146. Light in the Dark Soul
Isaiah 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day.
The light that rises in the soul shrouded in obscurity and darkness is a conditional promise for those who feed the hungry and help the afflicted. This conditional promise is simply: if you care for the hungry and afflicted, then light will shine in the dark soul and the darkness will flee.
“Draw out thy soul” has the same meaning as “your heart goes out.” That simply means that the life and spirit of God within the believer cares about and seeks to help take care of the poor and hungry. God cares about and cares for the humble, poor, hungry and afflicted. It is the Lord who gives us such a heart.
This kind of “caring about the afflicted” is the kind of heart that Jesus refers to during the final judgment of the sheep and goats: “Inasmuch as ye have done to the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me. [Matthew 25:40]” The outward evidence of an inward faith that saves is caring for the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and in prison. This behavior shows a heart that has been changed by faith in Christ. It is still faith that saves, but it is works that give evidence to it. According to James, it is not dead faith, but faith that is alive and actually does things that saves. Once the heart is changed by faith the new person “satisfies the afflicted soul.”
The promise is that day or night, in light or in darkness of soul, in good times or bad, in smooth or rough times, in comfort or in difficulty, light will rise in the soul; all the time it will be high noon. Every soul is afflicted with something, and everyone you know is facing a struggle; therefore, we are kind to all, for every person is in need. It is a well-known fact and an often-preached sermon that the giver receives greater blessing than the receiver. It is often said that one way out of depression is to focus on being kind and doing good to another person. This is the promise: light will rise. We may not see the blessing right away, but it is still true. The afflicted soul becomes the blessed soul.