Isaiah writes in ch50 v10,11, ‘Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant?’  When I see such a question I know I want to be one of the ‘Who among you’.  He writes, ‘Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.’

Well, I know that describes me before God saved me.  I walked in darkness and I had no light.  But God saved me and gave me faith to trust in Him.  He brought me into His light…He put His light within me.  I take refuge in this verse.  I want to make certain I am one of the ‘who among you’. 

And as I take refuge in verse 10, I take warning in verse 11 which reads ‘Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches!  Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled!  This you have from my hand:  you shall lie down in torment.’   I DO want to be one of the ‘who among you’ and I DON’T want to be one of those who ‘lie down in torment’.  Who are they?  They are those who prepare their own fire and light their torches from their own fire and walk by that light. 

Can I fear the LORD, trust in His name and also kindle my own fire?  I take warning from this verse because it seems that not only is this a pronouncement on those who walk by the light of their own fire…they ’shall lie down in torment’,  but I am cautioned about chasing after another’s light or keeping my own fire kindled. 

Why would I keep my own fire kindled?  Do I have a fire more comforting than the LORD’s?  Do I have a light that illuminates better than His word?  Does ‘my light’ lead others to fear the LORD and obey him?

Jesus gave his light to a blind man in John 9 and it caused quite a stir; and Jesus said to him in v39 “for judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

So I want to be one who fears the LORD and I don’t want to kindle my own fire and walk by the light of my torch, nor lead others by any other light than the Light of the world…Jesus Christ.