Psalm 18:12  
Light and dark
   Here is a paradox, “Out of the brightness of His presence clouds advanced with hailstones and bolts of lightning.” 
In Joshua 10 we read of the rout of the mighty Amorite army and I’m sure that David is thinking of this event. The sun and moon stood still that day and many Amorites were killed by large hailstones that pounded down upon them as they fled from Joshua’s army. In Psalm 104:2 we read that the Lord wraps Himself in light as a garment and John’s opening chapter of his Gospel reminds us that, “Jesus Christ Himself is life, and that life is the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”  John 1:4-5.
Light, life, darkness and clouds are conflicting words that describe the glory of His Majesty, our mighty God revealing but concealing, showing His glory but covering Himself, visible yet hidden. That was the paradox of ancient times and ancient Israel; theirs was a fearsome God who caused terror and panic but also showed compassion and mercy; who was hidden and unapproachable but present amongst His people. Then, to our world He comes in human form and the paradox persists, John writes, “Though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognise Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” Once again, we have a God who is revealed but who is not recognised; He is seen but He is hidden, He is exposed but, for many, darkness conceals who He is.  The paradox persisted in the building of the Tabernacle, for God dwelt amongst His people in the Holy of Holies, hidden but present. His dwelling continued to the Temple where He was concealed by a thick veil, no different to the clouds, an impenetrable barrier set between Himself and His people. The only man to witness that presence was the High Priest, once a year, who caught a glimpse of the shekinah glory of God. 

When He came to our world He hid amongst the ordinary people of His day, performing miracles and signs but obscured until He climbed the Mount of Transfiguration and His glory was revealed to 3 disciples. To the watching world a cloud of darkness surrounded Him as He hung on Golgotha’s crucifix. He was concealed – the Holy Lamb of God, the appearance of a tortured criminal hiding His true identity. It has only ever been to a privileged few that He has revealed Himself. Thank God if you recognise Him. Thank God if you have seen Him and heard His voice for in so doing you have believed in Him and in His name, and to you is given the right to become children of God.  John 1:12. Thank God because you have also been called to join the ranks of priests who enter into His Holy Presence and witness His glory. Thank God that you have seen the light shining through the darkness, for you the cloud has parted. Isaiah 60:1-3 puts it like this; “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.’
Say it with me, “Wow! God has revealed Himself to me.” 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more
Psalm4:8        I will lie down and sleep                Th ere are times, in the life of all believers, when we no longer have control of situations. We can do nothing more. We have given our all, we have tried every possible solution and now it is out of our hands. As someone has wisely said, “It is time to let go and let God.” If we truly trust Him, if our faith will allow us, we can turn our backs on our enemies. We can block our ears to the threats. We can ignore the lies and the deceit and say,  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.” I should imagine that the devil, having sent a hurricane our way is not amused, when we settle in our beds in the midst of it all and drift off into a peaceful sleep! But that is our right and privilege once we let the Lord God Almighty take control. These spiritual attacks are like whirlwinds, they blow with terrifying intensity and threaten to turn us upside down; the disciples witnessed one of thes
Read more