Light and Darkness

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. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. . .Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1: 3, 4, 14-19, NKJV.

Dear God, thank You for a new year! Please give us grateful hearts to appreciate the blessings that this new year has in store for us, bravery of heart to face the challenges, and a positive outlook, that we may grow from whatever experience you allow to come our way. Now please open our eyes to see the buried treasures in Your Word. In the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Happy New Year everyone! I am very grateful to be once again sharing my devotional thoughts with you on this first day of 2012. May the God of peace, love, and joy, remain with us as we enter the study of His Word.

It is amazing how the word of God offers new insights every time we approach it! I decided to read my Bible through again this year, so this morning I began by reading the first three chapters of Genesis. How thrilling it was for me to review truths that I had seen before and discover precious gems that had been overlooked in the past. One of these discoveries was made in the verses that comprise our Scripture for today – the amount of time God dedicated to the creation and separation of light and darkness during creation week.

On the very first day of creation He called light into existence and declared it good. Then He separated it from the darkness. He then named it Day, and the darkness Night. 

On the fourth day of creation we find God taking portions of light and placing them in Heaven (the firmament in the midst of the waters). Again there is division – the lights now provide a division between the day and the night. The greater light (the sun) would rule over the day, and the lesser light (the moon) would rule over the night, along with the stars. Once again light and darkness are divided (18).

In Scripture, repetition usually implies that what is being stated is worthy of our attention. Not without importance, I believe, is this subtle division between light and darkness from “in the beginning”. Throughout Scripture that division can be observed:  During the plagues in Egypt (Exodus 10: 21-23); During the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14: 19, 20); God’s people as compared to the world (Isaiah 60: 1-3); In order to receive light people must turn from darkness (Acts 26: 18); there is no fellowship between the two (2 Corinthians 6: 14).

Therefore, I would like to share with you what I consider a good rule of thumb for living our lives in this new year:  “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1: 7). 

May you and I enjoy a de -light-full New Year!