of our age suggests that darkness or nothingness is the “ultimate truth” of human existence, whether our personal death, the death of the earth, or the death of the universe. It also suggests that it will take courage to lead a meaningful human life considering our nothingness. We arise every day to fulfill our various tasks, knowing the nothingness of our end. All this may well be true. That is why the hope presented in texts like this will require the response of faith in the promises of God. If the hope that inspired Isaiah to write in this way is true, then we can live through any darkness as a temporary and finite reality.
The prophet now discusses the harsh realities of war. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.Cruel as it sounds to modern ears, this reflects the harsh reality of ancient warfare, in which the spoils of war provided much-needed compensation for war’s costs to both civilians and soldiers. Since Ahaz jeopardized the Davidic dynasty, a new king gives rise to new hopes. For Isaiah, the lack of trust in the Lord was the problem. They needed to trust the Lord rather than their military strength or alliances.
I liked the emphasis on later in life conversion. I think too many times we look to the "young people" to be our examples. Perhaps because we have given up on ourselves. This speaks to mature experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Good point on how as we age we can give up on ourselves.
Delete