Isaiah 9:2

New Living Translation

The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,    

a light will shine.

For Encouragement

When the Light shines, darkness flees, life comes, and joy breaks in the hearts of the people who receive it.

It is a feeling that anyone who has lived in complete darkness for a long period of time can relate to. Those of us who grew up in villages without electricity know this feeling well. Our streets would be plunged into darkness as soon as the moon disappeared, and there was no one around to tell us to go back home for the night. Unfortunately, even our homes had no access to electricity. We had to learn to navigate through the dark with the help of lanterns and candles until the day when streetlights finally lit up our streets, years later. It was truly a momentous occasion.

We were able to recognize faces and navigate through the streets even at night. We often spent long hours outside until Mama would come looking for us with her rod, urging us to go back to bed. For those of us who didn’t have any light sources at home, it brought us immense joy to sit next to a streetlight and do our homework, hoping to avoid the teacher’s cane at school.

When Moses saw the burning bush, it had a powerful attraction for him. A man from the city, he had spent forty years in the wilderness of Midian, cut off from civilization. Figuratively speaking, Midian had imprisoned Moses and taken away any hope he had of ever seeing the lights of Egypt again. But what Moses saw was not a small light from a burning bush. He saw the Shekinah glory of God on the backside of Sinai (Exodus 3:1-3). The flames of fire became a self-revelation of God, and it transformed his life (14).

Years later, Isaiah saw the Shekinah glory of the Lord in the year King Uzziah died, and that experience changed his life (6:1-3). He confessed his sins, got cleansed, and received his commission from the Lord (5-13).

In today’s scripture reading, Isaiah prophesied about a brilliant light that would appear to those who lived in Galilee of the Gentiles—a people who walked in and lived in deep darkness. He foresaw the joy that would break out on them (Isaiah 9:1-3). Joy would break out on them because, “Unto us, a Child is born, unto us, a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (6).

He is the Seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15. Matthew records His birth to the Virgin Mary, and they named Him Jesus (Matthew 1: 25). It is He of whom John said, 

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4). He is the Word incarnate—Creator God, who came to save the lost (1-3, 5-13).

Have you seen this Light, and has it shone in your heart? Have you received the life Christ gives to all who believe in Him (12-13; John 14:6)? Do you have the assurance of salvation (John 3:16; Romans 8:14-17; 1 John 3:24)?

If your answer is no to any of these questions, I plead with you, please go on your knees in repentance and call on Jesus to save you, and He will (Romans 10:9-10, 13). And when the Light shines in your soul, you will know the joy that will break out in your heart!

Shalom