Now and Not Yet

Friday, December 18, 2020

Isaiah 9:2-7

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, 
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Dear Friends,

This passage is hard for me to read without a robust choir emphatically singing Handel’s Messiah in the background of my mind—each syllable enunciated for dramatic effect, declaring one’s belief in the words they sing. Goodness, I love that opera. 

Throughout the years, we Christians have taken these words from the Hebrew Bible, words rich with meaning for a certain time and certain place, and we’ve appropriated them for ourselves. We’ve plucked them out of their context and boxed them up as prophecy to be read around Christmas time. And while they are prophetic words with deep meaning, when we do this, we limit the scope and affect of what this poem could and should be. 

This powerful poem takes place during a tragically divided time in Israel’s history. Brothers fighting against brothers, fathers against sons, friends against neighbors. One kingdom split into two, a nation separated. There was a level of despair and hopelessness that plagued the people as they wondered if broken things could ever become repaired. While the people longed for restoration, the wealthy and powerful kings and rulers made decisions for them. It felt overwhelmingly dark with an unstable and uncertain future for them and their children. They didn’t know what the next day would look like, much less the next year. 

And yet, this poem promised them that God was with them even in that. They weren’t forgotten or abandoned and even though life seemed bleak right then, there was a future promise that it wouldn’t always be this way. Burdens will be lifted. Soldier gear no longer needed. Promises of peace. Rejoicing would come because a new leader was to be born. Now for the people this prophetic poem was written to, they wouldn’t have the joy of this new child, but they could trust in God’s promises and maybe that trust was enough light dawning for them to see hope once again. 

The sliver of light dawning now while the darkness was not-yet fully eradicated. Now and not-yet.

When we only read Isaiah with a forward thinking lens pointing to the future promises of God we can easily miss what God’s promises for the people were then. God is not always looking ahead, like the best is yet to come. God is present in the pain and darkness and uncertainty of today. Yes, they had hope of something beautiful to come, and we have hope for something beautiful to come as well, but God is present right now. This passage reveals God’s consistent character is one of nearness.

Friends, may you know God is near in your pain and darkness and uncertainty right now and may that bring you hope for today. And may that hope of God’s nearness also be with you in the not-yet because Christ as come and Christ will come again. We wait with expectation for our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace in the now and not-yet.

With (love),
Bethany