The Light
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of LIFE (John 8:12).
1 In the beginning God ([a]Elohim) [b]created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was [c]formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, [d]“Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and [e]He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness. 5 And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was [f]evening and there was [g]morning, one day.
The first thing that God spoke into existence was light. The Hebrew word for light is
אוֹר
“Or” and does not mean sunlight–it is another kind of light. The translation says: to become light. Light is who God is. Light is who we are in Him. The metaphor of light is seen throughout scripture–especially in reference to the Kingdom and Word of God. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. In the first chapter of Genesis the reference to light carries over into the idea of days–days we live on this earth. Life has a number of days that God planned from the foundation of the world. When I think on how the sun has risen on my 62 years of life day after day–it amazes me. God made the first day for an eternity of life. Light and life go hand and hand. The scientific fact regarding light is this: Light always travels at the same speed, always. As Dr. Neil Tyson explains, the photons of light do not know time–in other words, if a photon of light travels billions of miles according to time, the photon does not know any time has passed. I believe we can see a bit of the nature of God in the science of light. I believe there is actually an element in light that supports the essence of life–the Light of God sustains us as the sun sustains life.
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118).
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:16). The predestined plan of God can be comprehended in this verse. The days of life are ordained by God even before we are formed in the womb. God has a plan for life even before anything living is born. When we attempt to wrap our head around the beginning of God, all we need to know is that God has always been and He has always had a plan for life–for light–for days to be lived and an eternity of days. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that’ (James 4:14-15). This is where the Lord’s will comes into play–if we remain alive you can be sure we will be doing something–and that something is life in terms of living out what God has planned for us. The tapestry of our lives is precious to God no matter the condition of it. The days of our lives have meaning even if it just seems like nothing is happening.
Then God said, ‘Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years; 15 and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth’; and it was so, [just as He commanded]. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens]. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day (Genesis 1).
The idea of seasons, days , and years are actually signs of God’s provident care. Provident care means having foresight. God’s foresight is all about His creation–especially His children of the light and children of the day. God made the sun to support life on the earth. Yet when the sun goes down, God does not leave us entirely in the dark because there are stars in the heavens and moon near us–these represent hope in the darkness–we are never left alone on our own. God’s providential care means He has prepared our path. My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you (Proverbs 3). The commandments of the Lord actually lengthen our days and by keeping His Word, we are gifted with peace. The Hebrew word, “Shalom” means peace. It also means: the optimum condition for life to unfold. When we have peace–we can hear God. When we have peace we give peace in our nature to others who come into contact with us during all the days we have been given.