And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
(2 Kings 3:18, KJV)
Me: Turn to your neighbor and say "It is a light thing!"
Now, That's A Word! Readership: "It is a light thing!"
Amen!
Alright, now let me lay the context of the formation of this article for you first. As some of you may or may not know, I had a miscarriage in April of this year. Now, prior to the miscarriage, I thought God told me that my baby would live. I thought my baby would live based on what I read in Isaiah 49. See the article "Broken, Buried, But..." for the entire spill.
So, today (6/21/21), I happen to notice an app on my phone that I didn't quite recognize off the top of my head called "Keep Notes". I clicked on the app, and the only thing I had saved in it was a link to a Bible scripture. I click on the link, and it leads me to Isaiah 49.
Now, honestly, after I understood that Isaiah 49 actually confirmed my miscarriage instead of confirming my child's survival,(Confusing... I know. So, seriously, read that article if you haven't already.) But since then, I haven't revisited Isaiah 49.
I haven't gone back to it because it's still painful. It still hurts.
But I knew God wanted me to go back to it... otherwise, I wouldn't have clicked on that random phone app that I used just that one time to save this one scripture. So, I put in my ear plugs, put my audio Bible on play, and went on a short stroll to hear what thus says the Lord.
He said a few personal things to me. Like a sweet love letter. But one thing He said to me that I knew for sure He wanted me to pass to you all was what I read in Verse 6.
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, KJV)
I remember when I first read this verse I thought that it would make a decent article. But with the confusion and uncertainty that came with the miscarriage, I forgot all about it. This article would have been lost in the winds of life had God not reminded me of it. Therefore, I know this article is for somebody. So, let's get to this "light thing".
In the referenced text, 2 Kings 3:18, it is reported that it was a light thing for the Israelites to defeat the Moabites. NASB version says a slight thing, NIV says an easy thing, NJKV says it was a simple matter.
So, we know that with God, this battle was indeed a piece of cake, but what I love about this scripture is the circumstances around the light thing. In the verse right before the "light thing" verse it says the following:
For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
(2 King 3:17. KJV)
God told them that they would not see any rain nor would they see any wind, yet the valley would be filled with rain. Honey, that means not only was it a light thing for God to help them, but that they wouldn't even know where the blessing came from! How can a valley be filled without rain? It seems impossible. But what is impossible for us, is but a light thing to God.
"Is there anything too hard for Me?" is what God rhetorically asked in Jeremiah 32:27. Not only is nothing too hard for Him, but it is also easy for Him. For He merely spoke the the universe into existence.
But I have to bring it home with Isaiah 49. In this scripture, God said it was a light thing for His servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, to restore the preserved of Israel, and to give a light to the Gentiles so that they may have salvation. This is prophetic talk. This is speaking about Jesus coming into the world and dying for our sins... yet, the scripture says it was a light thing.
Christ's crucifixion seems to be anything but light. Jesus Himself had a brief moment where He didn't want to go to the cross when He asked God to take the cup from Him. Many of the disciples died for their belief in Christ. Even time itself is based upon the most historic event of all time; hence the B.C. and A.D. timestamp.
How is it a light thing?
Well, in terms of significance, there is absolutely nothing light about it. In terms of his suffering and grueling death, there was definitely nothing easy about it. I found it interesting that when I looked up "a light thing" in the Isaiah 49 context, it translated to "it is too small a thing" in all three versions (NIV, NKJV, and NASB).
So in essence, it was beneath Christ to give us salvation, it was too small of a thing for Him to do what He did. He was too holy, too grand, too sovereign to became a mere man. But it wasn't as if He was a free man on earth. Philippians 2 describes Christ putting on humanity as a form of slavery. Christ became a slave for our freedom.
Imagine President Joe Biden, Trump, or Obama on their hands and knees scrubbing your floors. Can you picture Bill Gates taking out your trash? Can you envision Oprah serving you breakfast on a silver platter? I'm trying to get you to imagine the most prestigious people on earth serving you. Impossible, right? They would never do that. And why should they? Serving you in that capacity would definitely be considered beneath them.
But God... although it was "too small a thing" for Him, did it anyway. Only agape, never-ending love would have the gumption to sink so far below His status for our benefit. And then after dropping exceedingly below who He is, He then turns around and does "light" things for us like putting water in a valley with no rain.
I mean, seriously? Where does the goodness end? Where does it stop? Oh, yeah that's right! It doesn't it...
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
(Psalms 103:17-18, KJV)
My Lord! I'm done you guys. I just want to end with this. Since God did what was beneath Him and since He does "light" things for us, can we agree to make a conscious effort to "remember His commandments and to do them"? No, we are not perfect. Yes, we will mess up. That's why we needed Christ in the first place. But please, let's do our best in attempting to honor a God who brought Himself low, so that we can one day sit high.
I think it is the least we can do. It may not always be easy to do, but just ask God to help you obey Him. Because for Him, it is but a light thing.
Alright you guys, have a splendid day, and the most wondrous week! Be blessed.
Quin Arrington's debut book "And Then You Shall Have Good Success: Attaining Good Success God's Way" is available on Amazon in paperback and eBook format. Link to book listed below.
Amen! He is beyond what we can ever imagine. He's so good my goodness!