February 8
Exodus 21-22
Psalm 19:1-6
Proverbs 4:18-19
Matthew 24:15-35
Light or Darkness
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the fullness of day. The way of the wicked is like thick darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” Proverbs 4:18-19 LSB
I like the light. If you come to my house, most of the lights will be on all the time. I like to see where I am going and what is around me. I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid of the dark, but I prefer lots of light. The first thing I do every morning is open all the blinds to let the light in and typically as soon as it gets dark outside I close them. I even leave the lights on in rooms when I walk out because I might come back and want to be able to see if I return. When the power goes out, I am more disturbed by the lack of light than not being able to use my computer or charge my phone. I can’t really explain my desire for light but I do think there is just an innate knowledge that light is good and darkness is bad. Metaphorically, throughout the Bible we find the use of light representing good, righteousness and truth and darkness representing evil, sin and lies. In the light everything is revealed. Truth is able to come forth and shine. Evil is done in the shadow of darkness; secrets and lies flourish and grow in the darkness.
When we walk in the light of the truth, we can see where we are going, the obstacles that lie in our path and the dangers that are around us. When we walk in the way of evil and deception, we are unable to see the snares and temptations that are lurking in the shadows. We are unable to anticipate the consequences of our sinful actions because we deceive ourselves into believing everything is fine. The enemy loves the dark because he can hide the truth from us and take us to places we would never go if we could see the path clearly. The world around us is getting darker and darker, but the light shines the brightest in the dark. I live near Mammoth Cave and have taken many cave tours over the years. It is very unsettling when the guide turns off the lights because there is utter and complete darkness. You cannot even see your hand right in front of your face. But then they turn on a tiny light and suddenly the whole room is lit by that small light. The light of righteousness shines brighter and brighter until the fullness of day. Keep shining your light wherever you are. Darkness cannot prevail over the light. The light always wins.
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