A Light Unto My Path
Have you ever had the opportunity to start a hike while it is still dark outside? Imagine the setting. It is in the early hours of the morning before the sun has risen. There is a stillness as the world around you still slumbers. The air is brisk. Fortunately, the glow of your headlamp provides a beam for you to follow along the trail. Without this light source you would lose your way and stumble into trouble.
In Psalm 119:105, the psalmist states, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” God’s word is just like that headlamp – it provides the necessary guidance to stay on the right path and out of trouble. This is not the only time that light (and darkness) are used as metaphors in the wisdom literature. Later in Psalm 119 in verse 130, the unfolding of God’s words are compared to light and said to bring understanding to the simple. In Proverbs 4:18-19 we are told “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” Here, righteousness (which is understood via the law) is pictured as the dawn building into the full noon sun – but wickedness is a darkness so deep that you can’t see what you are stumbling over. Have you ever experienced this level of darkness? Perhaps in a cave or the woods far away from light pollution? Humans crave light. We want to know what is surrounding us. There is a level of joy that comes as the dawn breaks, and we can see what is all around us.
Interestingly, in the beginning during the creation account, everything is darkness, and the first thing God states is “Let there be light.” We have a daily reminder of law and wickedness in the cycle of day and night. Light begins to bring order to the chaos. As we get into Exodus and Moses is leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God Himself acts as a light source for His people. He leads them by night as a pillar of fire. He provides the path and guidance for His people to follow. In the instructions for the tabernacle, there is a golden lampstand that is to always be kept burning (Lev. 24:2). Finally, the light example culminated in the New Testament, where in John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” Jesus, Immanuel (God with us), is our light in this world. He is the embodiment of the law.
So – the question is – HOW is God’s law like a light that helps us to see? Paul spends a lot of time writing about the law in his epistles. Based on these writings, there were two main roles of the law – they were used to educate God’s people in how He wants them to live and also to convict them of sin. In fact, Paul tells us in Rom. 7:7 that we would not know what sin is without the law, and then he goes on to say in verse 12 that the law is holy, righteous, and good. But the issue is that we could not fulfill the law. Paul describes this struggle in Romans 7:21-24 describing the war between his flesh and his mind but goes on to give the answer to this struggle in verse 25. Jesus – the light of the world is the answer. He came and lived the law perfectly and fulfilled the law. He displayed what it is to love God and others – which is the summary of the law.
Picture a world of darkness again – this is hard in our modern times where light is easy to come by – but think about having to produce fire each time darkness comes around. Darkness wasn’t just an inconvenience in prior times, but a real danger. The unknown could lie around the corner of a street. In John 3:19, Jesus says, “people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
Now – let’s picture the ultimate end – in Revelation 22:1-5 John writes:
“Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.”
God will be our light in Heaven. This is the ultimate fulfillment – there will no longer be a small beam on a pathway – but the full bright light of the Lord.
Although we are not in “the city” yet, we can let God be our light. Hosea tells the Israelites in chapter 6 verse 3, “Let’s strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn.” Just like the comfort and joy the sunrise brings as it shines light in the darkness, so is the Lord. He has provided His law to shine a light on our path and bring us closer to Him.
