The Lights of Christmas Remind Us of the Darkness
The contrast between darkness and light marks the Christmas season. We often discuss the beauty of Christmas lights and how the lights illuminate amid a darkened night. Yet, the ability to appreciate the light occurs only because of the reality of the darkness. As the light of the world entered on the first Christmas, so was the necessity of the presence of darkness. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed according to the contrast of darkness and light in the foreshadowing of the coming Messiah.
Isaiah 9:2 – The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.
Isaiah declared darkness existed because of the lifestyle that the people of Israel lived before the Lord. Such darkness and disobedience brought forth the moment of punishment experienced in the attack of the Assyrians. The vicious onslaught brought a cloud of deeper darkness upon the people, and an overwhelming feeling occurred. The darkness deepened as the clouds covered any glimmer of light and caused the darkness to darken.
Isaiah’s words to Israel provide an ultimate truth that remains true today. The prophet announced that darkness remains a reality in the world in which we dwell. Look at the culture and the wayward nature of disobedience. The life of most comes under the sway of darkness, and moments of deep darkness occur as clouds appear in life. When one becomes focused on the clouds, we often become blinded from what God desires in obedience.
The presence of darkness demands death. Isaiah’s words to the people and the experience of the battle with Assyria revealed that many of the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom faced death. The darkness Israel experienced showed how such a reality plagues us and exists as a constant threat and reality.
The truth from Isaiah stretches into the twenty-first century, as darkness still does not go unpunished. Sin carries punishment and struggle in the temporary and in the eternal. This punishment comes from the ultimate end of darkness as death. Thus, darkness reminds us of the situation of living in sin and being separated from the Lord.
Darkness causes oppression. Oppression means that one experiences the state of treatment that occurs over time and is unjust or cruel. The original audience of Isaiah came under the rule, oppression of Assyria, and experienced forms of oppression for years. This moment came out of the result of the sinfulness and disobedience of Israel before the Lord.
The truth for today from Isaiah continues to hold that darkness is a life of oppression. Sin traps us and entangles us. It holds us captive and oppresses us. The oppression of sin keeps us from following the will and way of the Lord in our lives. Such captivity hinders us from living in the fulness of the conquering light.
As we enter the Christmas season, may our eyes be opened to see the reality of the darkness that pervades around us. May we understand the engulfing and captive nature that the darkness has, which leads to stumbling. When we properly recognize the darkness, we become more prepared to experience the reality of the light.
