Genesis 1 NLT
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day… Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. (1:3-5, 14-18)
Thus begins another year, 2021. This year I will be focusing on the themes of “Light”, “prayer”, “holiness” and “Preaching/Teaching.” In Genesis 1, we see this great theme of light and darkness develop from the very beginning. God created the light, the bible says, and He declares that the light is good. We can’t really understand light apart from darkness, so it was necessary that they be divided. Yet, even in darkness, the Lord created lights to shine in the darkness like stars and the moon. He also declares these things to be good. That begs the question, “Is the darkness a bad thing?”
I am a bit conflicted by this because as a child we are taught to not fear the dark. Yet, throughout Scripture, we see darkness associated with sin and evil. John says that “men love darkness rather than light for fear their evil deeds will be exposed.” In the book of Revelation darkness is actually a punishment on those who are evil in Babylon, and there are many other instances where darkness is seen as a bad thing in the bible. Yet, we need the darkness to help us know the rhythms of day and night. The darkness helps us sleep, and shade and darkness can be a welcome respite from the glaring sun.
While it is true that God declares the light is good and He calls us to live as children of the light, we need to remember that Jesus is Lord over all of it. Even though darkness is sometimes associated with evil, we do not fear the dark is because we know that the God of the Light is also God in the darkness. I can lay down at night without fear because He is present and He is still ruling at night. As His child, His light shines through me and my job is to run into the darkness and proclaim release to those who are captives to sin and darkness. Light is good, but God is greater and He is the One who speaks to our darkness and says, “Let there be light.”
