Prompt: Light in Darkness, vast lush valley, stream, vivid colour, soft clouds, cinematic lighting, perfect composition, 8 k, gustave dore, derek zabrocki, greg rutkowski, belsinski, octane render

While listening to messages this Christmas season, I could not avoid thinking about the struggles we are facing as theological students, Christian educators, biblical counselors, preachers, and missionaries who strive to be faithful to the biblical text and at the same time to remain relevant to the challenges we are facing in the 21st century. Especially during this Christmas season, even those people in the cutting-edge technology that talk and write nothing day in and day out but all about financial technology, blockchain, cryptocurrency, economics, individual sovereignty, passive income, and financial freedom, and yet during this season, I see them publish online contents related to Christmas. It is as if the Christmas season even in an increasingly secularist age, still maintains its influence during this time of the year.

This is something to be grateful for. Instead of fretting due to the many inconsistencies we observe in our time in politics and society and even in the life of the church, we are still thankful that at least when the “ber” month starts to count especially in this country, Christianity is becoming fashionable or popular again.

However, such an interest is only short-lived. As the new year starts, the spirit of Christmas is soon forgotten. This is as if Christianity is just like a fad, a special event in the calendar, and after that, everything will return to normal, doing the things we used to do.

I am not sure if you share similar sentiment with me in terms of maintaining the status quo. I am tired of it. I want to see something different, not something radical, but something different, a different way of outlook and a different kind of lifestyle. And I think that is what Christmas reminds us. It is what Christmas is all about.

In this article, based on Isaiah chapter 8 verse 19 to chapter 9 verse 7, I just want to invite you once again to revisit this passage and reflect on the message of the prophet and see how it relates to our time.

The Complexity and Diversity in Interpretation

Approaching this portion of prophetic literature, I am mindful of the complexity of the diversity in interpretation. Nevertheless, despite such complexity, I could say there are at least two dominant interpretations: one that emphasizes the historical aspect of the narrative and the other that views this as a promise. In this regard, I would like to follow the interpretation of John Calvin that doesn’t ignore the historical dimension and at the same time considers the historical aspect as a “prelude” or a kind of introduction “to the restoration of the Church” that will last until the coming of Christ to “bring true salvation, not only to their bodies but likewise to their souls.” As for the nature of Christ’s coming whether it includes the Second Coming, that’s the part I am not certain about. However, it is enough for us to embrace the traditional interpretation that this prophecy found its ultimate fulfillment when Jesus came and took the human flesh as a baby in the manger after 700 years when this prophecy was originally proclaimed.

Isaiah is considered a pre-exilic prophet, that is he prophesied in Judah before the exile of the Southern Kingdom to Babylon. His prophetic ministry covered four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. In biblical chronology, Isaiah performed his prophetic ministry from 734 BC onwards. And so, if Israel fell to the hands of the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC, and Judah to the hands of Babylon in 586 BC, the period between the start of Isaiah’s ministry and the fall of Israel covers only 12 years. The downfall of Israel should serve as a warning to the Southern kingdom. Unfortunately, they didn’t learn the lesson. After the downfall of Israel, it took almost two generations, around 136 years, before Judah fell into Babylon in 586 BC.

Question. How did the Jews of Isaiah’s time understand our passage? How about the succeeding generation of Jews in different periods of political dynasties such as the Babylonian, Persian, and Roman Empires? How about the Christian tradition from the ancient to medieval, the Reformation, the modern, and the post-modern period?

The task of interpretation of this prophetic literature is not easy if we are to consider all of these questions. This would be like an unending task and tends to discourage a plain reading of the text.

Nevertheless, given the complexity of the history of interpretation, there is something substantial, something permanent, something that remains true, something that the Spirit of God intends to communicate to all ages, and that is, whether you take this narrative as a prophecy or not, its ultimate fulfillment has been accomplished in the coming of Jesus during the reign of the Roman Empire.

By taking the classical interpretation, we do not ignore the sociopolitical realities of Isaiah’s day, which the first half of the book deals with, from chapters 1 to 39 where our passage is part of. Though the second part, chapters 40 to 66 exclusively anticipates the concerns of the future exiles in Babylon; I am following Calvin’s interpretation that even in chapters 8:19 to 9:7, the prophet Isaiah was describing from his time not the immediate future event (Assyrian threat), but a distant future event (Babylonian Captivity).

The Coming of the Great Light

Now, let us proceed to the text itself. As you can see, the transition of the theme from 8:19 to 22 to 9:1 to 7 is dramatic. The picture of 8:19 to 22 is one of distress and darkness whereas 9:1 to 7 is one of joy and gladness due to the coming of a great light. Reading this prophetic literature reminds me of the original condition of the earth which was formless and empty, a condition that was full of darkness. Light was the first thing that God created to bring order and meaning to planet Earth. Moreover, this kind of condition also reminds us of the Apostle Paul’s perspective as to the original condition of man under the state of sin, which he describes as blind that can only have the ability to see through the light of the knowledge of God displayed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Such was the condition of Israel under the Assyrian Empire that has been prophesied by Isaiah. The same condition happened to Judah too when they were exiled to Babylon two generations later.

As we continue the exposition of this prophetic literature, let me ask you first a personal question concerning the presence of light. If you were to describe your life now, how would you describe it? Is your life full of light? Or is it dark? Do you see life as beautiful? Regardless of your present circumstances, are you still grateful for your life?

Your response to these questions determines your experience with the Light of Christmas. Prophet Isaiah mentioned the coming of this Great Light in our text. And then he correlated the coming of this Great Light with the birth of a son. This son is not an ordinary one. He is described as Someone like a Great Governor for the government shall be held on his shoulders. This Son is called the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. And so, we see here that this Great Light, Son, and Governor is Someone divine. Despite the long period between the prophesy and the fulfillment, it is not a mistake therefore that Christian tradition has seen the fulfillment of this prophecy in the coming of Jesus. The coming of the great light therefore refers to the coming of Jesus Himself who is the light of the world, the light of Christmas, or the Christmas light.

My concern in sharing with you a Christmas message is to give you a reflection about the description of a person who has seen the light of Christmas. How can you know that you have seen this Christmas Light?

Again, as our initial response to this question, let us review the immediate textual context found in chapter 8 verses 19 to 22. This passage describes a people who have not seen the light of God. Instead of stating the answer to the question negatively, let me just reconstruct it positively.

First, a person who has seen the Light of Christmas depends on the word of God and nothing else for his guidance in life.

In other words, those people who have not seen the light of God depend on other sources of authority to govern their lives except the word of the Lord. Verses 19 and 20 states:

When men tell 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? To the law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

The prophet himself was pressured by his people to consult mediums and spiritists amid the national crisis. But the Lord told him to seek the wisdom of the law instead. To abandon the law of the Lord as a source of guidance during a critical period in the nation’s life and to seek other advice meant wandering in darkness simply because the light of God was not in their midst.

This is also true in our personal life. Whenever you face trials, your real conviction is revealed. Will you still be determined to live by the word of God or will you choose your way? Whom will you consult when you face difficulties in life? Be very careful with the people you ask advice from especially when you are very vulnerable both emotionally and psychologically. Once you consult people without the knowledge of God’s word, instead of your trial being healed, you will see yourself sinking deeper into misery. But no matter how heavy your trial is, if you still hold firm to the word of God, you will come out victorious from that fiery trial in your life.

The Bible teaches that the way of the disobedient is hard but the way of the righteous is stable and no matter how many times he falls, he will rise simply because the Lord’s right hand upholds him.

Second, a person who has seen the Light of Christmas is full of gratitude despite his economic condition.

On the other hand, a person without the Light of Christmas is full of anger because of economic difficulty. Verse 21 states:

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.

It was lamentable that Israel under Assyrian tyranny would end up in such a miserable situation. Not only they were mentally, psychologically, and spiritually bankrupt, but they were also suffering economically. Here we learn about basic human nature that hunger and anger are closely associated. Hungry people are angry.

History teaches us that when people are hungry, war happens. Way back in 2009, when I was still active in my financial literacy advocacy together with a Filipino-Chinese business community, we stumbled upon this idea coming from both Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump. They saw an alarming trend all over the world; the middle class was being phased out. They foresee that unless something is done, there will only be two classes in society – the super-rich and the poor. Once that thing happens, social unrest will be the inevitable outcome. They do not want that thing to happen that is why they, especially Robert Kiyosaki devoted his life to elevating the financial well-being of humanity. Both of them aim to address the problem of global poverty through financial education so that many people will be part of the solution instead of the problem.

Third, a person who has seen the Light of Christmas sees beauty amidst the ugly realities in life.

Again, a person without the Light of Christmas is the exact opposite of this. He sees nothing in life but ugliness and darkness. Verse 22 states:

Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

This speaks about the perspective in life of people who do not have the light of dawn. If you do not have the light of God, you see nothing in life but the negative, the ugly part. However, if you have experienced the Light of God, who is Jesus Himself, no matter how ugly the situation is, you still see beauty.

Let us relate this to chapter 9 verses 1 to 7. The reason why you see beauty amid the realities of life is because the light of Christmas fills your life with joy and gladness. In contrast to people living in darkness, in Chapter 9 verses 1 to 5, we see a picture of the quality of life of those who have seen the Great Light; they live in joy and delight. Let us see how the prophet Isaiah describes this life of joy.

First, this is a joy related to national growth. "You have enlarged the nation."

Calvin describes this as the “blessing of redemption” which was greater than all other blessings. If we confine the interpretation of this national growth in terms of the Jewish population, the situation before the Babylonian captivity would be considered greater than the small remnant that returned from captivity. And besides, the Jews that returned still did not enjoy free possession of their land but still had to pay tribute to the Persians. Considering this, it seems that the condition of the nation before the captivity was far better.

However, the prophet Isaiah declared that the latter condition, though it may seem externally inferior, ought to be preferred and would give greater joy than when the Jews had an abundant share of wealth and all kinds of possessions. Calvin supports this idea by quoting a confirmation from Haggai where the prophet describes that the glory of the latter temple would be greater than the glory of the former (2:9) though at first sight it might appear to be far otherwise.

Calvin continued:

It is as if Isaiah had said, ‘Though we are few and contemptible in number, yet by the light with which that shines on us, God has cheered us to such a degree that no joy of our former condition can be compared with the present.

From this interpretation, we learn that what makes the nation grow in modern terms is neither its GDP nor the number of its population, but the spiritual blessings of redemption. That is why we need prayer, spirituality, and revival.

Second, it is a spiritual joy. “They rejoice before you.”

Not only that this joy comes from God, but it is also a joy before the presence of God. It is a joy that is true and complete; it is not something temporary.

Men often rejoice because of family, friends, fashion, fun, funds, festivities, etc. and we are grateful to God for all of these. However, they are momentary and short-lived. On the other hand, the kind of joy that this Christmas light gives us has its roots so deeply laid within our soul, that it can never perish or be destroyed. It is a joy caused by the assurance when the face of God shines sweetly on us and we learn to depend on no one else (not even the people closest to us such as our spouses, children, relatives, and friends for one way or another, or sooner or later, they will disappoint you) but on God’s fatherly kindness.

A nation or a generation with an increasing number of atheists or secularists will never experience this kind of joy. For them, to believe in the existence of God is foolish; how much more is the idea of rejoicing in Him? Christian theists in their minds are insane to believe in someone that can’t be proven by naturalist science and reason.

Third, this is a joy far greater than economic joy.

Notice the comparison:

As people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

We all know the joy of those people who harvest their crops. They rejoice due to their profit. We also have an idea of how those who divide the plunder either through war or through theft rejoice. But the joy that prophet Isaiah describes is far greater than the joy that money and profit can give.

Fourth, this is a joy related to the end of oppression and war.

We know how people suffer under oppressive governments and during times of war. Once they taste liberation from such tyrannical rule and see the end of death, people rejoice.

This is the kind of joy that Christmas gives. This is the kind of joy that the gospel provides. This type of joy made the apostle Paul rejoice while in prison, and even told Christians at Philippi who were suffering persecution to always rejoice.

And now we come to verses 6 and 7 where we see that the reason why you see beauty amid the ugly realities of life is because the light of Christmas is also your King.

For unto us a child is born.

The prophet now declares not only that “God will bring His people from captivity, but He will also place Christ on his royal throne, that under him supreme and everlasting happiness may be enjoyed.”

The coming of the great light centers on the birth of a son and his government. This son is a gift from God, and government will be on his shoulders. This tells us that this son is a king.

As God's Governor, Jesus will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father," and "Prince of Peace." These names are not empty titles. They describe the very character of Jesus. As King, Jesus is wise, powerful, loving, and a peace-lover. These qualities of Jesus tell us that only He is qualified to govern humanity.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

This prophecy pertains to a period, which began from the first Christmas until the 2nd Coming. Jesus' government already started when he came down here on earth more than 2,000 years ago. His government is destined to grow in human history. We read this in the book of Acts and we have seen this in the history of the church.

Once again, in our time, the government of Jesus is being challenged by atheists, statists, socialists, secularists, and humanists. They reject the kingship of Jesus.

Remember that the government of Jesus is done through individuals, families, churches, and civil governments. The key is the rule of the King through his scepter, the word of God. Jesus reigns in all spheres of life through His word - in education, in economy and business, in the media, in government and politics, in religion, in arts and entertainment, and in families.

I love how John Calvin applies this truth to Christian life:

Now to apply this for our instruction, whenever any distrust arises, and all means of escape are taken away from us, whenever, in short, it appears to us that everything is in a ruinous condition, let us recall to our remembrance that Christ is called Wonderful, because he has inconceivable methods of assisting us, and because his power is far beyond what we can conceive. When we need counsel, let us remember that he is the Counsellor. When we need strength, let us remember that he is Mighty and Strong. When new terrors spring up suddenly every instant, and when many deaths threaten us from various quarters, let us rely on that eternity of which he is with good reason called the Father, and by the same comfort let us learn to soothe all temporal distresses. When we are inwardly tossed by various tempests, and when Satan attempts to disturb our consciences, let us remember that Christ is The Prince of Peace and that it is easy for him quickly to allay (subdue or alleviate) all our uneasy feelings. Thus these titles confirm us more and more in the faith of Christ and fortify us against Satan and against hell itself.

Conclusion

A person who has witnessed the Light of Christmas depends on the word of God and nothing else for his guidance in life, his heart is full of gratitude despite his economic situation, and he sees beauty amidst the ugly realities of life. However, the fact is, we are all inclined to depend on other sources of authority to govern our life except the word of the Lord, to be angry when our economic dreams are not realized, and usually see nothing in life but its ugly realities. That is why we need the Light of the world. We need the Light of Christmas – Jesus. He is the Light of the world. He alone can turn a proud person into a humble one. He alone can make an ungrateful person into a grateful one. He alone can turn a negative person into a positive one. The Spirit of the Lord has the power to make you and me dependent continually on his word, be grateful, and see the beauty of life regardless of what people say around you.

And this is the Lord's message this Christmas season. In Christ, you have a solid foundation in life that nothing, no one can move. In Christ, God works for your good. If you are in Christ, you should be forever grateful and see the beauty of life.

Grace and peace! Merry Christmas!

Note: I originally published this article in 2012 here. If you compare the two articles, this one is more elaborate and expanded.