Delivered from Darkness

Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined”.

In looking through a small Bible Study on the book of Isaiah, I came across this excellent little lesson on redemption. As was typical of the prophets, Isaiah proclaimed judgment, prophesied of deliverance, and looked forward to the promised Redeemer all in a single prophecy. In the passage before us, he speaks of the deliverance of God’s people from the Babylonian captivity. They would be taken into the “land of darkness,” but God would deliver them out of it. The deliverance that Isaiah proclaimed had to do with their actual return from Babylon, which God would bring about in His own time. But it also illustrates the deliverance of both Jews and Gentiles from spiritual darkness by the promised Messiah. God’s people would be delivered from Babylon, but that deliverance was not to be seen in isolation from the rest of God’s redemptive plan for His people. It would continue until the coming of Christ’s kingdom, when the light would shine in darkness.

Matthew 9:2 quotes this passage, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined,” in reference to the preaching of Christ, even though it originally had nothing to do with it. Matthew quoted this as a biblical illustration, not a proof text, to confirm the work of Christ. Isaiah often dealt not only with the current events of his time, but with how those events fitted into the whole scheme of redemption for God’s people. To us, on the other side of the cross, Isaiah’s prophecies seem to always point toward the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises in Christ.

Not only would God bring His people back from captivity, but He would place Christ on His royal throne in Heaven, and under Him supreme and everlasting happiness may be enjoyed. The Jews needed to look forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises, just as we need to fix our eyes on Christ as our only comfort in times of trial. God’s mercy is not temporary, extending only to isolated events, but it encompasses the entire history of His people. The return of the Jews from Babylon would commence the restoration of the church, which would be completed when Christ appeared. Isaiah, therefore, taught the Jews not to confine their attention to the present, but to consider the end and see what was happening to them in that context. We should do the same as we look forward to Christ’s second coming.

The lesson concluded that when we read passages such as the one before us, we are reminded of how God orchestrated and is working out His plan in all of history. Events do not occur in isolation—they are part of a bigger picture. What comfort and hope can a Christian derive from these prophecies! Put your hope in Christ today.