The Lord Turns Darkness into Light

Isaiah 42:14-21

Third Sunday in Lent  -  19 March 2017

Rev. John Derme

In southwestern Washington state, there are a couple of underground lava tubes called the Ape Caves. One of them is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States at two-and-one-half miles long. A hiking trail runs through the cave. It is a difficult hike. At some places, there are boulder piles to scramble over. At once place in the cave, there is a wall to climb up. Some of the passages in the cave are very narrow, and you have to squeeze through them. Except for one place, where there is a hole in the top of the tube, there is absolutely no natural light within them. When you are inside and you turn off your headlamp or flashlight, you are in complete darkness.

Can you imagine how terrifying it would be if you were deep inside the cave, when your flashlight broke or all your batteries went dead? How would you get back over the boulders and down the wall and through the tight squeezes? Without any idea what was in front of you, you would almost certainly injure yourself long before you made it out. Shouting for help wouldn't do any good. You would be helpless to get out of that cave.

Imagine sitting there in terror with a twisted ankle, when suddenly a person comes around a rock with a light. He helps you up and leads you out of the cave. He turns the darkness into light and leads you along the unfamiliar path!

In our First Lesson, from Isaiah 42, the Lord speaks through his prophet to his Old Testament people about the darkness in which they lived. From the words he speaks to them, we are also warned and encouraged, because the Lord still turns darkness into light.

The Lord's words through Isaiah were addressed to his people who were in the darkness not of a cave, but of exile. The Lord had called the people of Israel to be his servant and his messenger to the world. The people were supposed to be faithful to him and reveal his Word to the nations. But over and over again, Israel served the false gods of the pagan nations rather than teaching those nations about the true God. So the Lord sent his prophets again and again to call Israel to repent. But since Israel finally did not listen to the message of the prophets, because the people were too busy worshiping false gods, the Lord issued a stronger call to repentance and sent them into exile. Today's First Lesson was addressed to the people who were exiled under Babylon.

The Lord had good news, although it came with a warning. People were complaining that the Lord wasn't doing anything to help them, that he was being slow to save them. So the Lord said, "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant." When a woman is pregnant, those nine months can seem to take a long time. But suddenly, there comes a point when it is time for the pregnancy to be over. Then the mother has a great desire to push the baby out. She takes action with cries, gasps, and panting.

Even though it seemed like the Lord was taking a long time to save his people, he was waiting for the right time. He had told them ahead of time how long the exile would last. The Lord had a strong desire to save his people. When the time was up, like a mother delivering a baby, he would make Israel's deliverance obvious for all to hear and see.

The Lord would not let anything get in the way of saving his people. He says, "I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools." The Lord would push every obstacle out of the way when he would bring his Old Testament people back to their homeland.

The Lord would save them all by himself. "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Our sight is such a blessing from the Lord. Yet people who do not have sight do a very good job of getting around places with which they are familiar. But when they are unfamiliar with the terrain, it is nearly impossible to get anywhere without help. It is like being stuck in a cave where there is absolutely no light.

The people of Israel weren't all physically blind. But they were helpless to save themselves. There was no way that they could get themselves back to their own land. So the Lord said he would lead them back over the unfamiliar path! God would give them light in their darkness! He would not leave them in trouble! He promised to save them!

Such a promise ought to lead his people to trust wholeheartedly in him. Unfortunately, some people didn't learn anything from the Lord's discipline and held on, instead, to their false gods. "But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame." Those who rejected the promised salvation of the Lord would receive his threatened shame, instead.

Though the Lord spoke beautiful promises to his people, they still needed to hear his threats. "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the Lord? You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." Israel was supposed to be the Lord's servant, but the people's spiritual blindness meant that they didn't do what he commanded. Israel was supposed to be his messenger, but the people's spiritual deafness meant that they didn't listen to or proclaim his Word as he intended.

"It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious." Since Israel didn't do what the Lord had called the nation to do, the Lord would do it himself.

How could the Israelite people not be faithful to the Lord? How could they not be his messengers to the world? How could they keep turning back to idols? I suppose we could ask the same question of ourselves. The Lord has rescued us from an even worse darkness than exile, yet we often serve ourselves, rather than serving him. The Lord has spoken to us in his Word, but we don't always eagerly learn and proclaim it. When we sin, we make idols out of our own desires. He has taught us how he wants us to live, but we keep going back to those idols. Our behavior shows the same thing about the human heart that Israel's behavior showed. So the warning he spoke to them also applies to us. By nature, we are blind to what God wants. By nature, we are deaf to his Word. If we continue to hold on to our own idolatrous desires, we will not enjoy his salvation in heaven, but will suffer shame in hell.

We have been unfaithful servants. So it is a good thing that our salvation does not depend on us! The Lord has been faithful to his promise. He has made his Word great and glorious. He has caused it to be proclaimed throughout the world. He has opened our ears to it. He has worked faith in our hearts. He has turned the darkness of our hearts into light. He has led us on the unfamiliar path of unbelief to faith. He has opened our eyes to see the work of his faithful Servant, Jesus Christ.

Jesus served his Father with a life of perfect obedience to his law. Jesus served his Father by carrying out the good news of the gospel with his innocent death for all sin. Jesus was the messenger of the Father who proclaimed the gospel of forgiveness and peace for the world. Jesus was the messenger who made sure that some gospel preacher spoke his Word to you. Jesus has overcome every obstacle, letting nothing get in the way of saving us.

Through faith, we are no longer spiritually deaf and blind. Our Lord has called us to be his servants, and by his power we serve him. Our Lord has called us to be his messengers, and by his grace we hear and proclaim his Word.

If you were stranded in that cave, and somebody came along with a light to lead you out, you wouldn't refuse to be saved and stay in that cave, would you? No, you would rejoice in the light! Now that the Lord has brought light to you through his Word and led you to faith, rejoice in his salvation! Serve and speak for him! You will never be trapped in the darkness of unbelief again, because the Lord turns darkness into light.