O Come, Thou Dayspring

Advent Day #9

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people
by the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:77-79

When God’s people finally entered the Promised Land, one of the kings hired a prophet to curse the Israelites. Balaam, the prophet, knew that God would not allow him to curse them, and every time he prayed, a blessing would come forth. In his final blessing, Balaam spoke of the Light that would come.

I shall see him, but not now:
I shall behold him, but not nigh:
there shall come a Star out of Jacob,
and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel.. Numbers 24:17a

God had intended for His people to be a light to the nations around them. By their worship and obedience to God, the Gentiles would also be drawn to their Creator. Sadly, Israel instead turned to the gods of the people around them. Finally, God’s judgment led them to exile in Babylon for seventy years. When a remnant of the people returned to Jerusalem, a revival took place and a smaller version of the temple was rebuilt. The Israelites also reinvested themselves in the Law, eventually creating a large commentary that broke down every point of God’s law into trivial areas such as tithing on their herbs, and how far they could walk on the Sabbath. Instead of God’s Law drawing Gentiles to salvation, it created hopeless boundaries that could never be crossed. The last words of the final prophet of God’s people told them to look for another prophet like Elijah who would turn the hearts of the children to the fathers, and the fathers to the children. (Malachi 4:5-6) Zechariah’s son, John, would be that prophet after 400 years of silence.

The word “Dayspring” signifies a new beginning or hope. It is often associated with divine intervention or the coming of a new era, as the sun’s rising in the Eastern sky. Jesus would be the Light God had desired His people to be all along. He would fulfill every line of the Law, giving hope to those who could not even approach God’s temple. Not only would His light expose the sinful hearts of men, but it would also guide those in darkness into the path that would lead them to God.

Those of us who have experienced His light in our darkness, are to continue to reflect His light to those who are still hopelessly lost. This Christmas, we must make it our priority to let our light shine.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16