Blinded by the Darkness and the Light
Blinded by the Darkness and the Light
March 7, 1999
Isaiah 42:14-21
Have you ever noticed how our life is affected by lights. When we see a yellow traffic light we are supposed to wait patiently as it turns red. And, wait, patiently still, until it turns green again!
Today we want to think about a different kind of light. It’s a light that effects our life in much more positive ways than a traffic signal. It’s a spiritual light that dispels spiritual darkness and sin.
We are all faced with the spiritually blinding power of sin, even from the moment of conception in our mother’s womb. That blindness leads to a myriad of problems that confront us every day. Sin weakens us and makes us like spiritually bruised reeds that need support and love in order to exist. It makes us spiritually dim like the smoldering wick of an oil lamp that needs more fuel and oxygen to make it burn brightly. Sin brings about injustice, arrogance, pride, and is a prison house that keeps us separated from God’s light and life.
Only when the light of God’s servant enters into our life are we blinded to the darkness of sin and enable to see in the light of Christ. How God does that is the point of focus today.
1. The Lord waited patiently until the timing was perfect.
Isaiah proclaims God’s message regarding his Servant who would bring light to the world centuries before Jesus was born. It was, I’m sure, with great patience that the Lord waited with sinful humanity until the timing was perfect, just right to reveal his light.
The Lord held back his cry to humanity for a long time. Patiently He waited, seeing the blind condition of man and his struggle. If we were to put it in terms of time which we can understand, it was over 3 millennia, three thousand years, since the fall of Adam until the time of Isaiah’s prophecy. Then He sent messengers out to proclaim His message. But by and large, people ignored these messages and chose for themselves the light and guidance of humanity, not realizing the darkness in which they dwelt. It was pretty much the same way as it is today. And still the Lord waits as the message of the Messiah continues to be proclaimed.
The Lord restrained his final cry to humankind for a long time, not wanting that any should perish, but come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. Two thousand years have passed since God’s Servant ascended and the angels’ message proclaimed: “He will come again even as he has promised.” Every year the message is repeated in preaching and teaching, and still people don’t get it. Still sin abounds and people die in the darkness of their sinful depravity. But, it need not be that way. Is it the fault of the message or the faithful messenger? I think not!
Consider how people behave in heavy traffic on a crowded city boulevard. Traffic lights are often ignored. Even though they are in place to help traffic move safely and quickly, it is common to see people speed up to get through a yellow signal before it turns red. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, it was common to see three or four cars make a left turn after the signal turned red. And when we get caught what do we tend to do? We tell the officer, the fault must be in the light. Even though people disregard the signal. The purpose and function remain in place.
2. The Lord finally cried out. Likewise with the Word of the Lord. God’s Word would be fulfilled. The promised Servant would come as one making God’s final appeal to humanity to stop turning away and be saved by the light.
What is it that God tells us through his new testament servant of the Word? “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Looking toward the fulfillment of this prophecy by the God-Man Jesus Christ, the prophet Isaiah declares: “Now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out.” How appropriate the image of a woman in labor is to the incarnation of the long-promised Messiah. How appropriate the image of deliverance that will remove everything that tempts our trust in God.
The God-man cries out upon the cross as he pays the penalty for all of our sins. How much more obvious? How much more clearly could God make His good intentions toward us known than through the image of the cross upon which our Savior dies for our punishment. Still, so many things get in the way of this great light.
3. Our own strength will fail us. The people in times past trusted in their own strength. They put their trust in their surroundings—in the mountains and hills, in rivers and ponds. They trusted the strength of their own hands. And, they trusted the strength of their own goodness to save them. They did that not realizing the darkness of their strength.
Today, we foolishly, also trust our own strength. The strength of our surroundings—our homes, our country, the economy. We trust the strength of our own hands—our jobs, our income, our health. And just like the many who came and went before us we trust the strength of our own goodness to save us, not realizing the darkness of such strength. Even so, the Lord our God has provided a way for us to see. But it requires us to be blind so that we might see.
4. The Lord will lead the blind. I know that sounds foolish. But, the Lord will lead the blind. That’s what he did for his people in times past. He sent them prophets who proclaimed His Word of truth. He turned their darkness into light through that truth. And, in truth, He did not ever forsake them.
The Lord leads his people in the present. He remains our light in this darkness. His love he openly demonstrated on the cross. His assurance He actively raised before us in the Resurrection. And He will not ever forsake us. The light is clear. The way is known. We can choose to ignore the light. But the light of Christ still remains, and its purpose will never fail.
5. My servant is blinded by the light of life and is blind and deaf to this world. Because of this, we know that we are blinded by the darkness and the light. You know as well as I do that if you disobey traffic signals on a busy boulevard it could mean, not only disaster, but even death. This is what being blinded by darkness means. But, being blinded by the light means being able to see and heed the light over-against the disobedience of the world.
Deliverance from this dark world came in Jesus’ death and resurrection. That is God’s light and signal to the whole world regarding death and life, darkness and light, separation and safety with respect to God. And in this respect I pray that we might all be blinded by the light. Amen!