Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1: 3-5, NKJV.
And now LORD we look to You, for Light to shine out of Your Word, and lead us in our study. In the blessed name of Jesus we humbly pray. Amen.
Today our study has brought us to the creation story; where God will begin His act of creation by speaking the Word. It is interesting how thoughts become naturally “paired up,” in Scripture. The first “pair” that is mentioned is: formless/empty – darkness (2). The second pair is: light – good (4). The second pair became a reality when God spoke.
After God created the light, He separated it from the darkness. From that moment, light and darkness cannot co-exist. They naturally exclude each other. If you enter a dark room, all you have to do, to get rid of the darkness, is to turn on the light; the darkness will naturally disappear. The two are not compatible. Perhaps this truth is nowhere seen more clearly, than in the realm of spiritual things.
In Scripture, God’s Word is compared to light. In Psalm 119, there are two well-known verses, that describe the Word of God as light.
Verse 105: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Verse 130: “The entrance of Your words give light…”
Therefore it is not a coincident that the period in earth’s history that is known as the Dark Ages was when, the circulation of the Bible was prohibited. Men and women were not allowed to own, and read, Scripture. They did this at the peril of their lives! The Adversary knows that truth is to be found in the Word of God; and that “truth will set [people] free.” He also knows how powerful truth is. Therefore, he will do everything in his power to keep the light of truth of God’s Word, from men and women.
In Scripture God’s people are also referred to as light.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5: 14-16).
What a responsibility, and a privilege, is ours, as Christians, to bring glory to God! If people are going to glorify God by what they see in us, it means we are to be emptied of self, so that the Holy spirit can do the work of God in us. In the same way the shade of a lamp has to be kept clean in order for the light of the candle to shine through; by God’s grace, let us allow the Holy Spirit to clean us up, so that the light of Christ’s righteousness may be seen in us.
We will continue our study tomorrow.