January 22, 2023
Pastor John Hering
Isaiah 8:19-9:2
Isaiah 8:19-9:2
19 When they tell you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists, who whisper and mutter,” shouldn’t a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If people do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them. 21 They will pass through the land, distressed and starving, but when this takes place and they are starving, they will be frustrated, and they will curse their king and their God. They will turn their faces upward, 22 and then they will look down to the ground, but I tell you, they will see only distress, darkness, and the gloom that brings anguish. They will be banished into thick darkness.
9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for the land that was in anguish. In former times, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will cause it to be glorious, along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. For those living in the land of the shadow of death, the light has dawned.
Dear Christian Friends,
People are always trying to identify who they are and what their purpose is in life. Well, a while back in the news there was a TV interview by and astronomer out of Minneapolis by the name of Parke Kunkle, that shook the lives and identity of many people. Hopefully, not you! He said there is supposedly a so-called “13th sign in the zodiac.” It is called the sign of “Ophiuchus.” This addition to the zodiac calendar caused many to worry about their horoscopes! But, with a little investigation we learn from both astrologers and astronomers that this is really old news. You see, since the time the Babylonians have been keeping track of the stars we have learned that the earth’s wobble has moved about 23 degrees in the skies. Or in simple language, the constellations have shifted. Do you know what that means? We can see different stars today that they couldn’t see 2000 years ago. Maybe this isn’t a big deal to you, however………..
For some, sadly, this is a big deal. For instance, when 32 year old Amanda from New York heard the news she was shaken! She thought she was a Gemini, but with this news she now learned that she was a Taurus. You should have heard her statement, “While I do not know much about astrology, I do know that I am definitely a Gemini. There is no doubt about the fact that I have two sides to my personality. Being told that I am now a Taurus, from what I know about that sign, one of the main traits is that people are stubborn,” she said. “I like to consider myself to be very open-minded and willing to change. But, being told I am now a Taurus did not sit well.” 😂 Sadly, Amanda is living in darkness.
However, given the chance, wouldn’t you love to share Isaiah 8 & 9 with her? There is another option when it comes to who we are and what our purpose is in life. Who we are and our identity doesn’t depend on the signs of the zodiac, but it does depend on our Lord! Yes, may the Holy Spirit inspire us to
Lead Those In Darkness To Learn Of God
Avoiding the Darkness of the world
In the past couple of years we have been exposed to folks who want us to join them in gaining insight or direction for our life through less than God pleasing methods. In our sin-darkened world today people aimlessly try to find their way by finding their passion, accepting themselves the way they are, and being authentic. While these things are not wrong in and of themselves, they are not the answer for people who are living in the darkness of unbelief. Trying to find the answers in ungodly ways only leads to a deeper fall into the darkness and depression around them. The fact remains that no spirit, no man, no other message brings light to those living in darkness. Listen to what Isaiah said, “19 When they tell you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists, who whisper and mutter,” shouldn’t a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” I hope that when you read your news that you’re not tempted to click on the page containing your horoscope. The Lord was clear when he gave his instructions to the Children of Israel as they entered into the Promised Land. He knew they would come into contact with people who were using the powers of the devil, rather than trusting in the power and direction of the Lord. So he gave them these instructions through Moses: “
9 When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to practice anything like the abominations of those nations. 10 Let no one be found among you who makes his son or his daughter pass through fire, or who uses divination, or who engages in fortune telling, or who observes omens, or who practices witchcraft, 11 or who casts a magic spell, or who consults a ghost or a familiar spirit, or who inquires of the dead. 12 Anyone doing these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these abominations, the Lord your God is driving them out before you.”
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
To be sure the Devil still has power to tempt us to sin. He is a fallen angel who is bound and determined to drive God’s people away from trusting in God’s Word, and turning to what their own itching ears want to hear. Such temptations do not have to come in the form of witches dressed up like Merlin, or people dressed in dark, satanic cloths. No, sometimes they can come in the form of those who present themselves as followers of God, but who have twisted and turned God’s Word to suite their own fancy. They will present themselves as having special powers to consult the dead or tap into some power. Others are even more brazen and make false claims about people who are following God’s Word! (Here you could talk about the experience you had with those bad-mouthing our doctrine on baptism). But, the Lord is clear when people try to gather information by dabbling in the occult or ruin people by asserting false accusations. God is detested by their actions. God does not want us to use the stars, or some tarot cards, or try to determine our lives based on speculation or guess. Neither does God want us to listen to those who mis-represent God’s Word by picking and choosing God’s Word to appeal to their own sinful goals. No, God wants us to avoid such evil in the dark world around us and draw our attention to him and the light of his Word.
There is practical application for us here. When you are at work or at school and hear people speaking about their relationship to God, or indicating that they somehow know what it is that God’s wants for them in their lives, it is so very important to have God’s Word, recorded on the pages of Scripture, there to test their words. If they are not speaking in line with God’s Word, then we ought to filter out their suggestions, turn back once again to the Bible so we can be absolutely certain what God’s will is. If we are really going to find our way for our life, then avoid the darkness of this world and turn to the light of God’s Holy Word!
Walking in the Light of God’s Word
How can we be certain that we know God and are walking in the light of his Word? St. John said it,
“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:3-6).
1 John 2:3-6
Just like the people of John’s day, so many people today feel they know God well enough without worrying about acts of obedience, or God’s law, or the commands of God. But, John tells it differently. Some who call themselves Christian or who think they are alright with God, thinking they know God, but they have little time for talk of sin, guilt, and obedience. John tells us that contrary to their own opinion, they do not know God.
For a person to be certain that they know God they need to listen to the words of Isaiah, “20 To the law and to the testimony! If people do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them.” To know God is to know Jesus. To know Jesus is to know his Word. Remember what Jesus told some who once believed on him? “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31). Disciples of Jesus know God’s law. They take God seriously when he tells them that he threatens to punish all those who do not keep his commandments. They also take God seriously when he says that he promises grace and every blessing to those who keep his commandments and live according to God’s will.
To listen to those who dream up another way of life, or an alternate life-style, or dummy down God’s Word because there is no one who can live up to God’s standards, are fulfilling the words of Isaiah,
“…21 They will pass through the land, distressed and starving, but when this takes place and they are starving, they will be frustrated, and they will curse their king and their God. They will turn their faces upward, 22 and then they will look down to the ground, but I tell you, they will see only distress, darkness, and the gloom that brings anguish. They will be banished into thick darkness..”
Isaiah 8:21-22
That is natural man’s reaction – to blame God when things aren’t going well for them. They fail to see the greed in the hearts of poor rulers and blame God for hunger. They fail to see the coveting hearts of robbers and thieves and blame God for dark days of self-pity and depression. Who would disagree? We are living in dark days with too many people wondering aimlessly in the deeds of darkness.
But, we don’t need to look out there. We can look right in our own hearts. We see our neighbors and friends living without God and are tempted to think they are doing just fine without God and fail to move to help them. We know of non-Christians who are perfectly content to live for the day, because in the end their friends and neighbors will say, “It’s okay – they have died and gone to a better place.” A better place? Not so, if they have spent their lives rejecting the Lord and turning to their own fancy and fun. Not so if they have refused to repent and trust in the forgiveness offered to them in Jesus. There are still places of deep darkness, but that is not the place to find you and me, and the children of God.
No, dear children of God, let us be found walking in the light of God’s Word. Let us open the window of our ears and eyes and take in the glorious light of God’s law that exposes our sinful hearts. Let us open the window of our ears and eyes to take in the glorious light of God’s gospel that points us to the cross of Jesus and proclaims forgiveness for all our sins. Let us be found walking in the light and shedding our light on the darkness around us by living in love for God and neighbor. Isaiah said it just so,
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for the land that was in anguish. In former times, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will cause it to be glorious, along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. For those living in the land of the shadow of death, the light has dawned.”
Isaiah 9:1-2
The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali suffered exile at the hands of the Assyrian king because they had left the Lord God. They would become part of the lost tribes of Israel receiving the consequences of their rebellion and sin. But, when Jesus came he fulfilled the second part of Isaiah’s prophesy, “2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” Jesus walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee and brought the kingdom of God to the Gentiles living in Capernaum. News about Jesus spread along the route through Galilee stretching from Damascus to Egypt. These people saw the great light of Jesus, their Savior.
Conclusion: News reports will continue to be shown that rock their world—that is if their life is based on the things of this dark world. People will also try to find who they are and their purpose in life by pursuing a passion and being authentic. There is no greater time than now for us to take God’s Word seriously. We have been entrusted with God’s Word in its truth and purity. It is the guiding light for our families, our children, our relatives, and friends. Too many of the people we know are so easily tempted to listen to the far-fetched words of people who follow the zodiac, or simply don’t care. God has given us purpose every day to be bold as we trust in the Lord to bless the work we do to proclaim his gospel. Now is the time for us to work hard as a congregation to present the gospel to our corner of the world in the best way we can. Now is the time for us to pray, support, and lead people Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life! God bless us as we Lead Those In Darkness To Learn of God and join God’s Word. Amen.
