Deeper Reflection
Isaiah chapters 1 to 39 record prophecies made by the prophet Isaiah between 740 to 681 BC in the pre-exilic historical context of Judah, the southern kingdom.¹ Verses 1 to 2 set out a salvation oracle ² ─ there will be no gloom for the land of Judah,³ which was in anguishing anxiety because of the Assyrian conquest of Israel, the northern kingdom, in 722 BC.God had repeatedly called Israel to repentance, but they rejected His offer to forgive their sins should they repent. As a result, God sentenced Israel to disaster. The Lord punished Israel with the humiliation of Assyrian domination, but He would later restore and bless her territory. In verse 2, Isaiah used darkness as a metaphor of the foreign domination of Israel. In future, a great light would shine on God’s people dwelling in a land of deep darkness. God’s light would dispel the darkness!From a New Testament perspective, Jesus Christ is the light of the world, who has come to deliver people from the darkness in the world (Matt 4:12-17; Lk 1:76-79; Jn 1:4-5; 8:12; 12:46)! The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy came around 700 years later. God is faithful and His Word is true. However, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways; they are immeasurably higher and beyond our full understanding (Isa 55:8-9). God’s Word is effectual and will certainly be fulfilled and will accomplish His purposes (Isa 55:10-11). Let us learn to trust God more and wait patiently for His answer to our prayers for deliverance from our dark situations.

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¹ Isaiah chapters 40 to 55 contain oracles in the exilic context, while chapters 56 to 66 contain oracles in the post-exilic context. ² Isaiah 7 to 11 record judgment and salvation oracles delivered during Judah’s war with Israel and Syria. ³ That is, for the time being. God’s judgment against their persistent idolatry and disobedience will come about a hundred years later in the form of the Babylonian exile in 586 BC.