The doorbell rang. A man went to the door but couldn’t see or hear who it was even when he opened the door fully. Outside of the door was dark blackness. There was a presence, a person blending in with the darkness. The man asked as he thought he saw a person there, “What do you want?” He heard the person say something yet it was too obscure to get a real grasp of what was said. The man replied to the obscurity and it seemed they were not happy with the answer. The person at the door left. Something wasn’t right. There was a sense of an imminent robbery.
Darkness may come and surprise us. It has a way of sneaking around and catching us unawares. You don’t have to open the door but how will you know who it is if you do not? If you do open the door you don’t have to let it in – it is your choice. By doing so you don’t give a place to it. Confront the darkness you will see it leave. The light you have around you as you open the door ekes out into the darkness. Yes there is a feeling of violation a sense of having been robbed but darkness goes when you stand against it in Jesus. The situation is averted.
Turn to Proverbs in the Bible – short pithy little sayings which have a lot in them even though they are brief. There are 6 mentions of light in the Lexham version of Proverbs:
Proverbs 4:18 (LEB): 18 But the path of the righteous ones is like the light of dawn, leading and shining until the day ⌊is full⌋.
Proverbs 6:23 (LEB): 23 For like a lamp is a commandment, and instruction is light, and the way of life is the reproof of discipline,
Proverbs 13:9 (LEB): 9 The light of the righteous will rejoice, but the lamp of the wicked will go out.
Proverbs 15:30 (LEB): 30 From the light of the eyes, the heart will rejoice, and good news will enliven the bones.
Proverbs 16:15 (LEB): 15 In the light of the face of the king there is life, and his favor is like a cloud of spring rain.
Proverbs 29:13 (LEB): The poor and a man of oppression have this in common: Yahweh gives ⌊light to the eyes of them both⌋.
If we look at darkness which is the contrast to light, one of the symbols of darkness is judgement. Make a choice of walking in the dark or walking in the light. John in his first letter writes about walking in the light, which is life.
Also a couple of references about light from Psalms with a focus on the third verse.
Psalm 43:3 (LEB): Send your light and your truth; they shall lead me. They shall bring me to ⌊your holy mountain⌋ and to your dwelling places.
Psalm 89:15 (LEB): 15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful shout; O Yahweh, they walk about in the light of your countenance.
Psalm 119:130 (LEB): 130 The unfolding of your words gives light, giving understanding to the simple.
In regards to the man at the beginning of this post it is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for unfolding here in the last verse selected, means disclosure, declaration and can mean a door, an opening, an entrance way, a gate or a place. The man in the top piece was having a revelation about darkness and light.
As we spend time listening to, or reflecting on a verse like this our understanding is opened up. A simple person in the Bible is one who we would call naive, lacking in understanding of either good or bad and cannot make a decision either way. This revelation helps such a person to understand the difference and make a correct choice.
The story I started the post with was very illuminating to me and showed me that things that come and knock on my door may not be things I have to invite in. Often a lie may come to us, what we do with that lie is what matters. Knowing that lie and recognising it for what it is, is something we all face every day.
Today I consider this as I was struck by the fact that as followers of Jesus we are to gird our minds with truth. I saw it in a new way. We are to surround ourselves with truth. Jesus himself said that he is truth. What better way to surround ourselves than to wrap our selves in his truth, his thoughts about us. To listen, think and read about truthful things. This is the way to let light into our lives.