by Pastor Peter Sulzle, St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Redwood Falls, Minnesota
Life can weigh you down. The Light will lift you up.
Isaiah 8:19-9:4: When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
National unrest. Political power plays. Economic instability. Eroding justice system. Supply chain issues. The breakdown of the family. Children forsaking parents and faith. Spouses fighting and fractured. Self-promotion, self-glorification. Haughty influencers flaunting their bodies for personal gain. People living for the moment in luxury while the poor suffer. Good is called evil and evil called good. Shallow worship. Superstitions and psychics galore. Race relations strained. Generation gaps widening. The rebels are the heroes. The God-fearing people are shunned.
Sound familiar? The landscape of Judah was very dark back in Isaiah’s day 700 years before Jesus came: the immorality, wickedness, darkness. Hearts were turning away from God, and the effect was just as devastating as it is today. Every problem I listed above is mentioned in the first few chapters of Isaiah. No wonder Isaiah describes these people with words like “distressed,” “famished,” “enraged,” “fearful gloom,” and “utter darkness.” I look at the landscape of his day, and I’d feel the same way!
And sometimes I do. Aren’t we living in that same sinful world? The gloom and distress haven’t changed. We see the same problems in government and society and family and races and churches. You see evidence of it in your own life: darkness, thick darkness, utter darkness.
Do you know what Isaiah says to us? “Lighten up!” He’s not just telling you to change your attitude and be more positive. He acknowledges that this life and its darkness can weigh you down. But he also directs you to the true Light that will lift you up so you can let your light shine.
How did it come to such a dark point in Judah’s history? Isaiah traces it back to when God’s people removed themselves from His Word. They were consulting evil sources for direction. This was during the time of the divided kingdom of Judah and Israel. The Assyrian empire had risen to power north of Israel. Israel wanted Judah to join an alliance to oppose the Assyrians. But King Ahaz refused. So, Israel planned to invade Judah. King Ahaz and his people forsook the Word of God and consulted mediums to ask what they should do. God told them, “When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, should not a people inquire of their God?”
They didn’t seek help and answers from God. God had spoken clearly in His Word, but they trusted imaginary spirits and their own intuitions. They listened to the cacophony of voices that whispered and muttered them into immorality, idolatry, and wickedness. Look at the result: “Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.”
Could those words describe our situation at times? What weighs you down? Has the current state of affairs in our country or in your family caused distress? Has your constant pursuit of approval left you famished? Can your current mental and emotional state be defined as “fearful gloom”? And does that make you feel enraged at your leaders and God, as if it’s all their fault? When you hit such lows in life, it’s good to ask, “How did I get to this point?”
I find that when I remove myself from God’s Word … when my time with Jesus becomes infrequent … when I listen to the whispering and muttering voices around me, distressful things happen and the gloomy darkness closes in. Be careful what voices you listen to. The words for the medium’s muttering in Isaiah sound like people talking back and forth with unintelligible, useless words … twittering. Sounds a lot like Twitter to me. How many voices cry for your attention! How many voices lead you to the darkness of sin and utter darkness of hell.
Are you going to listen to them or take Isaiah’s advice? “Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” Go to God’s inspired Word. God is 100% true and trustworthy all the time. If anyone challenges or changes God’s Word, do not listen. They’re not feeding you anything that will illuminate and bless your heart and soul. In fact, they’ll weigh you down even more.
But when you tune in to God’s Word on a regular basis, there will be a change. Like a light instantly illuminating a dark room. “There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.” Look at the Gospel joy that Jesus, the true Light, brings to light!
Jesus has taken the weight of your burdens and put them on Himself. He is the answer to forgiveness and eternal life because He held perfectly to every Word of the Father. Jesus never departed from any promise of God but fulfilled them all, especially Isaiah’s promise that “…he would be pierced for our transgression … and by his wounds, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus has removed the darkness in our own hearts. He is the answer to the gloom and rage and distress and famished souls.
When life weighs you down, picture Jesus plastered to the cross. Picture your Savior enduring the pain of hell for you. Then picture God proclaiming pardon and peace in Jesus. He is the Light that has shined in your darkness. He lifts you up with the Light of His forgiveness, His love, His care for you.
If you’ve ever been outside in the dark (I think of hunting) as the dawning light starts to break across the sky, you’ll begin to see the shapes and shadows around you. There are moments when you can visibly see the increase of brightness. Suddenly you can see colors and hear sounds as God’s creation comes to life again. Then those first rays break through the trees and give a warmth that penetrates your entire being. This is like the light you have in Jesus. As His Word of truth illuminates your heart and life, you see more and more Gospel blessings that light up your life and warm your heart.
The darkness of national unrest, economic instability, and supply chain issues is eliminated with the Light who controls the universe and promises that all things are allowed or accomplished for His Church. The darkness of family breakdown and infighting, of the personal identity crisis, of any relationship issue is eliminated by the Light who has lavished His love on us that we should be called God’s children who are called to be a blessing to all of His other children. The darkness of false teaching is eliminated by the truth of God’s Word and a clear path for your life. The darkness of your mental gloom and physical pain and emotional distress are swallowed up by the true Light who tells you to cast all your anxiety on Him and come to Him when you’re weary and burdened because His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
So, lighten up, dear child of God! Lighten your load with the Light of the world. Then realize the difference it makes in your life. Isaiah says you’ll have an indescribable joy. You’ll rejoice like the farmer rejoices when the harvest comes in or like the soldier rejoices after the long, hard battle is won.
That joy will radiate from deep down in your soul. Not only will your load be lighter, but when you’re not lost in the distress and gloom and darkness of this world, you’ll be a light. Ponder all those who are walking in darkness. They’ve never gotten to see the beautiful dawn of Jesus’ love like you and I have. You have the Spirit’s light and the lamp of God’s Word to lighten up someone else’s life. 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).
Will you take someone’s hand and bring them along with you as you follow the path that Jesus lightens up for you? He will never lead you astray. He promises to lead you and all those you hold with His Word safely along the rough road of life all the way to the light of His glory in heaven that makes the sun’s light seem dim.
You just can’t read this promise in Isaiah without feeling lighter. Let Jesus lift the weight of life from you and lift you up with His light. Then you’ll let your light of joy in Jesus shine. See the gloom and distress and darkness disappear when you lighten up in Jesus! Amen.