Isaiah 9:2
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
It's the most wonderful time of the year...and also the darkest. In many parts of the United States, the sun can set as early or earlier than 5:00 p.m. in the month of December. The darkest day of the year is the winter solstice, and it is on this day that the celebration of Christmas used to occur (this changed because the first people who made the calendar were a bit off in their estimates of how long it takes the Earth to go around the sun, so the calendar was rectified in the late 1700s keeping the celebration of Christmas on the same day while moving the winter solstice to the 21. Ask an astronomy professor about it). It seems it should be ironic that we, as believers, celebrate our savior's birth on the darkest day of the year, but from a Biblical perspective it makes perfect sense The children of God celebrate Christ' coming in the midst of darkness, because Christ entered our world in the midst of darkness.
Christ's coming did not happen without earlier notice. Throughout the Old Testament there are many prophecies about Jesus's coming, but there is one that I will examine this December. In the book of Isaiah there is a prophecy about the coming Messiah and it is recorded in chapter 9 from verses 2 to 7. I'll start my examination of this prophecy by looking at its opening declaration, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned" (Isaiah 9:2).
Now, the world of the Old Testament could easily have been considered a land of deep darkness, much like today's world. When this prophecy was written, Israel, God's chosen people, were about to be cast into the darkness of exile and into the city of Babylon. To the people of Israel, whose life seemed nothing but darkness, God gave this prophecy that a light would come into the world and save them from deep darkness.
In the Bible it is clear that this coming light is Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament it is written that "[God's] word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" and in the gospel of John Jesus is described as God's word in human form, for it is written, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (Psalm 119:105, John 1:14). John also writes that in Jesus "was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5). John even writes that Jesus described Himself as a great light, when Jesus 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).
Yes, the light of Jesus has come into the world, but it is also written, "Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed" (John 3:19-20). The people of this world fear the Light. They fear that He will expose them, but Jesus Himself says "there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open," so all of the wicked and evil deeds of everyone who lives in this world will be made known to Him (Luke 8:17).
But Light has not come into this world not that He should condemn the world. He has come so that He may save His followers from darkness. Jesus said, "Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light" (John 12:35-36). We, as believers, have nothing to fear of the darkness in this world and we have been saved from it. For it is written, "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1). The LORD has come in flesh to save us from the darkness of this world, and He calls us to shine like lights for His namesake. John writes to his followers, "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 5-7). God came in flesh as a light for the world, so that He could give His life to remove all the darkness of sin from within us. The good news of Christmas is that for all who sin, Light has come so that we may live in God's light.
I want to be in the Light
As You are in the Light
I want to shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light
- DC Talk
Sources
- The Bible (New International Version)
- Bible Study Tools: Verses about Light
- DC Talk: In the Light
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