Depending on who you talk to and their love or hatred of God, the actions of God get filtered by our faith.  Some people blame God for everything bad and don’t give Him credit for anything good.  Then there are others who give God credit for everything good, but for some reason don’t want to give God credit for the bad stuff too. 

Why is that?

Scripture says God does both. 

(Aaaaiieeee!  And all the good little Christians throw up their hands and get confused.)  Hold your fire.  There’s an answer. 

But first we must acknowledge this truth:

I form the light and create darkness,  I bring prosperity and create disaster;    I, the LORD, do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7)

All the way back at Creation, God created Light.  There’s Nothing Like It!  But when He created light, He also separated it out from what was “not light” and that was darkness (what God eventually called ”night”).

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning– the first day.

When God creates (or brings) something defined as prosperity, whatever is “not prosperity” can be separated out and defined as disaster.  In some respects, it’s like an empty category that—on this side of the fall of man—gets filled automatically with what comes naturally to a sinful world.  It probably isn’t called default for nothing <cue vaudeville rimshot>.

But even that doesn’t let God off the hook.  People don’t want to see God as anything besides a God of love.  But He’s also a God of justice and a just God can’t love people and allow to go unpunished all that bad stuff that happens to his beloved ones.  The Christian sees God through these two simultaneous lenses, like polarizing filters, and the image we’re left with is the Cross.  It is there that God showed His love and His wrath simultaneously.  God revealed Himself in 3-D.

Fun fact of light:  3-D films. According to the Physics Classroom, “Polarization is also used in the entertainment industry to produce and show 3-D movies. Three-dimensional movies are actually two movies being shown at the same time through two projectors …The movies are projected through a polarizing filter.”

For further thought:  The BBC has a great video explaining 3-D films.  It’s a fantastic analogy for stereoscopic vision which helps us to visualize how God can show love and wrath at the same time.  How He can bring light and darkness, prosperity and disaster into real life on this side of the Cross.  Yet, to the Christian’s mind, the images just get processed together as God’s redemptive nature.

• How does God make even the bad stuff redemptive? 
• For insight, read Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 

Thank You, Jesus, for displaying the Image of God perfectly on the Cross!  Fully God.  Fully Man. Fully Love.  Full wrath against sin.  Complete humanity.  Complete sacrifice.  Complete justice.  We could not see the light before Your resurrection, but now, LORD, grant that we would never minimize our sin, we would never diminish Your gift of love and mercy, and that we would never try to make You a god of our own designing.  Help us to submit under Your mighty hand and to repent of our sin which grieves You.  May we walk in righteousness for Your Name’s sake and for Your glory.  You alone are God.  Amen.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)

Throughout this devotional series, we’ve been looking at Light: There’s Nothing Like It.  It’s more than an amazing creation.  It’s a great metaphor for so many aspects of the Christian faith.  Perhaps none so profound as this prophecy from Isaiah 9, foretelling the birth of the Messiah and the role He would have. 

Jesus, the Light of the World, brings salvation to a people who have been living in darkness. 

Indeed, a light has dawned.

Think about how many ways we use phrases, clichés, and idioms in the English language to convey a time of ignorance turning into a time of knowledge.  We might say that someone sees the light.  An idea has dawned on them.  A light bulb went on.  The secret needs some sunshine, or an expert to shed light on a situation.  A light at the end of a tunnel.  Or to bring something to light. 

A light dawned upon the Messianic expectations in the birth, life, and death of Jesus—human expectations of who He was and what He would do.  Those expectations unmet led a cheering crowd from Palm Sunday to call for His crucifixion on Good Friday.  It was only after His resurrection that the light truly dawned on His disciples and they began to understand God’s desire that all mankind would be saved, not just the chosen few.

Fun Fact of Light:  Because light has direction as waves, it can also be filtered kind of like beams of sunlight streaming through blinds or a picket fence.  Polarized sunglasses operate on the same principle, blocking some rays but allowing some to pass through: “Light waves from the sun, or even from an artificial light source such as a light bulb, vibrate and radiate outward in all directions. Whether the light is transmitted, reflected, scattered or refracted, when its vibrations are aligned into one or more planes of direction, the light is said to be polarized.”

The fun videos in the prior link and another group here demonstrate the impact of polarization upon light and even colors of light:   http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/light/Lesson-1/Polarization  .

For further thought:  A concept called Universalism states that all people will be saved, but that’s not what the Bible teaches.  Just as a light source reaches out in all directions, not all waves will pass through a polarized filter.  The Bible says that some refuse to see the light and sadly, rebel to the very end.  Only those who confess Christ are saved.  How does faith in Jesus act as a polarizing filter?

For insight, read Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Thank You, Father, for Your plan of salvation as for the Jews, but a light to the Gentiles, too.  We praise You for Your perfect plan.  We praise You for this mystery which unfolded at the birth, life, and death of Your Son Jesus and for the way You will bring the dawn of a new day when He returns and we understand fully.  We ask that You would use us to bring the light of the Gospel to a world in darkness so that among those who do not presently believe, a light will dawn and they will see Your goodness and mercy.  Amen.

Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. (Proverbs 4:18)

Fixed in Scripture is the idea that Wisdom is so desirable, we should embrace it at all costs.  In fact, chapters 1-9 of the Book of Proverbs talk about the merits of Wisdom.  What light is to our visual sight, Wisdom is to our spiritual sight.  We need full light, complete Wisdom.  Light is a great metaphor!

As we embrace the light of knowledge, that benefit of Wisdom, it will grow on us until we’re living as wise people in full light.  Shining ever brighter as it says in verse 18.  Today is the first gleam compared to eternity’s full light.

Our job is to walk in the way of righteousness so that as many people as possible will see the first gleam. Together, as a growing community called the Church, we glory in increasing brightness today and the full light of the coming New Jerusalem.

Fun fact of light:  We’ve seen before that humans can see a visible spectrum of light that involves colors.  But did you know the colors of light on our computers or smartphones may contribute to eye strain, changed biochemical profiles in our bodies, and ruin our sleep?

Authors Skye Gould and Kevin Loria, Tech Insider writers for Business Insider suggest that’s why the iPhone developers came up with “Night Shift” which is a setting allowing a warmer range of colors.  They write,

In general, looking at your phone at night is a terrible idea.

Smartphone screens emit bright blue light so you can see them even at the sunniest times of day.

But at night, your brain gets confused by that light, as it mimics the brightness of the sun. This causes the brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that gives your body the “time to sleep” cues. Because of this, smartphone light can disrupt your sleep cycle, making it harder to fall and stay asleep — and potentially causing serious health problems along the way.

For further thought:

Is your light dimly burning or are you displaying the light of Christ as shining ever brighter?

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Thank You, Jesus that Your light guides us to Wisdom.  Thank You for the privilege of sharing You with other people.  May we never forget the beautiful invitation to full light of Wisdom in relationship with you.  An invitation of grace, that unmerited favor which (by definition) we did nothing to deserve.  Thank You that while we were still sinners, You died for our sins.  We praise You and we thank You, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Psalm 139:7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you … 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Issues of light and darkness are no obstacle for God.  It’s not like He has X-ray vision.  He can just see everywhere, all the time, and He knows everything.  For that reason, when Scripture says that “darkness is as light to Him” we can understand that to mean that He is inescapable.  There is no place we can go to escape Him and nothing we can do that He can’t see.

How does it make you feel that God can see everything? 

We can get upset that the NSA can see into our homes and listen in on our conversations.  God can do it without equipment, technology, and even without a warrant (ahem).  And His memory is flawless.  Darkness—perhaps an issue for some types of NSA surveillance—is no obstacle for God.  It’s like He has one of those night vision goggles on … except He doesn’t need them.

Fun Fact of Light:  According to How Stuff Works (Tech), author Jeff Tyson writes :

“The first thing you probably think of when you see the words night vision is a spy or action movie you’ve seen, in which someone straps on a pair of night-vision goggles to find someone else in a dark building on a moonless night. And you may have wondered “Do those things really work? Can you actually see in the dark?”

The answer is most definitely yes. With the proper night-vision equipment, you can see a person standing over 200 yards (183 m) away on a moonless, cloudy night! Night vision can work in two very different ways, depending on the technology used.

Image enhancement – This works by collecting the tiny amounts of light, including the lower portion of the infrared light spectrum, that are present but may be imperceptible to our eyes, and amplifying it to the point that we can easily observe the image.

Thermal imaging – This technology operates by capturing the upper portion of the infrared light spectrum, which is emitted as heat by objects instead of simply reflected as light. Hotter objects, such as warm bodies, emit more of this light than cooler objects like trees or buildings.”

For further thought: 

• Read all of Psalm 139.  It’s often used to support the pro-life position in the abortion debate.  How might God’s ability to see all that we do speak to that debate?
• How might the obstacle of vision in darkness be resolved?  For insight, read 1 Corinthians 13:12 “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” and also Revelation 21:23 “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.”

Thank You, Father, that even though You see all things and know all things, yet you do not count men’s sins against them once they’ve been forgiven in Christ.  Thank You for Your great love to those who fear You and for removing our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:11-14)   Thank You for Your compassion upon us even though we are dust and a breath, here today and gone tomorrow. 

If you’ve ever wanted a psalm to identify all the virtues of the law, Psalm 119 would be it.  One of the virtues extolled in this acrostic (alphabetic) psalm is that the law gives light.   It’s the unfolding light of understanding.  When the beauty and effectiveness of the law are examined and applied, well, this inspection opens up a whole new understanding.  God’s words in Scripture, unfolded and explained, give light.

Truth be told, I sometimes get a little sad at not preaching anymore.  For a while, I was preaching every week instead of listening to someone else do it.  It’s one of the tragic flaws of ministry that when one is gifted for preaching/teaching, it’s kind of tough to listen to other people do it.  Even pulpit pastors who can hit the target within the first 20 minutes of trying still present the pew-preacher (kind of like an armchair quarterback) with plenty of opportunity to second guess, act as an analyst, and generally spend the time drifting into how they would present it differently, or maybe better.

We’re supposed to be listening for learning.  To have that unfolding light, the light of understanding impact our lives.  After all, the whole point of listening to a sermon is to have it open the Word to understanding, right?

God desires we listen, we learn, and that the exposition and preaching of His Word will give us light of understanding!

Fun Fact of Light:  The Chandra X-Ray Observatory at Harvard tells this story about X-rays and the ability to see through to details otherwise invisible to the naked eye.   

“A new form of radiation was discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Roentgen, a German physicist. He called it X-radiation to denote its unknown nature. This mysterious radiation had the ability to pass through many materials that absorb visible light. X-rays also have the ability to knock electrons loose from atoms. Over the years these exceptional properties have made X-rays useful in many fields, such as medicine and research into the nature of the atom.  Eventually, X-rays were found to be another form of light.”

There’s something mysterious about X-rays, especially for writers of science fiction stories or superhero comics.  In them, X-ray vision is usually an ability to see through solid objects at the selective choice of the one having this superpower (e.g. notable and iconic Superman of DC Comics).

According to Chad Orzel, physics contributor at Forbes who was enjoying exposing the notion of X-ray vision,

“Medical X-ray images aren’t made by focusing light to make an image, they’re made by putting the detector directly behind the target and blasting x-rays at it.  Really, they are just the shadows cast by stuff in front of them, like one of those photosensitive walls you see at science museums.”

For further study:

In the Bible there were plenty of people who heard the Word but never had it unfolded.  Their spiritual blindness hardened their hearts to where they couldn’t see the light.  Read Luke 8.  How did Jesus speaking in parables accomplish this?  His disciples asked Jesus to explain.  Luke 8:10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'”

Read Nehemiah 8:1-12.  In it, Ezra reads the Book of the Law.  Note the reactions people had to the Word of God giving them light of understanding.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.  (Psalm 119:105)

Surrounded by a world of darkness, a lamp isn’t just helpful, it’s necessary for vision, for safety, and for direction on the way to go. 

About the need for a lamp, I have a fond childhood memory that began with a terrible storm that came through Chicagoland when I was in the 1^st or 2^nd grade.  Chicago is not called the Windy City for nothing and throughout Illinois, some storms produce enough twisters to consider it part of “Tornado Alley.”  During one of these storms, the electric power went out at our house. 

It was night.  It was dark.  The wind was howling.  It was truly scary.

My dad brought out a kerosene lantern and set it on the table. 

I’m not sure why we had it or when we got it.  But I remember his setting it on the table in the kitchen and it lit the entire room.  Our whole family played board games since there wasn’t much else to do to pass the time as a family while we distracted ourselves from the sound of the storm.

Light can make all the difference. 

True to the title of the devotional series for Lent, there’s nothing like it to our physical sight, in the realm of physics, of nature, or as a parallel to spiritual sight. The Bible tells us that God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.  With it, we can see.  We can avoid stumbling blocks.  We can walk in safety and confidence, and know where we’re going. 

Just as all our neighbors wondered if we had power because they could see the light from our kerosene lantern, people will wonder why our lives have power, direction, and purpose when we walk by the light of His Word as a lamp to our feet.

Fun fact of light:  The Miner’s Cap Lamp.  According to the National Museum of American History,

The depth, the dark, and the dangers inherent in mining created a uniquely dangerous working environment for the miner. Miners faced death from collapsing mines, oxygen deprivation, and haulage accidents, with the specter of fatal lung disease remaining even after the miner had left the mines. But the most instantaneous and catastrophic loss of life was caused by explosions due to miner’s lamps igniting methane gas.

A miner’s light was essential to their labor. Without light there was no sight, no work, and no wages. But this essential light was also lethal. Open flames could ignite the inflammable gas especially prevalent in coal mines …

After a series of mining explosions from open flames Congress authorized the U.S. Bureau of Mines (1910) which “turned their attention to the new technology of electric lamps in an effort to curtail accidents through the elimination of flames and an improvement in lighting. In 1915 the Bureau approved the MSA Edison Flameless Electric Miners’ Cap Lamp, beginning the age of electric mine illumination that correlated with a steady decrease in mining accidents.”

For further thought:

• Consider that God’s Word as a lamp brings safety and hope yet there’s also something dangerous about it.  It’s dangerous to a way of life that grieves God when employed by one who genuinely desires to follow Christ.
• Read Ephesians 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 
• A miner’s livelihood was based upon the weight of coal mined.  Considering the reward of light for our path, can we see why a miner, like a Christian, might consider productivity a worthwhile tradeoff for the danger of having a lamp to light our way and make us effective?

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the convicting power of Your Holy Spirit.  For the way He applies Your Word to our lives as a lamp to our feet.  For the way He guides us toward righteousness and preserves us from the dangers and stumbling blocks.  May we always have teachable hearts and spiritual sight in Christ.  Amen.

Light is His.  It belongs to God.  It’s been that way since the beginning of time.

Psalm 104:1 Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. 2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent 3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind…19 The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. 20 You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. 21 The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. 22 The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. 23 Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening.

What a beautiful poetic description of God as Creator!  The psalmist praises God saying “He wraps Himself in light.” All the lights of the heavens and even the wind and clouds obey His command.  They serve Him.  Light is His.  Yet He sends darkness in the rhythm of life… so that when the sun also rises, mankind knows to work while it is daylight.

Have you ever thought about light having God as Creator just as much as any animal or human?  His fingerprints are on every beam of light.  Every light wave, every particle bears His signature as its maker.  There is nothing like it!  It bears His signature, yet as unique as light is, it does not bear His seal of ownership in the same way that believers in Christ have with the Holy Spirit.

What makes God’s signature as Creator different from His seal of ownership as Savior?

Ever since the fall of man, all of creation groans because of the sin of mankind.  But only man can receive the Holy Spirit.  Someday in heaven, believers in Jesus Christ will see God face-to-face.  Our eyes will be equipped in perfection to absorb the full intensity of God’s light, the light that is His!  Our hearts and minds will be fully cleansed by the indwelling Holy Spirit to grow in knowledge perfectly and to see God in all His glory.

For now, the full intensity of God’s light, the fullness of His glory, cannot be seen directly or it would kill us.  God’s Word, however, will lead us to greater spiritual sight until the day we are perfected in Christ.

Fun Fact of Light:  Don’t look at the sun’s light directly.  Why?  According to Gizmodo,  

The moment you begin looking at the sun, you start to develop a sunburn on your eyeball. Of the three types of light that the sun produces—visible, infrared, and ultraviolet—UV is the most damaging to structures within the eye, especially when reflected off sand, snow or water. The cells of the cornea, the transparent outer layer of the eye, will blister and crack when overexposed to UV light. It’s a lot like a normal sunburn… Luckily, the effect is almost always temporary, dissipating within 36 hours, and can be prevented by wearing UV-rated eye wear.

With enough damage to the retina, though, staring at the sun can leave you partially blind. Prolonged UV exposure can damage the macula…[and] cause macular degeneration, eventually resulting in permanent blindness in the center of your field of vision. Basically, that black dot you see after a photo flash would just never go away.

For further thought:

In Exodus 33:15-23, Moses wants to see God’s glory and God says, 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

How does God resolve the situation in verses 21-23?

Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. (Isaiah 2:5)

What does it mean to walk in the light of God’s presence, the light of the LORD? 

Well, if walking in darkness is increasing ignorance of God’s ways and rebellion against Him, then walking in God’s light ought to mean continually learning the ways of God and increasingly following Him.  That is the only way to find favor in His eyes. 

Use it or lose it.

I must admit, I look at the headlines every morning and wonder … do these people have no fear of God?  To willingly do what is evil, to spread lies, to plot secretly, to covet power … these things aren’t the way to please God’s heart.  They go from bad to worse.  Is this the modern equivalent of Pharaoh’s hardened heart?

If you read that entire passage in Isaiah 2, you’ll find it’s talking about the Last Days.  There is the mountain of the LORD, a place of God’s temple and worship and it’s open to all who are willing to learn His ways, walk in the light of His paths, love His law, cherish His word, and submit to His judgments. 

But then there’s the rest of the chapter. 

It’s devoted to the Day of the LORD and describes those who refused God’s light. 

These evildoers burrow deeper and deeper into darkness.  They try to hide from the light of God. 

Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty! (Isaiah 2:10)

Yeah, it’s in Isa 2:10, 2:19, 2:21—the same thing of finding a hole, a crag, or a cave in which to hide.  (Good grief!  As if God can’t see in the dark or have the ability to peer into a cave. Only arrogance could blind people to God’s superior vision and wisdom!)

Those who walk in the light of the LORD do not need to fear the Day of the LORD.  Everyone else needs to worry…big time.  Way too many people have absolutely no fear of God.  But use it or lose it!  They’re fools in darkness. And God promises that they’ll learn someday what they now refuse to believe, but only when it’s too late for them.  Friends don’t let friends walk in darkness when they can walk in the light of God.

Fun fact of light:  Use it or lose it from National Geographic.   “Few animals have ignored the warning “use it or lose it” as spectacularly as the Mexican blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus), which no longer has eyes… “Any animal that lives in permanent darkness and doesn’t need vision to find food or avoid predators won’t really need their eyes or visual centers in the brain,” adds Moran, currently a researcher at Seafood Technologies Group, Nelson, New Zealand.  Indeed, the findings also show that blind A. mexicanus have a significantly smaller midbrain, the part that deals with vision….

These omnivorous fish compensate for lack of vision by eating just about anything they can find, including scavenging dead animals and plants.”

For further thought:

In Isaiah 2:11 “The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.”  How are light and sight connected?  How are light and knowledge connected?  What trait of humanity will be exposed in God’s light?

In Isaiah 2:22 “Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?”  How does this form the moral of the story?  And how does light give us life?

Thank You, Father, that You sent Jesus to open the eyes of the blind so we might learn to walk in Your light.  We praise You for Your goodness and Your holiness.  May we never take for granted that You alone are God and all will be humbled before You.  Be glorified in us today.  Amen.

Isaiah 35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.