The Judgment We All Need

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

Isaiah 9:2, John 3:19–21

Our family’s non-negotiable Christmas movie is White Christmas. For those who don’t know the story, you need to watch it! The basic premise is that with the backdrop of post-World War II America, the male entertainment duo of Wallace and Davis partner up with the sister act of Betty and Judy Haynes to do something kind for the general under whom they served during the war. In their attempts to do something kind, feelings between Wallace and Betty develop, but because of human meddling from every direction, there is conflict, and things seem to have all gone up into flames. Every year, even though I know it all works out in the end, I can’t help but get angry at all the meddling in the story. While I am fully aware of how my anger reveals my own issues, I can’t help but want to yell at the screen every year for everyone just to stop meddling and let love and kindness play out the way they are supposed to. My sadness at how human meddling plays out runs true to what God reveals to us in His Word. We can say that we long for a judgment on life that allows for a full expression of goodness in our lives and relationships, but we all know that often we are left with judgments that bring sadness as God allows sin to have its consequences it can’t help but have in our lives.

As we look at the message given the prophet Isaiah of the promised light to shine forth in our darkness, we are reminded of the context of our promised Savior. We are also reminded of what judgment looks like without Him as God encourages His people to hope for the salvation they need in judgment with Him.

Judgment from without: The context of the book of Isaiah and the darkness in which God has shown His light is the Assyrian invasion of the nation of Israel. Verses 8-12 of chapter 9 from the book of Isaiah, written in the past tense, show us that God has judged Israel for their unfaithfulness, and He is even using nations who are not a part of His covenant people to judge Israel. God’s righteousness in Himself and His faithfulness to the people of Israel are shown through His refining judgment of them. He is upholding His part of the covenant, and even though there is great pain in this type of darkness, God is still showing His people His never failing, never giving up, Hesed love. As you read the rest of chapter 9, Israel is continually tempted to live in isolation from the Lord, letting pride be their guide. Similarly, as we choose to live in isolation from the Lord, we miss what He is trying to tell us in the beauty of covenantal relationship. Have you seen how God is trying to use your circumstances to show you what life is like without Him? Are you able to sense the Lord’s Spirit in those moments to repent and turn back to a right relationship with the Lord?

Judgment from within: Isaiah concludes this chapter with negative imagery of a different type of light, a burning fire. Verses 8-12 show us the picture of what unrighteousness and sin do to us; they burn us from within. When we turn away from the Lord in isolation, His graciousness to us in those moments lets us see what destruction sin can do to our lives, like a fire that burns everything in its path and scorches the land. When left to ourselves, destruction is the result. First and foremost, there's destruction in our relationship with the Lord, the life and strength we need, but there's also destruction in our relationships with others, whether from a societal or communal perspective (government and community) or with individuals in our lives (family and friends). The life we are seeking can be found only in the Lord, and everything else we seek to gain sustenance from will leave us hungry again. Have you felt this before? Like the characters in White Christmas, have you experienced the disorienting destruction sin can bring to your relationships?

Judgment we need: The judgment we need is Jesus. Because sin has ruined us from without and within, we need the light to shine in the darkness, not in the form of nations rising against us or the uncontrollable fire put out, but in the form of a person. “…So that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out by God” (John 3:21). The question is not whether we have been in darkness or not, or even that we don’t like the darkness. The question is, when the light enters in, are we going to run toward it, admitting that without the light we would be stuck, or are we going to love the darkness so much that we can’t bring ourselves to repent? It’s admitting that Jesus, because He came to earth, shows us that we in no part can manage the fire of sin’s destruction. We needed the fire to burn someone else in our place–Jesus. Do you feel the warmth and goodness of God beckoning you to run toward His light, which shines to us in the person of Jesus?

So don’t just yell at the sin you see running rampant in your life like a critic watching a scene, knowing what everyone should do. Admit that we are all in places of destruction without God. See it as God’s grace to you so that you may see the wisdom of living life the way God would want you to. May God’s light guide us through the darkness so that we may worship the one true Light of the world.

Merry Christmas!