Long ago, the world lay under a heavy shadow. When Adam fell, it was as if he flung open the gates and invited darkness to settle over the whole earth. Sin became the way of things. Death hung like a cloud over every living soul. People stumbled through their days in gloom, cursing their troubles, seeing only distress and anguish wherever they looked. This was the condition of Israel, and it is the condition of all humanity without a Savior.
But into that darkness, a promise was spoken. The prophet Isaiah declared that those who walked in darkness would see a great light, and upon those living in the shadow of death, a light would dawn. That light is Jesus. He came not with trumpets and armies but as a fragile babe in a manger, born to a peasant couple in a cattle stall. Yet He is the amazing Savior of the world, and His light dispels the fog, lifts the gloom, and shows us the path we are meant to walk.
We may hear this glorious truth sung in grand concert halls by choirs dressed in finery, and God is pleased. Yet He is just as pleased when a simple widowed woman in a little plywood church in the northern bush reads these same words in her rough voice and testifies that Jesus brought light to her and to her people. The beauty of the gospel is that it reaches everyone, the cultured and the humble alike.
Three promises shine out from this ancient prophecy. First, the light has come. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” Second, He makes us fruitful. Before we knew Him, we were barren, bearing nothing good. But now His Spirit empowers us to grow and harvest good fruit with joy. Third, He delivers us. The yoke of sin is broken. Satan is a defeated enemy. We are no longer slaves stumbling in chains but free children walking in brightness.
So let us arise and shine, for our light has come. The glory of the Lord has risen upon us. Even now, in this dark world full of violence and sorrow, we can live in the brightness of Jesus. He is our everlasting light. He will never go dim. And as His light shines on us, we become lights ourselves, carrying His good news into the shadows around us.