"And I will girt thee the treasures of darkness." Isaiah 45:3
When God made this promise to Cyrus, He was speaking of material treasures from lands of darkness that Cyrus would conquer. But we are not doing violence to the verse when we take it and apply it in a spiritual sense.
There are treasures that are discovered in the dark nights of life that are never found in days of unrelieved sunshine.
For instance, God can give songs in the darkest night (Job 35:10) that would never have been sung if life were completely devoid of trials. That is why the poet wrote:
And many a rapturous minstrel among
those sons of Light
Will say of his sweetest music "I
learned it in the night;"
And many a rolling anthem that fills
the Father's home
Sobbed out its first rehearsal in the
shade of a darkened room.
There is the darkness of what J. Stuart Holden calls "life's inexplicable mysteries - the calamities, the catastrophes, the sudden and unexpected experiences which have come into life, and which all our forethought has not been sufficient to ward off; and life is dark because of them - sorrow, loss, disappointment, injustice, misconception of motive, slander." These are often the things that make life dark.
Humanly speaking, none of us would choose this darkness, and yet its benefits are incalculable. Leslie Weatherhead wrote, "Like all men, I love and prefer the sunny uplands of experience, when health, happiness and success abound, but I have teamed far more about God and life and myself in the darkness of fear and failure than I have ever learned in the sunshine. There are such things as the treasures of darkness. The darkness, thank God, passes. But what one learns in the darkness, one possesses for ever."
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William MacDonald (1917 - 2007)
Was President of Emmaus Bible College, teacher, Plymouth Brethren theologian and a prolific author of over 84 published books. MacDonald refused to accept royalties for his books but established a fund for translating his work Believers Bible Commentary into foreign languages.Bill will be not only be remembered for the thousands upon thousands of lives he touched through his books, teaching and many personal letters, but for his Christ-like character and gentleness, yet powerful life lived by faith in Christ. One of his most impact-ful books is the small booklet called: "True Discipleship" it is recommended reading for every serious disciple of Christ.
Recommends these books by William MacDonald:
Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald
True Discipleship by William MacDonald
One Day at a Time by William MacDonald