Synopsis
Light is most welcome in the darkest of times. It is in the midst of the darkness of Israel's history that the prophecy in the two verses of our text is given. In the prophecy of these words, there are things that Isaiah is communicating to us not only concerning the state of things at the time, but the state of things even in our world today. In this sermon, we consider
1. The pitiful moral state of the world
2. The gracious visitation of the grace of God into our world
3. The means of us comprehending this visitation
Darkness symbolizes religious sorrow, ignorance, error, insecurity and fear. It is a symbol of sin and wickedness. This condition is epitomized in Isaiah 1:2-4. The condition of the world is that people love the darkness rather than the light (John 3:19). Darkness is also an emblem of God's judgement.
Light (Cf. Isaiah 45:7, Isaiah 51:5, Isaiah 10:17, Isaiah 60:1, Isaiah 42:16.) is an emblem of knowledge, enlightenment and the truth of the Gospel. It signifies truth, which has no mixture of error and falsehood, as it originates from the one who has truth. Light exposes error, evil and wrong, through the light of the Gospel we discover the riches of the grace of God, which results in exceeding joy (see Isaiah 9:3, Isaiah 45:8 Isaiah 32:17).
Not everyone who has eyes can see spiritually (see Isaiah 6:9-11). To comprehend this light ... to comprehend and understand the work of salvation is the work of God (see 2 Cor 4:3-6). Only those who have the eyes of faith are able to see the light, and this sight comes from God himself, it's a miracle of God's grace.
Has the light of God's grace and truth been beamed into your heart?
