The Light Of Galilee

THE LIGHT OF GALILEE
1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light;

Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. (Isaiah 9:1-2).

Isaiah did not have a popular message. It was a message of gloom and doom. The previous verses at the end of chapter 8 reflect this. But in the midst of this gloom and doom, there breaks through those dark clouds a shining ray of hope. Note the emotional content of this description. In anguish
Contempt
Walk in Darkness
Live in a Dark Land
No more gloom
Glorious
See a great Light
The Light will Shine on them

Israel was at war and facing the onslaught of the full weight of the Assyrian military machine. Within a short time Israel would fall and the Southern Kingdom of Judah would also be besieged. In the midst of this sober threat, God promises peace.

Zebulun and Naphtali were beautiful lands with a major problem. The problem is that they were the buffer zone between Israel and the hostile forces to the north. Every time the Assyrians came down, the first place through which they would come were Zebulun and Naphtali. By the days of Jesus, this region had come to have a high Gentile population. It would be known as “Galilee of the Gentiles.” This would give rise to a proverb: “Can anything good come out of Galilee?” This is the place where God chose to send His Son. Not Jerusalem. Not the Temple. Not Rome, the capital of the Empire. But Galilee. Jesus was not sent to those who already had the light. He was sent to those in darkness. He came to heal the sick, not the healthy. We live in a world that is in darkness. There are bad times ahead. But there is good news. A light has come. The light has come.