Light cannot be understood. After centuries of investigation and experimentation, the worlds finest scientific minds have failed to grasp its true nature. You may recall from your studies in high school physics that light has dual properties. Sometimes it behaves like a wave and at other times like a particle. Light is both visible and invisible. It is full of energy and yet has no mass. Even its formal scientific name—electro-magnetic radiation—seems confusing and complicated.
To the ancient mind, however, the concept was surprisingly simple. Light was that life-giving substance that poured forth from lamps and torches. It was the warmth and mysterious glow of fire; that energetic essence which so depended upon a steady supply of fuel. It was the regular shower of goodness that poured forth, day and night, from the heavenly bodies as they moved across the sky. The greater orb was welcomed each morning, its blazing heat endured at midday, and then its glorious departure observed as evening approached. Lesser lights would rule the night sky, giving guidance and hope to both seafaring sailors and land-based pilgrims.
For the children of Israel the idea of light was both foundational and central to their notion of God and His relationship with them. Moses wrote of Yahweh who merely spoke, and all the light which the universe could hold was created from nothing! God spoke to him first from a dry bush that was aflame and full of light. As he listened fearfully to the words, the fire did not burn out.
During their wanderings in the wilderness, the natural cold and pitch dark of the desert nights were miraculously moderated by a pillar of fire whose very presence was an affirmation of God’s care.
As Mount Sinai was burning and shaking like a volcanic inferno, out of the smoke and light God spoke again. This time, however, it was with clarity and objective precision. The people received the law and commandments written by the hand of God on tables of stone. It was as if God had switched on a light in the moral universe. Every human thought and action could now be judged against this bright standard whether it be good or bad. No wonder that later in their history Israel’s poets, kings, and sages would liken God’s Word to light.
Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem in which each stanza represents a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Furthermore each line of each stanza begins with that same letter of the alphabet. As each letter must have its turn, the psalm is lengthy and appears somewhat repetitive. Not so! By using this structure the author represents completeness. He is saying to the reader: “I am completely devoted to the law of God… and I can tell you why in 176 ways.”
In verse 105, we have the poetic form of duality used to compare God’s Word with light: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
A lamp is used only at night and has limited range. A flashlight can only illuminate a very small area. During the day, however, the sun shines and lights the entire landscape. The traveler easily sees the immediate road ahead as well as its full path to the horizon. Likewise the Word of God is a guide and road map for life, and it makes good sense for the creature to read and apply the Creator’s user’s guide—whether it is night or day. The Bible is full of detailed instructions needed for those difficult times of life when one is lost and in need of a lamp because all around is darkness and despair. The Bible also contains valuable information for the daily routine of life, when all seems perfectly normal. Staying on the path is key for along the road there are many objects that, though readily seen, are difficult to avoid. Often the terrain is tortuous and seems impassable. In all of life’s situations the Word of God is the pilgrim’s compass and manual.
The apostle John was very much taken up with idea of God’s revelation to man being represented as light. In the prologue to his Gospel he writes:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
The Lord Jesus Christ, as the living Word, not only created all the light of the Universe with its innumerable stars and galaxies, but He is the Light! His life is pure. In Him is no darkness at all. Light and darkness are mutually exclusive. The entrance of Christ into the world was announced by a great star in the heavens which caused the professors, philosophers, and astronomers to marvel. After seeing the full substance of God’s light in human form, the wise men worshiped and returned home as changed men. Conversely, wicked kings in their dark kingdoms were greatly troubled and spread more darkness to fight back the light.
Likewise the prophets and priests of Israel at the time of His birth saw the Lord Jesus as a great light which brings life and guidance: “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up” (Mt. 4:16). “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death…” (Lk. 1:79).
As the living Word, the Lord Jesus has shone in a dark place and brought life where before there was only death. He has cut a clear path into the light and away from darkness where previously there was none. Are you ready to follow Him? Are you reading His manual? Have you been enjoying His poetry and love sonnets?
A curious young student, upon entering his new school for the first time, was puzzled by its strange motto: Sto lucem. Not being at all familiar with the classical languages, he searched for someone who knew the meaning of these words. At last he located a Latin teacher and the question was posed. There was a short pause and then a wry smile began to appear on the face of the elderly man: “My dear child, Stand in the Light!”