Living in the Light

Isaiah the prophet pleas with the people of Isreal "O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:5). This is on the brink of Israel's destruction and exile. The people of God have been rebellious for many years and are about to receive harsh consequences for their sin, and yet Isaiah encourages them to live in the light of the hope they have in God. He will restore them. He has promised them a bright future, even after exile, and he will be faithful to his covenant with Abraham.

How do we walk in the light of the Lord? I, too, should live each day in the hopeful future promised to me by God, except now, unlike the Israelites, I have full knowledge and understanding that the light ultimately comes through Jesus. I John tells us that "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7). Isaiah called the Israelites to live in the light of the steadfast love of their covenental God. Even though their past was full of sin, there was still hope for a future of delighting in God's presence and being obedient to Him. Just as my life is a constant battle with sin, I can lay it aside, and live my life in the light of Jesus because I have already been cleansed by His work on the cross. I can love, serve, battle temptation, and enjoy worship and fellowship becaue of Jesus Christ. That is life in the light.