“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” Isaiah 9:1a. Out of this ninth chapter of Isaiah emerged a word of hope for those who have been in distress.
Have you been in “distress”? Interestingly, Strong’s Concordance notes “the term "mutsaq" refers to something that has been cast or poured out, typically in the context of metalwork. It is used to describe objects made by pouring molten metal into a mold, resulting in a solid, formed object”. I think we can all recall a time we’ve felt “melted” by a season or totally poured out. It’s a beautiful thought, however, to imagine those same blistering seasons as the times when God is carefully molding and setting us. God wants to remind us that it's in these times that He "molds" us and "sets" us up for something good. Something so good it could only be His design.
For those in distress, God gives the Words here “no more gloom”. Gloom points to a spectrum of definitions which encompass everything from mourning to despondency. Mourning is past-focused. It’s grief for something that has passed or an overwhelming longing for the past. There is certainly a time to grieve (Ecclesiastes 3:4), but this verse declares a break in the seasons. It says in the King James translation of that same Isaiah 9:1a verse “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation”. In other words, there shall not be carried into this time the grief that was in the past season. God is drawing a line of separation where we will cease to long for the past in an unhealthy way. He is healing grief into gratitude- thankfulness for what was that also has room for hopefulness for what is.
Gloom also can refer to despondency. American Heritage Dictionary defines despondency as “Depression of spirits from loss of hope, confidence, or courage.” All of these- hope, confidence, and courage- pertain to how we face the future. Hope is to what level we expect the Lord to do good things in our future. Confidence is unshakability in our beliefs which helps us navigate the future. Courage is ability to face an unknown future because of our assurance of God’s goodness. Gloom is what “dims” these things. It doesn’t falsify them, but it makes them hard to see. So the “no more gloom” declaration also breaks the shadow cast over our future that keeps us from seeing His brightness ahead. Shadows are usually not representative of the actual size or location of the object (something small can cast a big shadow, something far away can cast a shadow that stretches close enough to touch you). They also have no substance. They aren’t actually a “thing” but a disruption of light. If you reinstate the light to an area of shadow, it’s gone. A shadow never overcomes a light. God is calling us to again see past the shifting shadows of hopelessness, fear, or confusion to see the real hope He has for our futures.
Verse two of Isaiah chapter nine continues, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Walking in darkness does many things. It slows you down. Even though you may be in your own living room, in complete darkness your steps become timid and careful so your shin doesn’t have an unexpected encounter with your coffee table. Light brings a renewed speed and confidence. Complete darkness also requires you to rely on memory. What did it look like? Where were the obstacles? Light allows you to see again in true detail what your mind remembered vaguely. At the darkest times in our lives we strain to remember what God showed us. We can even begin questioning if we heard Him. When the light comes again it reinforces what we once saw but had almost forgotten in the “dark time”.
Verse five in chapter nine of Isaiah is the spark that began this whole Word. This powerful verse reads “Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” The morning I read this, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper “What the enemy is using to make you afraid is only going to be fuel for the fire”.
The word ra‛ash is used here for warrior’s boots and means “noise of battle” (Strong’s 7494). A closer look at this verse revealed that warriors boots used to have all sorts of attachments made of clanging metal- hooks, clasps, and nails- all to allow the warrior’s boots to be heard as they came. The jarring noise would cause confusion and panic. The warrior’s boot would instill fear before they even arrived. Often the enemy tries to use the same tactics. Chaos and noise attempt to bait us into panic, fear, and confusion about things that haven’t even arrived yet (and may never transpire).
The garments rolled in blood were a visual reminder of the enemy’s past works- times he has killed or destroyed. We see our modern day equivalent in focusing on the times the enemy has stolen, killed, or destroyed that we see in our community, our newsfeeds, or our televisions. The threat- then and now- is “if it happened to them it can happen to me”. When we give way to this fear it takes our fear (awe) of the Lord off the throne. When we lose sight of Who is Lord and what that means for us, panic causes us to project all sorts of things on our future. Like the shadow of despondency mentioned earlier.
Both the warrior boots and blood stained garments meet the same fate in Isaiah 9:5. All of these war tools of the enemy are utterly consumed by God. In a turnaround that only God could create, they become fuel for the fire. In ancient times (according to Barnes’ Notes on the Bible) this kind of stripping of enemy soldiers and burning of gear happened when an army was vanquished. Completely defeated. Their things were burned so that they would be useless. Gone. Fuel for the fire.
What “fire” is God fueling? What does fire mean for the Lord? We see the fire being God’s presence (leading in the desert in Exodus 13). We see fire being God’s empowerment as when He showed up to commission Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3) or when God empowered Elijah at Mt Carmel in 1 Kings 18). We see God’s anointing in the fire of Pentecost (Acts 2). We also see fire as a reminder of God’s deliverance as a fourth man stood in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3).
Where the enemy wanted to bring terror, God is using it to fuel His fire. The situations the enemy sought to bring fear and defeat become fuel for His presence showing up in our life. The blows meant to crush our spirit and forfeit our giftings become fuel for His calling. The heat of temptations to take God off the throne become fuel for God showing His power over other idols or worldly powers. The very places the enemy wants you to feel the chaos of abandonment become the upper rooms that fuel His Holy Spirit anointing. The attacks of the enemy become the furnace of God’s deliverance and rescue for you and even for the salvation of others who will hear the testimony.
While the distress of this season is real, the gloom is ending. As the shadow lifts and the light shows things for what they are, we will see how all the enemy has brought against us is going to only end up fueling God's fire.
Encounter questions
Father, Where are areas of grief that have gone past their season and kept me stuck? What hope for now do you want to speak to heal me in this place?
Holy Spirit, where are areas of low hope, low confidence, or low courage? What words of Yours do you want to remind me of to “fill up” these areas?
Lord, illuminate what the “warriors boots” or “bloodied garments” have been for me in this seasons? As I place them in Your hands, show me how they can be fuel for Your fire. I trade these fears for more of Your fire, Lord. Amen.
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