Darkness is the absence of light—or so it is assumed. If true, I am perplexed.
If Jesus is the light of the world (He is!), and if God is love (He is!) then how can these 2 truths not conflict with Exodus 20:21 and 2nd Chronicles 6:1?
In case you are unfamiliar with the 2 texts referenced, I will briefly encapsulate their context and my dilemma. Both refer to different times in biblical history when God revealed Himself to His people (my people—the Jews).
The Exodus reference follows the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. Exodus 20 provides our initial account of Moses receiving the 10 Commandments written on stone tablets. Of course this is also where God expressed Himself in thunder, lightning, amazing power and awe to the Children of Israel. So much so in fact, that in verse 19 the people asked Moses to go talk to God in their stead. They believed if they heard God’s voice directly they would die. God had obviously made an impression.
The text in 2nd Chronicles followed about 500 years later. The setting was shortly after the death of King David, immediately following the successful construction project by His son. As many know, King Solomon had a night visitation from God very early in his monarchy. God asked him what special blessing he wanted. Quite famously, Solomon asked for wisdom instead of wealth or power. Actually, wisdom was his second request. “Give me now wisdom and knowledge . . .” (2nd Chr. 1:10). His first words were a plea for God to extend the deal He had made with his Daddy. “Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude” (2nd Chr. 1:9). There has always been more dust than Jewish people, but the new king made his point. Solomon understood that God had made some incredible promises to David that had carried over from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We must recall that God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Jacob (Israel) was patriarch to his 12 sons who fathered many children, aka the 12 Tribes of Israel. A long string of promises from God had been declared to them. Solomon had hoped the same bullet points of the deal would be his as well.
Regardless of the priority given to wisdom on Solomon’s wish list, with perfect certainty we know that King Solomon built what is arguably the most famous edifice of all time. The first Jewish Temple of God in Jerusalem was completed 3,000 years ago during King Solomon’s watch. When finished, an amazing thing happened. God visited His people again!
The story is quite moving and relevant to my introductory question. Permit me to paraphrase the account. When Solomon finished construction on the Temple, he gathered all the movers & shakers of Israel for a feast to celebrate the occasion (2nd Chr. 5:1-4). But the focal point of the party was to install “the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place . . . into the most holy place” (2nd Chr. 5:7).
If this were a classroom and I were a professor, at this point I would ask the question, “What do you think was inside the ark?” Someone would undoubtedly respond, “Well, the Bible called it the ‘ark of the covenant.’ The ‘covenant’ must be inside the ark.” Being Jewish, I would answer with another question. “Are you sure?”
Actually, the closest direct connection between the events (separated by 500 years) of Exodus 20 & 2nd Chronicles 6 is the item inside the ark. The ark contained the 2 stone tablets upon which the 10 Commandments were etched. For accuracy, I must mention that they were not exactly the identical stone tablets. Most will remember that the the sins of the people angered Moses. In his rage, Moses smashed the first tablets. The second set were also given to Moses but are specifically identified as having been “written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18b).
It is hard for me to ignore that these words from the hand of God were preserved in the ark from the time of Moses through the reign of King David. Then finally they were installed in the Temple of Solomon as described in the text of 2nd Chronicles.
Through the context of the verses, it is clear that God was introducing Himself to the Children of Israel on Mount Sinai and again at the “Grand Opening” of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Think about it. If a big, powerful company wanted to introduce themselves to a new audience, they might issue press releases to the network news and a sponsor a Super Bowl commercial, or a develop a catchy viral marketing campaign. Light shows get more attention than quiet reflections. God had a different plan.
God is certainly light. The sound and fury of Mount Sinai did get attention. But God is not limited to lightning and thunder. I think it appropriate to discuss an even more direct connection between the events at Sinai and the ark. It is a surprising and dark connection. In the 2 events when God revealed Himself, He taught us a dark truth about Himself. God inhabits and He can be found in darkness!
When Moses went to find God, “Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:21).
The same truth was revealed when King Solomon invited God to the Temple’s grand opening. “Then said Solomon, The Lord hath said that he would dwell in thick darkness” (2nd Chronicles 6:1).
Yet we know that “God is light, and in him is no darkness in Him at all” (1st John 1:5). Perplexing?
Herein I must ask if the old saying and the Wikipedia definition of darkness is correct? “Darkness is the absence of light” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkness. God is light, yet He inhabits the darkness. How does that work?
Light doesn’t really convert darkness. It just dispels it. Yet if God is in the darkness, He is still light. How does that work? Where darkness exists, light causes darkness to melt away. Even a small firefly or a dim candle in a dark room amplifies light and changes the darkness. I am not really sure how the overpowering light of God allowed thick darkness to remain in any capacity. Perhaps that is also a miracle that I am unable to grasp. But there is one thing I know with certainty about darkness and God. I hope this thought comforts anyone going through a dark storm of life.
God inhabits the thick darkness and your darkest storms. Have you considered that God wants to be right next to you at this very moment? Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Have you called out to Him? Do you know that He is willing to lead you out of your darkest moment?
He is no stranger to darkness and despair. Think about what Jesus endured on the Cross and the darkness that covered the land for 3 hours on that “Good Friday” afternoon.
Consider Matthew’s report in his gospel account 27:45-53 . The Bible reports that an earthquake shook Jerusalem, the veil of God’s Temple was split, and many dead bodies of fallen saints rose from the grave. Curious stuff? Well I have an even more curious thought. What did the darkness reveal?
Until that moment, only the High Priest had ever seen inside the ark. However, when the death of God’s Son was “announced” by the Father through that darkness, it was followed by a great earthquake. Anyone could have finally seen inside ark. The veil was literally open and nothing was left hidden from the eyes of laymen. Do you know what was inside the ark? NOTHING! In other sections of Scripture we know that the original tablets given at Mount Sinai were gone. It was also known that the other 2 items formerly carried in the ark were also long gone. The rod of Aaron that had budded, along with the jar of manna representing earlier miracles from the desert experience had also been lost by earlier generations. By the 1st century when Jesus was crucified, nothing remained in the ark. The ark was empty but nobody really talked about it.
The death of Jesus exposed more than a view of an empty ark and flawed religious practices. God revealed the light of the new relationship He wanted to provide to all who would believe in Jesus and what He had achieved that day for eternity.
If you can explain why God dwelled in thick darkness, I am open to your thoughts. If you are going through a dark time, I would like to pray for you find the light of Christ. The darkness and death of that day opened graves. What problem is harder to overcome than death? Take your darkest problem to the Cross and God’s light will help you walk in His light.
Let me know your situation. Til next time, have a bloggin’—good day in the Messiah!
Shalom,
Randy Weiss www.crosstalk.org
3 responses so far ↓
1 meanderline // Jan 28, 2010 at 5:29 pm
To look directly at the sun would blind us. How much more so to look at the Lord? I imagine the Lord dwells in darkness in the same way as do the stars, to shield the brightness of the Divine aspect so that we can perceive the Lord’s beauty without perishing, and to render it even more beautiful by contrast.
2 admin // Jan 28, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Very well said!
Amen.
3 sisterstormy // Feb 15, 2010 at 4:51 pm
This is a difficult site to get into. I’m glad the kingdom is perhaps a little easier…smile!
It occurred to me a few days ago after hearing a Jeopardy question about the largest black hole known to the astronomers that that just may be where the throne room of our Father and His wonderful Son. The scientists cannot explain it nor tell us what is in it, but they seem to think it controls all the other planets, stars, etc. They however estimate its weight to be approximately the mass of 18 billion suns. Oh the arrogance of sinful man!
I really enjoy your show, Randy. Keep on keepin’ on.
sisterstormy
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