Oct 13 - Today from Proverbs 13 we look at verse 9
"The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out."
How often do we really ponder the properties of light? It is an amazing subject. It is more than just brightness. Light contains the entire spectrum of color. As we move through the autumn season here in Michigan, we see the splendor of the trees turning to fiery hues from yellow to red, sprinkled with the deep green contrast of the evergreens, all against the backdrop of the clear blue sky. When the sun comes up and touches the landscape, the magnificent iridescent beauty all but takes one's breath away. The light not only illuminates the scene, it is the very source of all the colors that please the eye. Rick Warren writes in his book 'The Purpose Driven Life' that when anything fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God (p. 55). Truly, the splendor of the autumn landscape gives glory to its Creator!
The Bible teaches us that ‘God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.’ (1 John 1:5). We can find no clue in God's Word that He created darkness. Darkness appears to be no more than the absence of light. Darkness cannot abide in the presence of light. Whatever objects are hidden in the darkness, when exposed to light they reveal their form and color; they give up their secrets. Isaiah writes in verse 2 of chapter 9, "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." This is the beginning of the great Messianic prophesy which has become a favorite of the Christmas season; "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. . ." (Isaiah 9:6). God's purposes for man were hidden in the darkness of sin and evil. God sent His Word through Moses to cast light upon those purposes. But, the law could not overcome man's pride, and instead it became a stumbling block. Then God sent His Son, and the Word became flesh. God's purposes could no longer be mistaken. Now we see Jesus, living out God's purposes. Jesus is the light of the world. When Jesus perfectly fulfilled the purposes for which He was created, He brought glory to God.
"Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27). The more that Jesus' life is manifest in us, the more the light of the righteous shines; the more we glorify God; the more others who remain in darkness begin to see by our light. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to us, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16). It is in doing the good works for which we were created, by which we let our light shine and bring glory to God. We serve for His glory, not our own. Righteousness through 'keeping the law' is for man's glory, and it remains darkness. Loving and serving our fellow man out of obedience to Him is for God's glory and it brings light. The beauty of the splendor of autumn is lost in the nighttime. But, when the glory of the sun breaks forth in the dawning of the day, one's heart cannot contain the awe of the moment. Such is the contrast between legalism and grace.
A brief thought on the second half of today's verse. How is it that "the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out"? We find the answer in the very book in which we are studying. Proverbs 24:20 says this; "The evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out." Where Christ in you is the hope of glory, the wicked have no future hope. Whatever the wicked live for, they live only for today. They are not aware of the purpose for which God created man. Their pride keeps them in darkness, and unless they respond to the witness of the righteous, they will never get to see the sunrise that is going to illuminate the splendor of God's purpose. By faith in Christ the righteous are able to see some of that splendor now filtered through the righteous acts of the saints. But on that Day we will see the unobstructed light of His glory. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12; "Now we see but a poor reflection 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."
"Christ in you, the hope of glory." Amen.
Since Nov 08
About Me
- Ken
- While mentor-ing a couple of young men late in the year 2001 , I told them that if they agreed to read a chapter of Proverbs each week-day as a part of their devotions, I would choose one verse from the chapter and share a meditation by email. They agreed. I continued to write the meditations at my desk in my home for the next two and a half years. They began to forward them to their friends and I received requests from those friends to be placed on the email list. My personal email bundle was to about eighty people. Many of those people forwarded them to friends all over the country – and some over the world. Only the Lord knows how extensive the writings traveled. I am not a professional writer, and each meditation was spun off in a relatively short period of time during my own personal devotions in the morning. In April of 2004 I assembled 366 of the meditations into a calendar year. As I now bring up the Proverb of the Day to send on to my friends, I am surprised at how fresh each of them is to my own heart – and often how they speak to me in a completely different way than when I first wrote them. . . . . Ken Sweers
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