“ Light dawns in the darkness for the upright”–Psalm 112:4
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
One of the great Biblical themes that we repeatedly encounter in the Word is that of “ darkness.” Let me show you what I’m talking about by giving you a quick tour of just a few passages from Scripture.
Initially, we encounter the darkness in Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of the Lord is hovering over the primordial night that encompasses the unformed earth. This is the darkness of that which is not ordered, that which is “ without form, and void” (v. 2).
We next encounter darkness in Exodus 10, where the Lord, in His holy wrath, brings down total darkness upon the Egyptians who are holding the Covenant people hostage:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days (Exodus 10:21-22).
Here, this darkness is both an act of divine judgment upon the enemies of God, and, simultaneously, an act of salvation for His beloved people.
We next encounter darkness at Mt. Sinai where Israel received the Ten Commandments from the very hand of the Lord:
“ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:21).
The darkness here represents that which is unknown and incomprehensibly mysterious to mere mortals, the place where God dwells in His unimaginable holiness (see also Dt. 4:11; 5:23; 2 Sam. 22:12; 1 Ki. 8:12; Heb. 12:18).
But, as a number of other Biblical passages would suggest, darkness is also a terrifying symbol of evil. For example:
Psalm 82:5 declares that sinners, “ have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness.”
And Proverbs 4:19 states that, “ The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.”
We even encounter this symbol in the teaching of Jesus, who in Matthew 6:23 said, “ but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.”
But it is in the letters of the Apostle Paul where darkness is explicitly deployed as an image of all that man has become in his suicidal rebellion against God, and of that very darkness which Christ has graciously saved us from:
“ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).
“ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Eph. 5:11).
“ For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
“ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Co. 1:13).
“ For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness” (1 Th. 5:5).
It is in this sense that we should read the blessed promise of Psalm 112:4.
The cosmos, once beautify ordered, now is in a state of irreversible degradation. And in a way that remains inexplicable to us, the creation itself is longing for its own redemption (Rom. 8:19-23). The moral darkness of the human heart, exploding outward from the Garden of Eden and made manifest in the souls of all who have ever lived, has also plunged the universe into a most terrifying night, where evil flourishes and seems to always enjoy the upper hand. Generation after generation has witnessed the same thing, only the names, places, and dates have changed.
And yet, it was into this horrible darkness that God’s Son came!
The prophet Isaiah foresaw a day when those once hopelessly submerged in darkness and moral anarchy would see “ a great light” (Is. 9:2). Then, at the time eternally ordained by the Father, that “ great light” descended from heaven in our form. Ultimately, He was affixed upon the cross for us in order to atone for our inner darkness and the deeds that inevitably spring up from it.
But, oddly enough, for one-hundred and eighty mystifying minutes, darkness encompassed the whole land, just as it had done long before in Egypt. And it persisted right up until that climactic instant that the Savior died in our place under the righteous judgment of God:
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:45-46).
Now, let’s see if we can put all of this together and find our encouragement for this new day and new week.
At this moment, the darkness of human sin still has the entire world in its icy grip. Those whose hearts have been redeemed, and whose minds have been renewed in the miracle of the new birth, can see it clearly, no matter the direction of our gaze. It is everywhere! It has invaded every level and sphere of human society. Even as the redeemed Bride of Christ, we still wrestle against its presence and seductive power in our own lives. And the bitter fruit of this darkness is equally apparent.
The Coronavirus, which has successfully brought our ‘normal’ lives to a screeching halt, has also exposed the utter depravity and darkness of the human heart. And it is a tragic and ugly picture! In the midst of this current global crisis we are seeing every evil we could imagine unleashed: looting, greed, sexual perversion, scamming and exploiting the vulnerable, murder, and the egregious abuse of power at every level of government. The prophet Isaiah was right: the people are “ walking in darkness”!
But. . . “ Light dawns in the darkness for the upright”!
Way back when, at the time that the Lord brought the ninth plague of darkness upon ancient Egypt and pharaoh, the Covenant people enjoyed an entirely different experience! Look again at the words of Exodus 10:
“ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived” (Ex. 10:22-23).
The entire land was awash in a terrible night, signifying the descent of God’s holy, white-hot wrath and the end of a despicable regime! But all those whom Yahweh loved were never once, even for a nanosecond, without light!
Brothers and Sisters, like our Israelite forefathers of old, we are not in the dark! We can see! While the darkness of God’s judgment falls with unceasing regularity upon this world in which we live (Rom. 1: 18), those who belong to the Great Shepherd have nothing at all to fear! We live in the light! We walk in the light. And we have sweet fellowship with one another, ever rejoicing that the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all our darkness and unrighteousness! (1 John 1:7).
The radiant glow of God’s grace has shown in our hearts! We have been delivered from the terminally ill kingdom of darkness, and we are now blessed citizens of our Lord’s eternally enduring Kingdom of light! No longer are we like the Egyptians of Moses’ day, groping in the dark, confused, chaotic, unnerved, and spiritually lifeless. We are safe and secure, standing upon the unshakable foundation of God’s amazing grace! Every day, without fail, the light of God’s truth and grace “ dawns” for us and in us, even as the darkness overwhelms the world around us! And this, beloved ones, is what our Lord meant when He called us . . . His people . . . His Church, ” the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
So, be encouraged today. This darkness will not prevail! One day, perhaps soon, there will be no more darkness at all! Therefore, let us rejoice that our eyes are fully open! We see God’s greater purposes at work, even in the terrible things that human sin has brought, and is still bringing down upon the world. Christ our Lord reigns today over all things. . . all things without exception . . . even the evil that men perpetrate in the dark! And we belong to Him, we are His sheep, and we are safely sequestered in the hollow of His mighty right hand! Let us praise His Holy Name forever!
For those who are clothed with the pure white righteousness of Christ, every moment of every day is dawn!
I love you all with all my heart!
Mike