A Light in the Darkness

Isaiah 49:6

Isaiah 49:1 (NKJV) “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.

The God who created heaven and earth calls for people to listen. He says, “Take heed,” meaning pay attention. We should sit up and take notice. God does not speak without meaning or unnecessary words. 

In the section of Isaiah that we are looking at today, we are introduced to the servant of the Lord. This is not the first mention of the servant, but it is significant partly because this is one of the places in the Old Testament that God makes it clear that he intends to save some from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Although He is known as the God of Israel, He is also known as the God of all peoples. In Isaiah 49:1, the Servant calls for “peoples from afar” to listen. He calls for the Gentiles (nations) to listen even though Isaiah was an Israelite. He was also a prophet to the nations, and his prophecies contain a lot of information relevant to us today.

God chose Abraham, and through Abraham, God raised a people of His own. But, His purpose was always larger than Israel. When God chose Abraham, He said:

Genesis 12:2–3 (NKJV) ²I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God planned to bless all the families of the earth. This includes us.

In Isaiah 49, the Servant explains what God has told Him and in verse 6 says:

Isaiah 49:6 (NKJV) Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ 

God will raise up the tribes of Jacob, and He is restoring Israel. However, He also gave Jesus as a light to the Gentiles (nations). Notice that He says to the Servant, “…That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” He does not say “carry” or “take” My salvation, but He says “be” My salvation. This is because Jesus is the Servant, and Isaiah is recording the words of Christ.

The Father told the Son, “I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles.” This is reflected in John’s gospel as He introduces us to the person of Jesus. He says:

John 1:5 (NKJV) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Jesus is the light of the world, and when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are reborn and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, are made His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:14–16 (NKJV) ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

All believers are the light of the world. We exist as a church to carry the light. We are carrying the light here in Clearwater, and we are also part of carrying the light around the world. Carrying the light to foreign countries and the far corners of the world is part of who we are. 

Is our light shining as bright as it could?