Hey, Who Turned on the Lights?

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Battle boots and garments rolled in blood…   Shattered yokes and rejoicing while dividing the plunder!  Sometimes the old testament makes me giddy with it’s imagery!  Nothing like a little bit of war and destruction language to introduce the concept of a leadership and authority that is direct from God and overflowing with Peace, Justice and Righteousness.  Compare and contrast indeed…

Isaiah 9:2-7 (New International Version)

² 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.

³ You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

⁴ 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.

⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

⁶ For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Written at a time when King Ahaz faced attack and possible defeat from many different directions and neighboring countries, he and his people were surrounded by darkness.  They had been turning towards reliance on man and even entering  into alliances with other countries to help with their defense.  This, of course, was not turning out so well.

Enter Isaiah…   Pleading and begging for people to restore their reliance on God, to stand firm once again in their faith and trust in God as provider.

The implication here is that in an act so simple and seemingly insignificant as the birth of a small child could actually release folks from the bondage, darkness and oppression they had been living in.  Once released, the boots and blood stained clothes of battle could be destroyed since they would no longer be needed.  OK, that was then but this is now…

• Where do we stand in this text?
• Where are we, each of us, individually, uniquely, living in darkness?
• Where do we feel the yokes that burden us and the rods that oppress us?
• Where is it, in our lives, that we are doing battle and plotting and scheming against darkness?
• Addictions?
• Broken Relationships?
• Guilt?
• Fear?
• Anger?
• Loneliness?
• Grief?

What would it like for each of us who have been walking in and with this darkness to “see a great light”?

Whether or not this text is a direct prophecy of the birth of Jesus and His Messiahness can be debated and argued.  What I can not argue about anymore is the fact that reliance and trust in God and His plan will bring me relief and deliverance more surely than any plan I can come up with on my own. My suffering and slavery to darkness is caused more by my reaction to what happens rather than the thing itself.

Allowing God to have authority over those places of darkness in my life and stepping aside frees me from the fear of outcome.  Believing that something as small and insignificant as the birth of a small child could actually be the vehicle that God uses to illuminate the darkness allows me to imagine what life in the “light” would look like.

• Sit still right now and name that place in your life where darkness is the norm.
• Stop fighting with it and drop your illusion of control over it.
• Imagine what it would look like for you to leave it behind and to live in the light.
• Now step into that vision.  It has been promised to you.  Believe it.

May we all find the peace and bravery to burn our blood stained battle garments.