“THE TRUE LIGHT WHICH LIGHTETH
EVERY MAN,”
- DEC. 24.-ISA.
9:2-7.-
“Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ
the Lord.”-Luke 2:11.
CHRISTMAS-TIDE always
brings some lesson associated with our Savior and the great salvation, the gift
of God, provided through him. This year the chosen lesson is most excellent
and beautiful. Appropriately, the first verse of the chapter is omitted: in
Leeser’s Translation it constitutes the last verse of chapter 8.
Our lesson had no local and immediate application at the time of its delivery:
it is strictly prophetical, as are indeed the preceding fifteen verses. We
cannot even apply the lesson to the people and time of the first advent: its
scope is far beyond the Jewish nation, and can only be applied to the world
wide blessings which follow the second coming of Christ and the establishment
of his glorious Kingdom in power and great glory. Nevertheless, there is just a
bare connection with the past in the expression, “Unto us a child is
born,”-thus indicating the humble beginning and earliest manifestation of the
great light, the Sun of Righteousness, which has not yet arisen, but whose
day-star is now shining in the hearts of the faithful.-2 Pet. 1:19
The two divisions of the first verse of the lesson in poetic form merely repeat
the same thought with variations. The people that walk in darkness who are to
see the great light are practically all mankind, for “gross darkness covers the
people”-the exception, the very small minority, the Church, as our Lord
declared, is “not of the world.” (John 17:16.) This broad thought is emphasized
by the next statement, for the whole world surely is “the land of the shadow of
death:” “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together” under
the sentence or curse of death which, with its accompaniments of pain and
sorrow, casts a deep shadow in every heart and in every household.
Surely, the whole world needs this great light-the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God, as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord-the very
light which the Apostle declares the world cannot now discern, because the eyes
of their understanding are darkened by the misrepresentations and deceptions
perpetrated by the god of this world, the prince of darkness. -2 Cor. 4:4; Rev.
20:3.
The fact that this is expressed in the past tense does not signify that this
light has already shined, even as the statement, “Unto us a child is born,” did
not signify the birth of Christ at a time prior to Isaiah’s prophecy. It is
merely a usual form of prophetic statement: the standpoint is taken away off in
the future, and from that future standpoint the thing to be accomplished is
stated as though already done.
Here, then, we have a prophetic assurance of the great light of the knowledge
of God coming to all mankind: and this, be it noted, is in fullest agreement
with the testimony of John l:9, that Christ “is the true light which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world.” The fact that every man born into the
world has not yet been enlightened by this great light, so far from disparaging
the statement, gives us assurance that the time is coming when to him every
knee shall bow and every tongue confess, and all shall know the Lord, from the
least to the greatest, and knowing him have full responsibility or trial for
everlasting life or everlasting death.
Verses 3-5 intimate the process by which the great change shall come, and the
world be prepared for the shining of the great light-the Sun of Righteousness
with healing in his beams. Scholars are divided in their opinions respecting a
proper translation of the first sentence of the third verse. The majority seem
to favor the translation given by the Revised Version, “Thou hast
increased the nation, thou hast increased her joy.” Leeser’s Translation renders
it, “Thou hast multiplied the nation, made great her joy.” In harmony with the
context we must interpret this nation to be the world of mankind under
the new administration of the Millennial Kingdom; for the kingdoms of this
world will then become the kingdoms of our Lord, God’s Anointed, and many
nations shall go and say, “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and
we will walk in his paths.”-Rev. 11:l5; Isa. 2:3.
Thus, instead of the Lord’s empire being a typical one over a little nation of
Israelites, as in the day of Isaiah’s prophecy, it will be the antitypical one
in which Immanuel shall be King over all the earth, and his name great to the
ends of the earth.
It is the joy of this great people that is described: it will not merely be a
quiet joy of satisfaction, but an hilarious joy, as of men who are in the midst
of plenty, in a harvest season; and as men rejoicing when dividing the fruits
of victory. But what will be the cause of the rejoicing? The answer is given.
Because from off their shoulder the great burden has been removed: the burden
of sin and its curse will have been removed, and the rod of the oppressor,
Satan, will be broken, and he himself then will be a captive, no longer
permitted to oppress and deceive and blind mankind.-Rev. 20:2.
An illustration of the process of the deliverance is given: “As in the days of
Midian.” The suggestion obviously is that as Israel was delivered in the day
of Midian by Gideon and his little band, armed with trumpets and pitchers with
lights in them,-by the blowing of the trumpets, the breaking of the pitchers
and the shining out of the lights-discomfiting the Midianites, so that they
slew one another with a great slaughter, so likewise will be the deliverance by
which the Lord will bring in the new dispensation. (Judges 7:19-25) Our Lord
Jesus is the antitypical Gideon, and his “little flock,” the Church of this
Gospel age, the “elect,” are the antitype of Gideon’s little army. And it will
be through the intervention of these (on the other side of the vail) that the
hosts of sin and the present enginery of evil will be utterly discomfited and
work its self-destruction through anarchy, etc., in the great time of trouble
rapidly drawing near.
This great time of trouble is briefly yet graphically described in the fifth
verse as being more severe, more intense, than all preceding troubles, for it
is declared that all such victories are expected to be with tumult and bloody
garments, but this shall be with a more furious destruction, best likened to a
consuming of fuel in the fire. And it will be noticed that the fury of the
final conflict of this age, which shall transfer the rule to our Prince
Immanuel, is everywhere likened to a fire-throughout the prophecies and
in our Lord’s parables-evidently because of the intensity of the trouble and
its destructiveness.
Then comes (vss. 6 and 7) the explanation from the Lord’s side of how all these
things are of his provision and supervision-beginning with the birth of our
Lord as the babe born in Bethlehem; next presenting him as God’s Son, given on
our behalf,-his sacrifice beginning at Jordan and culminating at Calvary.
“Wherefore,” as the Apostle says, because of his obedience unto death, “him
hath God highly exalted and given him a name above every [other] name,”-honor,
dominion and power above all others, next to his own.
The change of dispensation will be ushered in because the Father’s “times of
restitution of all things” (Acts 3:19-21) will have come,-the time for Christ
to receive the honor, glory and dominion promised him, with which he shall
fulfill all the gracious things predicted by God through the prophets: hence
the declaration is that then “the government shall be upon his shoulder”-the
mantle of authority shall rest upon him. And when he shall thus assume the
control of earth’s affairs, his character of love and justice, his wisdom, and
the all-power in heaven and in earth given unto him, insure all the faithful
that his reign will be a time of blessing, of peace and of joy to all who love
righteousness and truth; and equally a time of burning destruction against all
who shall sin willfully after having been brought to a knowledge of the
truth.-Heb. 12:26.
His names, his titles, representing the gracious things of which he is the
representative, are brought to our attention: to all the world of mankind he
will then be (and the Church, his body, with him) “Wonderful”-Great-beyond the
power of human comprehension, as he is indeed the express image of the Father’s
person. He will be the “Counselor,” whose instructions in righteousness will be
satisfactory and respected by all the world of mankind seeking a return to
divine favor and full restitution. And it shall come to pass that whosoever
will not hear that Teacher, that Counselor, shall be cut off from among the
people. (Acts 3:23) He shall be called “Mighty God,” or Mighty One, for indeed
in him shall rest all the power and authority of the All-mighty One, Jehovah.
He shall be called the “Father Everlasting,” because in truth he shall be a
Father unto the race, a Life-Giver to all who will accept life under the
terms of the New Covenant, sealed with his own precious blood. Adam, the
original father of humanity, through his sin and under its sentence, failed to
give lasting life to his race, and death destroyed all his offspring; but the
restitution life which our Lord will give, to as many as will receive it upon
his terms, will be an everlasting life, and hence he, as the Giver of this life
to all, will be an Everlasting Father. He shall be called the “Prince of
Peace,” for, although his empire will be established by a smiting of the
nations with a rod of iron, and breaking them in pieces as a potter’s vessel,
in the greatest time of trouble the world has ever known, nevertheless, every
blow will be struck in the interest of peace, and so his entire reign will further
the ends of righteousness and peace, even though to the very end thereof there
shall from time to time be destructions of the wicked.-Isa. 65:20; Rev. 20:9,
14, 15.
Leeser’s Translation reads thus:-“The Prince of Peace for promoting the
increase of the government and for peace without end upon the throne of David
and upon his kingdom, to establish it and to support it through justice and
righteousness from henceforth and unto eternity: the zeal of the Lord of hosts
will do this.”
In this last verse of the lesson the Millennial Kingdom is associated with the
typical Kingdom of David. We are to remember, however, the statement that David
sat upon the throne of the Kingdom of the Lord-he and his kingdom were typical.
The name, David, signifies “beloved,” and our Lord Jesus himself was proclaimed
as the real David-“This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.” God hath appointed him heir of all things, and he is David’s Lord,
as David himself testified.-Heb. 1:2; Matt. 22:41-45.
We fear that there are many Christians who have lost faith, not only in the
prophetic promises, but in our Lord’s and the apostles’ exposition of them, and
that such frequently pray merely with a lip service, “Thy Kingdom come, thy
will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” But so much the more as we
discern such blindness on every hand, such lack of faith, let us, the eyes of
whose understandings have been opened by the Lord’s mercy, be the more
faithful, the more circumspect, and the more confident, remembering, in the words
of this lesson, that an abundant fulfillment is assured, for “The zeal of
Jehovah of hosts will perform all this.”
REVIEW OF 1899.-DEC. 31.
Golden
Text.-“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.”-Psa.103-2.
The end of one
year and the beginning of another is a most favorable occasion for
circumspection and retrospection.
We trust that as each reader reviews the year just closing he will be able to
repeat our Golden Text appreciatively,-with the spirit and with the
understanding also. One of the least expensive offerings we can present to the
Lord our God, and yet one which he will appreciate very highly, is
thanksgiving-for mercies past and present. The ungrateful are disdained among
men, and we may well suppose are far from pleasing in the sight of the
Almighty. While every creature throughout the world might find some cause for
thankfulness and gratitude and praise, how much more should we who have
received so abundantly of the riches of divine grace in the knowledge of his
truth-the plan of the ages. We may well apply to ourselves on this occasion the
words of our dear Redeemer, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your
ears, for they hear; for verily I say unto you, that many prophets and many
righteous persons have desired to see the things which ye see and have not seen
them, and to hear the things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
We said that thanksgivings were cheap offerings; but whoever presents to the
Lord real thanksgiving with lips of praise will follow his lip service with
something more substantial; and this is intimated in our Golden Text by the
words, “O my soul!”-the appeal is not merely to the lips, but to the entire
being. And so we find it with ourselves and others today: whoever is truly
thankful to the Lord and offers him praise, remembering his benefits, will seek
to render substantial thanks also in deeds that will be acceptable and pleasing
to the Lord.
While prayers, adorations and praises are the most direct offerings of “incense”
to the Lord, nevertheless, he has so arranged matters that we cannot offer
these sincerely and acceptably except as we have his spirit: and if we have his
spirit, we will at the same time that we offer this incense on the Golden Altar
be offering also upon the brazen altar in the “Court” good works-“doing good
unto all men as we have opportunity, especially to the household of
faith.”-Gal. 6:10.
The close of the year is an excellent time also for
the making of new resolutions for the year to come, and on the present occasion
there is an added force from the fact that the year before us will be the last
one of the century. Let us, beloved brethren, make plenty of good resolves
respecting what we shall be willing to be, to do, to suffer, in fellowship
with our Lord; that we may by his grace make of it the best year thus far of
our lives-the year of largest hopes, of largest endeavors, and by the Lord’s
grace of largest successes in self-sacrifice, in overcoming the world and its
spirit, in vanquishing self and the desires of the flesh, in resisting the
Adversary, and in glorifying our Lord and blessing his people.