September 3, 2024: Isaiah 49:9 - Only Jesus Can Free Us from Sin and Darkness

“That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.” - Isaiah 49:9

We are all sinners in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. What does sin do to us? It enslaves us to it, slowly at first, often without us even realizing it. At first, our sin feels good, pleasurable, but with time, it changes. It is like a boa constrictor, a serpent, that wraps itself around its prey, slowly squeezing its victim, as the victim tries to escape it. But the more the prey resists, the more pressure the serpent applies, squeezing it even tighter so that it restricts, cuts off the blood supply to the heart, brain, and other organs, until the person within the serpent’s strong hold gives up its life, succumbing to the serpent. This is what sin does; it literally takes our life from us, causing our heart and our brain not to receive the nourishing blood that it needs to sustain life and to think rationally. And, it’s not only our temporary life here on earth that our sin takes from us, but also our eternal life, which God planned for us - and wants us - to spend with Him. However, when we choose to remain in our sin and not accept God’s free gift of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, we are telling Satan, the serpent, that we choose him over God, and we give him full access to our lives, and that includes our eternal life. It is only Jesus the Christ who can break these bonds of sin, the chains of the serpent Satan that bind us. Only Jesus can bring us out of darkness and into the light, the beautiful light that He emits with His radiance and glory. The light that evil hates, for evil loves the darkness.

Have you ever noticed how dark the world has become? Not too long ago, probably around twenty years or so, when my husband and I used to go to the movies, I told him that I noticed how dark, how sinister the movies had become, even children’s movies. No longer was there light present in them, but most of the movies had this dark aura about them. It was not my imagination; it was purposeful, because in recent years, Satan and all that he is - wicked, evil, perverted - has overcome not only the movie industry but much of the world today, particularly in America. The colors of red and black are prominent in movies, in opening ceremonies of large events and spectacles, and even in US presidential addresses to the nation. The theme of the majority of movies and TV series is sin: sexual fornication and perversion, violence and death, vile language, drugs, drugs, and more drugs, and on and on it goes. Why is all of this happening? Because instead of the world loving God and His Son Jesus Christ, it loves darkness and hates the light. Those that hate the light of Jesus will be voluntarily chained to their sin, and for now, Satan is the holder of those chains. Jesus Himself told us this fact:

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved [exposed].” (Jesus Christ; John 3:19-20)

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

The apostle Paul also wrote about this in the book of Romans and reminded the people that we are either servants to sin or to righteousness:

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:16-18)

Isaiah prophesied of the Light, Jesus Christ, long before Jesus would come to the earth the first time, and how the Light would break the chains of bondage and set the captives (of sin) free:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because of the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up [heal] the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Jesus Himself quoted these words from the prophet Isaiah when He spoke to the Jews at the synagogue in Nazareth:

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised [oppressed], to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them. This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears [hearing].” (Luke 4:16-21)

Jesus told us that what we take in, what we look at with our eyes, will affect whether we gravitate toward Him - the Light of the world - or toward Satan, the darkness of the world. Satan will tempt us with riches - money - and many people have literally sold their soul to him in exchange for money, status, and/or power. Jesus tells us that must decide whether we will serve Him or money; we cannot serve both:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [healthy], thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil [unhealthy], thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold [be loyal] to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [riches].” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 6:19-24)

Isaiah wrote about gross darkness covering the earth, and that the glory of the Lord, the light of Jesus Christ, would come and bring salvation to the Gentiles:

“Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together [become radiant], and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces [wealth] of the Gentiles [nations] shall come unto thee.” (Isaiah 60:1-5)

This is referring to the last days when after the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, meaning Israel’s trouble, when God turns His attention back to Israel. Ever since Jesus died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, God’s attention has been on the non-Jews, the Gentiles, in the world, offering them salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. While Jews can and have been saved during this period, the focus during this time period, which is nearly 2,000 years, has been on the Gentiles. However, once the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, meaning it is complete (Romans 11:25), God will turn His attention back to Israel, and it will be during the time of Jacob’s trouble. During this 7-year period, not only the Jews, but everyone alive on earth who will be old enough to decide whether they believe in their heart that Jesus is their Savior but who will reject His free gift of salvation, will go through a time of tribulation such as never been known to mankind, nor never will occur again. At the end of this time period, Jesus Christ will return at His second coming. He will put an end to all the wicked alive at that time, reign for 1,000 years, destroy the heavens and earth by fire, and create a new heaven and a new earth, on which all believers in Him who ever lived will live with Him for eternity. Unlike the current earth that relies on the sun for its light, this new earth will rely on the Son for the light:

“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten [illuminate] it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:22-27)

It seems nearly every TV show or movie uses the name of Jesus in a derogatory way, and it is because they hate Him and they love the darkness. I remember the 1982 horror movie called “Poltergeist.” The one line I can remember from the entire movie was “Don’t go into the light.” Why is that? Because it wants to portray the light as something bad, and they want this thought to enter into your subconscious without you even realizing it. Satan is very deceptive and will use whatever tools he has available to him to deceive people. It’s not only Satan doing this but those who are aligned with him, which includes one-third of the angels who were cast out of heaven when they chose to align themselves with him instead of God. They are deceiving people in our world on a scale that I’ve never seen before in my lifetime.

The apostle John said that we must not desire to walk in darkness but to walk in the light of Jesus Christ:

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

Without Jesus having washed us clean from our sins, we do not have His light within us. Thus, unbelievers do not shine His light, and we should not desire to be like them but to be like Him:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

Satan wants to poison us with his venom, with his lies of deception. He tells us it’s okay to commit a little sin, after all, we’re “only human.” It’s okay to remain in sexual fornication as long as it makes us happy, or that we’re born that way. It’s okay to smoke a little pot, drink a little alcohol, or take another drug to help us relax. It’s okay to take a long glance at someone who is not our spouse because “looking doesn’t hurt anyone.” It’s okay to stop reading the Bible and to stop praying to God when our days are just so doggone busy and we’re just tired, you see. It’s okay to pray to God to make us rich, because He wants us to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. All of these are Satan’s lies from the pit of hell. The Bible makes it clear: yes, we are all sinners, but we must fight against our sinful nature each and every day and never give in to temptation, like Eve did when she gazed at the fruit on the one and only tree in the garden of Eden of which God forbade her husband Adam and her to eat and if they did, they would surely die, and they did, taking with them the curse of sin that has been passed to every single person born since then. A little poison still poisons us, and Satan knows that.

When we decide we are tired of the darkness and that we need the light of Jesus in our lives, when we see that we are bound in chains to our sin and we finally reach the point that we want to be liberated from our sin and we call out to Him to save us, not only will He save us from our sins, but He will lead us like a loving and faithful Shepherd to His sheep, tenderly caring for us, walking with us to show us the way, and to lead us, if we will finally release that control to Him. Like a shepherd who finds a good pasture on which to feed his sheep, so too does Jesus lead us to good pastures, where we can eat, while He guards us as the good shepherd.

Long before Jesus Christ came to earth the first time, the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel wrote about the shepherds of Israel and criticized them because they had not taken care of their flocks, the Jewish people, but were taking care of themselves, feeding themselves first with the best of everything and giving the scant leftovers to the people. They weren’t true shepherds to the people but hirelings, as Jesus would later call them, who didn’t care about their flocks and when trouble came, the false shepherds would leave their flocks, putting them at risk:

“My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place. All that found them have devoured them…” (Jeremiah 50:6-7)

“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to [food for] all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; as I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; thus saith the Lord GOD; behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat [food] for them. For thus saith the Lord GOD; behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat [rich] pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.” (Ezekiel 34:1-16)

I believe the prophesy from Ezekiel was a two-fold or dual-fulfillment, prophesy, which we see often in the Bible, with the first fulfillment that happened in the times of the Old Testament before Jesus’ first coming, and the second fulfillment in the times after Jesus’ first coming in the New Testament, which is still yet to happen. The first fulfillment was in fact spoken by the prophet Ezekiel to warn Israel’s shepherds, the religious leaders, that judgment would come upon them. God gave Ezekiel some very harsh words of truth to speak to Israel’s shepherds. In the first fulfillment, God said His people, the Jews, and their false shepherds had been taken out of their land and scattered, exactly as had been prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah, but that He would bring back His sheep from the nations to which they had been scattered, which was in Babylon and also a small remnant from Assyria, and He would bring them back in their land, which in fact did happen after their 70-year captivity in Babylon.

Notice in Ezekiel 34:1 that it says, “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel…” I believe this reference to the “Son of man” is referring to Jesus Christ, and will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to earth at the end of the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, when the remaining one-third remnant of the Jews who survive that horrific time period, will be brought back into their land a final time, never to be scattered again.

At His first coming, Jesus Himself did tell the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, who were alive when Jesus walked the earth the first time, that they are not the true and good shepherds of the sheep, the people of Israel, but that He is their true and good Shepherd of the sheep:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter [doorkeeper] openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling [hired man], and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:1-15)

Jesus did not sugarcoat His words to the Pharisees; no, He gave them the truth, and it was not well received. Jesus also gives us the truth, and He is clear: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) Jesus then told them something that should not have surprised them because it was prophesied hundreds of years prior in the Old Testament, including in Isaiah 49:6, shown below, which I have written about in a prior devotional:

“And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

These are the words that Jesus spoke of to the Pharisees that Isaiah had written about long ago:

“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold [flock], and one shepherd.” (Jesus Christ; John 10:16)

Then and there, Jesus told them the truth that salvation would not only be offered to the Jews but also to the Gentiles, which are the “other sheep” He referred to in the scripture above, and that He would be their one and only shepherd, who would shepherd all the sheep that would be in flock; no longer would there be separation by Jew and Gentile. After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, the apostle Paul would later write of this to the churches of Galatia:

“Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) and all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory or ever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:1-5)

“For ye are all the children [sons] of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek [Gentile/non-Jew], there is neither bond [slave] nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  (Galatians 3:26-29)

Once we are saved, born again by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to deliver us out of our sin, we become a new creation, and there is no more division by Jew or Gentile, free or slave, male or female, but we are all brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. In our world that is increasingly doing things to divide us into buckets by race, sexual choices, what sex we are, political affiliation, denomination, and by so many other divisions, we must realize that the source of this division is Satan. Satan knows that if he can divide us, we will fall. Jesus warned the Jewish Pharisees of this:

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 12:25)

However, for those of us who have been born again, we are all sons and daughters of God, we are the bride of Christ, we are His church, and Satan will not prevail against us. Early in His ministry on earth when Jesus asked His disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matthew 16:13), it was Simon Peter, also called Simon Bar-jona, who answered Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied to Peter, saying:

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 16:17-19)

Once we are saved by Jesus, He will feed us along our journey with Him, He will provide, for He is our Good Shepherd. He will make the way for us, even when we are fearful and don’t know what to do. If we will listen to Him as He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit and let Him guide us on the way, we will come to the point where no matter what is happening in our lives, whether we are going through a major trial in our life or we are experiencing a time when things are good, we will see that we can rely and trust in Him no matter what, we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will never leave us nor forsake us, as His word tells us in both Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5. When we have come to that point, no longer will we hunger and thirst for the things of this world, for He will fulfill all those needs in us:

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

There is a difference between reading those words in the Bible and really believing them. When we finally believe them and that He is our Good Shepherd, we can be at peace, no matter the chaos that might be surrounding us, and in Him, we can have joy and we can have rest:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalm 23) ✝️