I love Traditions. In the all-time classic Fiddler on the Roof, a Jewish
dairyman Tevye passionately laments about losing traditions. They matter as
they connect people to the past and give them hope for the future. We must not
forget certain practices but cherish them as they give meaning to our living by
bringing families together to remember and celebrate.
Growing
up in India as kids, we used to look forward to Christmas and Easter festivals
eagerly. What are your family traditions? What do you eagerly look forward to
each year? One such beautiful Christian tradition emerged around 480 AD in the worldwide Church
to help Christians slow down, pause, remember, reflect on this most significant
historical event and remain forever grateful. That is called "Advent."
Hope Church will be joining many
Christians around the world who are observing Advent. Over the next four weeks,
different individuals will be lighting up the candles. We will look into
Biblical passages that talk about people's expectations and the Messiah's
prophetic fulfillment. During this Advent, my prayer is that you will slow down
to reflect and anticipate the eternal promises of God for you and your family.
Let's begin our study.
I A NATION IN
DARKNESS & DESPAIR
Isaiah 9: 1-2, "Nevertheless,
that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun
and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when
Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan
and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will
see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness (a land where death casts its shadow), a
light will shine." A little background to this passage will explain Israel's
condition, hopes, and aspirations presented in these verses. During that time,
the nations were waging wars.
The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem,
and the Israelites were taken into exile in Babylon. It was one of the darkest
eras of the nation of Israel. People were living in fear, complete distress,
and hopelessness. They thought God had abandoned them and forgot His promises.
God had not left them; instead, He was building their expectations.
In the 8th Century BC,
the Prophet Isaiah prophesied that God would send the Messiah, and He will
establish a different Kingdom, and their dark days will be over. Can you
imagine how those words of Hope may have sounded in the ears of Israelites?
They may have welcomed them with gladness and rejoiced that soon their troubles
will be over. It is like hearing the news about three vaccines that will be
available soon, and our problems with COVID-19 will be over, and normalcy will
return soon. What do we see in verses one and two?
We see God's dealings with
individual nations, and His prophetic promises of Hope for a bright future and
their fulfillment. Zebulun and Naphtali's land lay in Galilee's area on either
side of a major highway through Israel from the north. They suffered greatly
when the Assyrian Tiglath-Pileser III attacked in 734 and 732 BC (2Ki 15:29).
That began the dark days for Israel.
In the former time, God humbled the
land of Israel, but in the later time, God would exalt Galilee among the
nations and transform their gloom into honor. In the N.T, we will see Galilee's
glory being restored when Jesus began his ministry from Capernaum, in Galilee. Matthew
4:16-17, "the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for
those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined."
From then on, Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."
This prophecy gave Hope to the Israelites, whose situation looked gloomy and helpless. With the first Advent of Jesus Christ, the deep darkness of despair began to lose its grip on Israel and, in a way, on all humanity. How relevant are these words of Hope to our times today?
II. DARK DAYS AND DESPAIR IN THE USA?
The world we live in today is waging all kinds of wars.
Many refugees are moving to safer places escaping suffering and danger in their
lives. In our Mid-Week Connect group, we
learned a few things about depression and suicide. In 2017, an estimated 17.3
million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode.
This number represented 7.1% of all U.S. adults. The prevalence of major
depressive episode was higher among adult females (8.7%) compared to males
(5.3%)."[1]
We
don't talk enough about suicide in our Church. But we must address it. Did you
know around 33,000 people die each year by suicide in the USA? That is a rate
of one suicide every sixteen minutes and ninety suicides per day."[2] What role can Hope Church play in bringing Hope
to the depressed and those struggling with thoughts of suicide?
On top of that, we live through a
worldwide Pandemic. One source indicates, "As many as half the U.S.
population may experience anxiety, depression, and some post-traumatic stress symptoms
in response to COVID-19-induced fear, economic instability, and social
isolation."[3]
Is there food insecurity in a
so-called promised land? "A report from the Rhode Island Community Food
Bank indicated that as many as 1 in 4 households in the state was facing food
insecurity, while food banks in the country faced an increase in demand of roughly
26 percent, during this Pandemic."[4] When you
hear about all these depressing facts and statistics, one begins to wonder is
the USA going through Dark Days and Despair?
What is God teaching us? Is He calling us to return to Him? What Hope do
we have amid darkness and despair?
Vs. 1a, "Nevertheless, that
time of darkness and despair will not go on forever." This most comforting
and hope-filled prophecy was spoken by the Prophet Isaiah in 722 B.C. Yet this
is so pertinent to our times. Our times of darkness and despair will not go on
forever. That is our Hope. How do we know that these troubles we are currently
facing will soon be over someday?
We know it because these words come to us from
the most reliable source in heaven and on earth that is our God, who has an unblemished
reputation of always telling the truth as it is. The Biblical Hope is not
wishful thinking, but it is our confident expectation of God's promises. Its strength
is not in one's self but God's faithfulness. Consider the following scriptures.
Numbers 23:19, "God is not a
man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has
he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he
ever promised and not carried it through? Hebrews 6:18, "So God has given
both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is
impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can
have great confidence as we hold to the Hope that lies before us."
These scriptures encourage us to run
to God, who is trustworthy. Retrospectively speaking, we have more reasons to
trust God than the Israelites because we have the scriptures, where we read
about the fulfillment of many of God's promises. Here is one such promise.
Vs. 6-7, "For a child is born
to us; a son is given to us. The Government will rest on his shoulders. And he
will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace. His Government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness
and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The
passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's Armies." Earlier, in chapter
seven, Isaiah prophesied that God would send them a sign.
Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the
Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a
son, and will call him Immanuel." In the passage we read, he goes into
more details about the child, how he will be called, and the kind of Government
He will establish. In ancient times the birth of a son was
viewed as a matter of rejoicing in ordinary circumstances. Having a royal son
to assume the throne was even more critical. What was unique about this
prophesied child and the Son? The uniqueness is in the four-fold name he would
be called and the righteous Government He will establish, and we will get to be
a part of it.
There is great power in a name. Names have a way of
creating an identity, and it's how those around us know us. In the Bible, God
is called by many names explaining His nature and character. Learning to know
God by his various names opens up the door to a deeper relationship with him.
It creates deeper intimacy, trust, and understanding.
At the time of this prophecy, many counselors
or advisers would interpret God's prophecies and dreams to the kings and people
and tell them what to do. However, none of them were called Wonderful Counselor.
Only the Son will be. During Israel's time, people worshipped many false gods,
but only the God of Israel was called Elohim: God, Creator, mighty and strong.
Since the beginning of creation, there were
many fathers, but no one could rise to the level of our loving heavenly Father,
who is also called the Everlasting Father. Many Kings have ruled the earth, but
none of them matches the Prince of Peace. How about His Government? I am not anti-Government. It is
necessary for the welfare of a nation. However, our trust should not rely
entirely on any earthly Government, but on only one Government of peace for
which there will never be an end. We know that our dark times and despair will
disappear as they will not go on forever. One day we will behold the second
coming of "God's Son Jesus" to establish His Kingdom of peace,
fairness, and justice; that will be our second Advent. Amen!
[1] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.
[2] Richard Winter, When Life Goes
Dark,
[3] Panchal, N., Kamal, R., Orgera,
K., Cox, C., Garfield, R., Hamel, L., Muñana, C., and Chidambaram, P. (2020)
The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use. Kaiser Family
Foundation.
[4]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/long-lines-form-at-food-banks-across-country-ahead-of-thanksgiving/ar-BB1bkqYZ
