Isaiah Darkness or Light, Where Do You Live? Isaiah 8:19-9:7

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1 Isaiah Darkness or Light, Where Do You Live? Isaiah 8:19-9:7 I hate to admit it, but once in a while I watch some of the court programs that are all over afternoon TV. The one I specifically am thinking about here is an episode of D i - vorce Court. On this occasion the soon to be ex-wife was asking that her husband would be required to pay the $1,900 she had spent calling her psychic. Apparently this woman could not figure out on her own that her husband was unfaithful. But of course her psychic could. In fact the woman constantly had to ask the psychic how she should live her life. It never was even clear if her husband was messing around or she simply believed it because the psychic said it. Apparently, some people can t live their lives without direction from beyond. It doesn t seem to matter the Psychic Friends Network was so effective its psychics didn t know it was going bankrupt. After all, you can always turn to the American Association of Professional Psychics. They have to be good. They re professionals. The problem is, if you are unwilling to turn to God, you have to turn somewhere. And, that is wht appeared to be the problem in Judah, as we will see this morning. I Introduction II Lost in Darkness Verses III Living in Light Verses 5-10 A. Coming of Light Verses 1-5 B. Coming of Peace Verses 6-7 IV Conclusion I Introduction: There have been some basic themes in we have seen so far in Isaiah. The specific issue to this point has been Ahaz s rebellion against God. He had his own perspective for saving Judah from the Syria/Israel alliance, and that was his own with Assyria. While this worked out in the short run, it led to Judah s eventual downfall. The first principle was that God will judge His children out of mercy. Ahaz s and Judah s rebellion was manifested in their unwillingness to trust God for their rescue. As a consequence, God was going to allow the nation to suffer and fall. The purpose of this was Judah s eventual repentance and restoration.

2 And this brings us to the next principle. God is a God of restoration, both specifically and generally. Here the specific is the restoration of Judah/Israel, and the general is the world at large. The way this was to occur was already hinted at in the previous section of this chapter, the coming of the Messiah. And it is this theme that is expanded on in Chapter 9. Verses 19-20: There is reason people need light and that is because they live in darkness. Apparently there was a specific kind of darkness in which these Judeans were living, the darkness of the occult. I always find it interesting that people don t want direction from God, but they are willing to take it from the dead. By the way, the advice from the actual dead isn t much worse than that from the spiritual dead. Ahaz didn t want God s help and apparently there was a contingent who would rather take it from the dead. As Buksbazen notes: Side by side with the true worship of God as taught by Moses and the prophets, there was in Israel a widespread popular cult which had its roots in pagan practices. It consisted of black magic, necromancy and witchcraft. All this was strictly forbidden by the Law. Many people, while paying lip service to God, still practiced idolatrous rites and superstitions. The prophets often had to contend with all these insidious practices and demoralizing rites. 1 While Buksbazen believes this warning was given to Isaiah s disciples, it was more likely a general warning to the nation to avoid this people. If they didn t seek God s word as a source of direction then how could they be trusted. And if they were into the occult they obviously were don t interested in what God had to say. Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6-7). When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Verses 21-22: Things were just going to get worse. The Assyrian invasion was going to come and bring desolation to the land. The people will look to the king and recognize that he was a factor in their downfall. But like insurance companies, they also look to God and blame Him for their circumstances. Even then people were unwilling to take responsibility for their own sins. 1 Buksbazen, Victor, The Prophet Isaiah, Vol. 1, The Spearhead Press, Collingswood, NJ, 1971, p ) 112 (

3 Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. (Revelation 16:10-11). It was always somebody else s fault. We learned this at the Fall. The man said, The woman you put here with me she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. Then the LORD God said to the woman, What is this you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. (Genesis 3:12-13). So there is no hope from the king and there is no help from God, and there is no hope from the earth. Assyria will have its way and there is no help from anywhere. This is the state for all the lost, even if they don t realize it. This is why we have the joy of pointing them to the only place hope is found Verses 1-5: and that is where Isaiah is pointing them, to a coming hope. Once again we are reminded of God s mercy, even though it is mingled with His judgment. To escape one, we must depend on the other. And the mercy was going to eventually come to Israel. Interestingly enough the light, the hope was to come out of Galilee. As Bukbazen notes: This is a reference to the heritage of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali in northern Galilee. Time and again it was exposed to the ravages of enemy invasions. Only recently (734 B.C.), it was afflicted with an invasion by Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:29). But now there is to come a new dawn upon these very regions who suffered the reproach and shame of enemy oppression. These same regions will be the first to experience divine deliverance. To this very region shall come the divinely appointed Deliver of Israel. 2 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. (2 Kings 15:29). And of course, regardless of the Jewish interpretation of these verses, the coming light was for both Israel and the Gentile peoples, and the light would be Jesus, the Messiah. I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6). The NIV Study Bible, speaking of the defeat of Midian states: Midian s defeat. Gideon defeated the hordes of Midian and broke their domination over Israel (Jdg 7:22-25). yoke... bar. In 10:26-27 Isaiah predicts that God will destroy the Assyrian army and their oppressive yoke. This was fulfilled in 701 B.C. 2 Ibid., p ) 113 (

4 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah. So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan. (Judges 7:22-25). How easy it is to forget all God has done in the past, when we are so absorbed in our own fears in the present. The reason faith is so powerful is because it is grounded in the faithfulness of God and that is what the Judeans had forgotten. They sought their own path, but it was one leading, not to destruction, but to much suffering. Matthew didn t forget when he applied Isaiah s words here to Jesus. The Jewish scholars can say Christian s apply these passages wrongly, but the Apostles, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prophetically applied them. And of course Jesus himself tells he is the one of whom Isaiah speaks. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). And so peace will come upon the land, pictured by Isaiah literally when he says the boots and bloody garments of the soldier will be burned. They will no longer be need. The Prince of Peace, not Hezekiah, as the Jewish scholars would state, but Jesus will finally bring eternal peace to his people. Verses 6-7: For in the midst of the darkness comes a great light, the birth of a child. It is sad how the Jewish translation handles verse 6 (verse 5 in the Tanach). They recognize it speaks of God and then again they don t. For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us, and the dominion will rest on his shoulder; the Wondrous Adviser, Mighty God, Eternal Father, called his name Sar-shalom [Prince of Peace] 3 This wondrous salvation took place in the days of the child of Ahaz, the righteous King Hezekiah, whom God the Wondrous Adviser, Mighty God, Eternal Father called Prince of Peace. 4 There are two obvious problems with this approach. First, while this could possibly be referring to Hezekiah, as with much of prophecy in Scripture this doesn t preclude a second more 3 Tanach The Stone Edition, Mesorah Publications, Ltd. Brooklyn, NY, 2001, p Ibid. ) 114 (

5 complete fulfillment in the coming Messiah. And certainly while Hezekiah s reign was positive, it doesn t live up to the full implications of this passage. Second, while one can make an argument for the translation, it really is unacceptable. In fact, the only consistent handling of the passage is the one we traditionally use, giving us the titles of this future king. And it was as I reached this point in my preparation, I decided that I wanted to take one week just to focus on this verse, looking at Jewish and Christian translations and focusing on the meanings and implications of the names given to this child. And so Isaiah promises an eternal throne, the throne of David. How anyone can see this as Hezekiah, as great as he was, as the fulfillment is beyond me. It necessitates saying, Isaiah was simply stating hyperbolae here. But Isaiah, as we well know from his writing as a whole, knew the glory that God was describing here. Conclusion: We are in a unique situation. We have light and live in the midst of a world of darkness. But light isn t welcome for those who want to live in darkness. The reason is that it exposes unrighteousness to God s standards. In darkness people are able to live the way they want. The life of a child doesn t matter. Their marriages don t matter. What they do to others in their efforts to get want they want out of life doesn t matter. In fact all that matters is self-satisfaction, self-worth, self-centeredness. Then the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt darkness that can be felt. So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived (Exodus 10:21-23). But there are some who when they see the light desire it and want to move out of the darkness in which they have always dwelt. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 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 (John 1:1-5). And so, while the world will remain in darkness until the Second Coming, we are called to be glimpses of the light which God offers so salvation will always be available to those the Holy Spirit calls. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). ) 115 (

6 Let us be willing living in the light to be reflections of that light to others. The blessing is there are always some who will accept God s light though there will always be some who reject it. The Visit of a Frog In a certain camp meeting, my tent was placed in a neck of timber looking down into a valley covered with woods. With a desire to have a homelike appearance I lighted a little brush fire in front of my canvas shelter, knowing that even the Indian wigwam is made attractive by this addition, while the hunters camp would be minus its charm if without its fire. But the small flame, which I nursed with dry sticks and sat before, making out like I had a home when the big tabernacle duties were over, was not without its drawbacks. My lamplight and firelight together drew strange small denizens of the forest up from the shadows to investigate and form acquaintanceships. So one night a lizard manifested a desire to share my bed with me, to which I put in a most vigorous protest. Another night a large spider, the size of a silver dollar, concluded to spin a web near my pillow; and on a third, when the entire camp was asleep and quiet and I was writing at my table past the hour of midnight, I suddenly raised my eyes and saw a large toad frog sitting on the rug in the middle of the tent, blinking his eyes and apparently studying me with great interest. He, with his preceding brethren, were evidently puzzled over the gleaming of my lamp and fire, and had come up to see what meaneth this, and why the long-standing darkness of their forest should thus be disturbed and broken into with such a painful thing as light. I took my lamp, sat it down right before the frog and turned the wick up higher, and he never budged. He was flooded with light, but seemed to be blinded by it. That which was a blessing and comfort to me was a mystery and profound discomfort to him. The higher the flame, and stronger the radiance the more stupid and stolid was the toad. It was only when we removed the light that he seemed relieved, jumped out of the tent and went hopping down the hill into the darkness. He doubtless assembled his friends that night in a damp and musty hollow log and told them of his late sufferings in a tent where a preacher turned something called light on so strong that it was simply unendurable, both to the eyes and general feelings of any frog; that with the sun by day and lamps and fires by night, all frogs, bats and owls were bound to have a hard time, and would be unable to prowl around as of yore. That for his part he did not believe in light at all, and if it must be had, then let it be for only half the time and not interfere with the twelve hours of night, in which he desired to follow his nocturnal pursuits. And all the frogs and toads and bats in his audience, and an old owl listening in a hollow tree said Amen. Living Illustrations By B. Carradine May we remember to pray for the frogs. ) 116 (

7 Isaiah Darkness or Light, Where Do You Live? Isaiah 8:19-9:7 I Introduction II Lost in Darkness Verses III Living in Light Verses 1-7 A. Coming of Light Verses 1-5 B. Coming of Peace Verses 6-7 IV Conclusion I Introduction: II Lost in Darkness: Verses 19-20: (Leviticus 1(:21, 20:6-7; Deuteronomy 18:9-14) Verses 21-22:3 (Revelation 16:10-11; Genesis 3:12-13)

8 III Living in the Light: A. Coming of Light: Verses 1-5: (2 Kings 15:29; Isaiah 42:9, 49:6; Judges 7:22-25; John 8:12) B. Coming of Peace: Verses 6-7: IV Conclusion: (Exodus 10:21-23; John 1:1-5; Matthew 5:14-16) Personal Application: This week look for an opportunity to allow God s light to shine through you to someone living in darkness. Prayer for the Week: Lord, thank You for the blessing of living in Your light. Let me be a reflection of that light in the lives of those living in darkness. In Jesus name, and in His light, amen.