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Last week, we talked about the blessings that we receive when God shines his face on us. Through God’s light, we can know God’s glory in Christ. God’s light gives us salvation, grace, restoration, and so much more. So now, what do we do with that? What do we do with the blessings we receive when God shines his light on us? That’s what this final lesson in this series is about. When God shines his light on us, we then reflect that light out into the world.

Psalm 37:5-6: ⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

Proverbs 13:9: The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

Results of Receiving God’s Light

When God’s light shines on us, our lives change because we have received the light of the gospel. What changes inside of us when we receive God’s light?

1. Our eyes are opened to the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we become his servants. This is in contrast to those who are blind and cannot see the light of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6: ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

2. We receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so we can know God better, which provides us hope, power, and an eternal inheritance.

Ephesians 1:17-21: ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

3. We receive holiness, life, and immortality through God’s grace and purpose.

2 Timothy 1:9-10: ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

4. Our shame is removed.

Psalm 34:5: Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

These things provide evidence that we no longer live in darkness but instead live under the light of the gospel.

Characteristics of Those Who Shines God’s Light

When we are changed inside by the light of the gospel, that change is reflected outwardly in our actions.

1. We show love to other people rather than hate.

1 John 2:8-11: ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

⁹ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. ¹⁰ Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. ¹¹ But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

2. We do not misuse positions of authority.

2 Samuel 23:2-4: ² “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
³ The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
⁴ he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings grass from the earth.’

3. Our lives will be healthy.

Luke 11:33-36: ³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

4. We will bear the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth, and we will please the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8-10: ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

Shining God’s Light to the World

As Christians who have received God’s light, we now have the responsibility to shine that light out into the world.

1. When we shine God’s light into the world, our lives look different than those who live in darkness, and people will take notice.

Philippians 2:14-16: ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

2. When God’s light shines through us out into the world, it provides a way for others to have their eyes opened so they can also receive salvation.

Isaiah 42:6-7: ⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Acts 13:47: For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

3. When we shine God’s light into the world, this encourages other people to glorify God.

Matthew 5:14-16: ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Conclusion

I hope this series on God is Light has helped you see the importance of the imagery of light throughout the Bible. God is light, God created light, and God controls light. God uses light to guide us, and he shines his light on us to lead us out of the darkness. Once we are in God’s light, we can use light to worship God and to reflect God’s light out into the world.

Where are you at in your path? Are you still in darkness? Have you stepped out of darkness and into God’s light? Do you need to work on how you reflect God’s light to the world? I know I can always improve on that one! Let’s shine God’s light together.

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Over the last couple months, we’ve been looking at God’s interaction with light—he created the light, he controls the light, his presence is light, and he turns darkness into light. But what happens when that light touches us? One of the most common prayers associated with God’s light is some version of “may your face shine on us,” as we see in the blessing from Numbers 6:

Numbers 6:24-26: 24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’”

What does it mean for God to shine his face on us? When God shines his face on someone, it is a sign of God’s favor on that person, and it brings with it a whole host of benefits. Let’s look at 10 benefits of God’s face shining on us in this week’s lesson.

1. We Have Salvation

One of the most frequently mentioned benefits of God’s face shining on us is that we have salvation. I’ll only list one verse here, but keep an eye open for this as you read the rest of the lesson. You’ll see salvation or being saved multiple times.

Psalm 31:16: Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

2. We Experience God’s Grace

Another benefit of God’s face shining on us is that we experience God’s grace and blessing. I usually think of God’s grace as giving us a blessing that we don’t deserve. In contrast, I think of mercy as God not giving us the punishment that we do deserve. God’s grace and blessing are significant signs of God’s favor on a person.

Psalm 67:1-2: 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

Why does God give grace and blessing to those he favors? So that we will make him known on the earth.

3. We Know God’s Glory in Christ

We’ve already seen that God’s glory is visible as light. When God shines his light on us, our hearts are illuminated with the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

What does this really mean? It all ties back to salvation. We are saved by knowing and believing in Jesus. Jesus brings the light of the gospel to us. When God’s light shines in our hearts, we are able to recognize that Jesus is the image of God and is the exact representation of his glory (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus IS God.

4. We Are Restored

When we are living in darkness, our relationship with God is broken. When God’s light shines on us, that relationship can be restored.

Psalm 80:1-3: 1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.
3 Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

This idea of God restoring us for our salvation is repeated again in verses 7 and 19. The only way we can be saved is if God does the act to restore us to a right relationship with him.

5. We Are Healed

Along with the idea of restoration is healing. When our relationship with God is broken, we often have wounds, visible and invisible, that need healing. God’s light on us can heal those wounds.

Isaiah 30:26: The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.

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6. We Have Victory

God’s light also gives us victory over the enemy and brings us into the land that he has promised.

Psalm 44:3: It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.

7. We Have Prosperity

Once God brings us to the life that he has prepared for us, he won’t just leave us to our own defenses. He will continue the blessing and bring us prosperity. But that prosperity is only possible if we stay in God’s light.

Psalm 4:6: Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.

8. We Learn How to Obey Him

A person who is saved desires to be obedient to God. God has given us his Word to help us know how to live. When God’s face shines on us, it gives us the desire to be in his Word, to be in fellowship with him, so that we can follow his commands and live a life that pleases him.

Psalm 119:135: Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.

9. We Have Life

When we are living in darkness, we are destined for death. But when God’s light shines on us, we are delivered from death and brought into the light of life.

Ephesians 5:13-14: 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Psalm 56:12-13: 12 I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

The Bible tells us that Jesus experienced this light of life after his death and resurrection.

Isaiah 53:11: After he [Jesus] has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, which allows us to be justified before God. When we stand before God in judgment, he will see us with Jesus’ righteousness rather than our sins. This is the path to life.

10. We Have Peace

Finally, once we are saved and living in God’s light, we have peace. We saw this in the blessing from Numbers 6 at the start of the lesson. We also see this promise in Luke 1.

Luke 1:76-79: 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

When we have the knowledge of salvation, when our sins have been forgiven through the gift of Christ’s death on the cross, when God in his mercy shines his light on us, when he calls us out of the darkness and into the light of life, then we will have peace.

Conclusion

God’s light shining on us leads us out of the darkness and into his light of life, which brings us salvation, grace, healing, restoration, peace, and so many other blessings. Have you stepped into God’s light? If not, what are you waiting for?

Go to Part 11

Premium Resources

Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.

You can access these resources by clicking here: God Is Light Resources

Or you can download them here:

Light Verse List

440KB ∙ PDF file

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Light Word Search

85.5KB ∙ PDF file

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Light Word Search Answer

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Last week, we saw Jesus as light on earth, shining his light to penetrate the darkness. But Jesus wasn’t just light on earth for the short period of time he was here. He continues to be light as he rules and reigns in heaven. He uses his light to touch the lives of us here on earth whom he calls to spread his light, and he uses his light to give light to everyone in heaven.

Jesus Meets Saul/Paul as Light

After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven, he made one last appearance as light on earth. He appeared to Saul, later called Paul, who was actively persecuting Christians.

Acts 22:6-11: ⁶ “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ ¹¹ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.”

Jesus’ brilliance was so bright that it blinded Saul! Jesus then used Saul’s transformation to Paul to bring the light of the gospel to the Gentiles.

Acts 26:22-23: ^{22 “}But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— ²³ that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

Although we may not be blinded by light as Paul was, Christians are still called to bring Jesus’ message of light to everyone around us. We’ll see this more as we finish up this study over the next couple weeks.

Jesus as Light in Heaven

Not only is Jesus light on earth, but he is also light in heaven.

Hebrews 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory, and he sits at God’s right hand. Revelation gives us an even more descriptive view of Jesus as light.

Revelation 1:12-18: ¹² I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Jesus is described as both a lamp in heaven, next to God’s light, as well as the bright Morning Star.

Revelation 21:22-23: ²² I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

Revelation 22:16: ¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Even in heaven, where there is no darkness, Jesus shines as a light.

Light at Jesus’ Return

Jesus’ light will be evident at his return, as we discussed in Part 5 when we talked about the Day of the Lord.

Luke 17:22-24: ²² Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ²³ People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. ²⁴ For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

The Day of the Lord will be accompanied by darkness, which makes the light of Jesus even more dramatic when he returns.

Conclusion

Whether he is on earth or in heaven, Jesus is described as light. He shines his light to change our lives, he is the radiance of God’s glory, and he will be a light in heaven for all eternity. How does that light affect you and me? Come back next week to find out.

Go to Part 10

Premium Resources

Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.

You can access these resources by clicking here: God Is Light Resources

Or you can download them here:

Light Verse List

440KB ∙ PDF file

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Light Word Search

85.5KB ∙ PDF file

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Light Word Search Answer

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We finally get to the place where we started when I decided to fill in the God is Light study for the Characteristics of God series. Jesus is the Light. We first looked at this in the I AM study when Jesus said, “I AM the Light of the World” (John 8:12). In that study, we were focused specifically on Jesus’ I AM statement. In this lesson of the God is Light study, we’ll expand that focus to see Jesus as light throughout the Bible. This week, we’ll focus on Jesus’ life on earth. Next week, we’ll focus on Jesus’ life after his resurrection.

Prophecies about Jesus as Light

The idea of Jesus as light began before he was even born. Isaiah the prophet called Jesus a Great Light that would shine in the darkness.

Isaiah 9:2: The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

Matthew 4:16 confirms that this prophecy was about Jesus just as Jesus started his ministry. John 1 also referred to Jesus as a light before Jesus’ birth.

John 1:4-9: ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Light at Jesus’ Birth and Early Life

John 1 tells us that this light that shines in the darkness was coming into the world. We see this at Jesus’ birth. In Part 3 of this series, we saw that light was sent to announce Jesus’ birth, both to the shepherds (Luke 2) and to the wisemen (Matthew 2).

When Jesus was presented at the temple when he was about 40 days old (according to the law given in Leviticus 12), Simeon, a righteous and devout man (Luke 2:25), was moved by the Spirit and said this when he encountered the young Jesus:

Luke 2:29-32: ²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

Simeon recognized Jesus as the light that had come into this world, even when Jesus was just a baby.

Light During Jesus’ Ministry

During Jesus’ ministry, he often referred to himself as a light sent to bring people out of darkness. The book of John shows us this theme clearly. Jesus proclaims that he is the light that has come into the world.

John 8:12: ¹² 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 9:5: While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

John 3:19-21: ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

John 12:46: I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Jesus came as a light to the world so that people would no longer have to live in the darkness that this world offers. Those who love the world and who cling to sin are walking in darkness. Jesus has come to expose that sin and bring people into the light of truth and life.

But Jesus warned the people that he would not be with them very long. In fact, darkness would once again overtake the world, but if we believe in Jesus as the light, we can be children of light even when the rest of the world is in darkness.

John 12:35-36: ³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

Light at Jesus’ Transfiguration

The true glory of Jesus as light was made evident to his closest disciples at his transfiguration, when Jesus met with Moses and Elijah on a mountain.

Matthew 17:1-5: 17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. ³ Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

At the transfiguration, Jesus’ true light appeared. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. The version in Luke 9 says that Peter, James, and John recognized this as Jesus’ glory.

Not only Jesus appeared as light, but God himself appeared in a bright cloud, just as he had done for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness.

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Light at Jesus’ Resurrection

Jesus’ resurrection was also announced with light. The disciples and the rest of Jesus’ followers had just witnessed the darkest day in history. Not only was Jesus crucified in a tortuous death, but the sky became black in the middle of the day. So it seems only right that Jesus’ resurrection was announced with light.

Matthew 28:1-10: 28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Conclusion

From before his birth here on earth and throughout his ministry, Jesus is described as light. He was the light that came into this world to shine in the darkness. Both his birth and his resurrection were announced with light. Light pervaded his ministry, because light is the essence of who Jesus is. Next week, we’ll see that Jesus’ light continues to shine as he reigns in heaven.

Go to Part 9b

Premium Resources

Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.

You can access these resources by clicking here: God Is Light Resources

Or you can download them here:

Light Verse List

440KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Light Word Search

85.5KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Light Word Search Answer

89.3KB ∙ PDF file

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Every Christmas Eve, our church ends our Christmas Eve service by singing Silent Night by candlelight. It’s one of many ways we use light to worship God. Those flickering flames of the candles remind us that Jesus came into the world to bring light to the darkness.

The Bible says that we are God’s “holy people in the kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:12). If we are part of the kingdom of light, it only makes sense that we use light to worship God.

What ways do you use light in your church to worship God? Maybe you have a light that shines on a cross. Maybe you use light to project the words to your worship songs. Maybe you use light to guide people’s eyes to the person who is teaching about God’s word.

The idea of using light to worship isn’t new. It didn’t begin with the invention of electricity. It began all the way back with the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. The Bible discusses two main ways that we can use light to worship: we can use light in God’s house to worship and we can use light to show that we are prepared for Christ’s return.

Light to Worship in the Tabernacle

When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God gave them designs for a portable tabernacle that they could set up and take down so they would have a place of worship on their travels. One instruction God gave was to include a lampstand with seven lamps.

Exodus 25:31-40: ³¹ “Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. ³² Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. ³³ Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. ³⁴ And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. ³⁵ One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. ³⁶ The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

³⁷ “Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. ³⁸ Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. ³⁹ A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. ⁴⁰ See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

The people were then to bring olive oil as part of their offerings so that the lamps could be kept burning.

Exodus 27:20-21: ²⁰ “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. ²¹ In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.”

The people completed all the work on the tabernacle and brought gifts just as God commanded, including making the lampstand and lamps and bringing olive oil for the light in the tabernacle. The priests kept the lamps burning as an act of worship to God throughout the entire night. This light joined the light from the pillar of fire in reminding the Israelites to keep their eyes on the place where God dwelled with them.

Light to Worship in the Temple

When the Israelites settled in the Promised Land, their third king, Solomon, decided to build a more permanent temple as a place to worship God. Once again, God gave him the specifications for building the temple, which included ten lampstands with their lamps.

1 Kings 7:48-50: ⁴⁸ Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:

the golden altar;

the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence;

⁴⁹ the lampstands of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary);

the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

⁵⁰ the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers;

and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

2 Chronicles 4:7: He made ten gold lampstands according to the specifications for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

Similar to the tabernacle, the priests lit the lamps every evening to bring light to the temple.

2 Chronicles 13:10-11: ¹⁰ “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. ¹¹ Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him.”

This passage ends on a sad note. Within one generation of Solomon building the temple, the kingdom had split in two (Israel and Judah), and the people of Israel no longer worshipped God faithfully. The priests in Jerusalem continued to carry out their duties of lighting the lamps each evening, but it had no meaning for the majority of the Israelites.

What does this mean for us? We need to be cautious that we aren’t just going through the motions of worship. We can use light and songs and more during our worship time, but if that worship doesn’t reach our hearts, it’s not really worship.

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Light to Be Prepared for Christ’s Return

Worship doesn’t only happen in a church building. It happens in our everyday lives as well. Jesus told two parables using light to tell us that as we go about our everyday lives, we need to be watchful and ready.

Matthew 25:1-13: 25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Luke 12:35-40: ³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

In these two parables, the virgins and the servants were given the responsibility of being ready for the bridegroom’s or the master’s coming. How did they show they were ready? They kept their lamps burning.

In the same way, as Christians we need to be ready for Christ’s return. How do we show we are ready and waiting?

Romans 13:12: The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8: ⁴ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

We show we are ready for Christ’s return by being children of the light and putting on the armor of light—faith, love, and the hope of salvation. We stay watchful and sober, putting aside the deeds of darkness (sin) so that we can be ready at a moment’s notice. Living a life of light that shows we are ready for Christ’s return is a great way to worship God.

Conclusion

Using light for worship is one way that we can reflect God’s glory back to him. Light in a church building or worship service can direct people’s attention to God and his Word or it can guide people to have a heart of worship. In our everyday lives, we can reflect God’s light by putting off the deeds of darkness (sin) and putting on the armor of light (faith, love, and hope of salvation). The more we reflect God’s light, the greater our worship will be.

Go to Part 9a

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Have you ever gone hiking, and it’s starting to get late, and you can barely see the path through the trees around you? You just hope the light holds out long enough for you to get back to your vehicle. Or have you ever stumbled around the house at night with the lights off, hoping you don’t bump into anything or step on any toys the kids left out?

John 11:9-10: ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

Just as light (and eyes that work) is important for us to see where we are going in our daily lives, light is important for us to see where we are going in our spiritual lives. God uses his light to illuminate the path that he wants us to take.

God Is My Light

In the previous weeks of this study, we’ve seen that God’s light shines for his purposes. It shows his glory. It shows his power over his enemies. It shows his power over creation.

But God’s light also has another purpose. God uses his light for our benefit and our salvation.

Psalm 27:1: The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 84:11: For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

With God as our light, we have no reason to be afraid. Our salvation is secure. His light bestows favor and honor on those who follow him. Even in the midst of our sin, God will rescue us and bring us into his light.

Micah 7:8-9: ⁸ Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.
⁹ Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,
until he pleads my case
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will see his righteousness.

As we spend time in God’s word, he will give us understanding so that we know how to live.

Psalm 119:130: The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.

God Uses His Light to Guide Us

Although we often think of God’s light figuratively illuminating our path and our understanding, God used light in a real and visible way to guide the Israelites.

Exodus 13:20-22: ²⁰ After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. ²¹ By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

We may not have a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide us, but God uses his light to guide us all the same.

Psalm 43:3: Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

Proverbs 6:23: For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,

Isaiah 60:1-3: “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
² See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
³ Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

What does God’s light guide us to? It guides us to Christ. It guides us to worship. It guides us to the correct way to live.

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God’s Light Shows Us Where to Walk

Along with God’s light guiding us, the Bible has a lot of imagery about God’s light showing us where and how to walk with God. God’s light illuminates our path.

Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.

Isaiah 2:5: Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Psalm 89:15: Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.

With God’s light from his word, we can walk in God’s presence. We can walk out of sin and into peace.

Luke 1:76-79: ⁷⁶ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

1 John 1:5-7: ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we want to walk with God, we have to leave the darkness behind. We have to leave our sin behind, purified by Christ’s blood, and step into the light. His light will guide us on the path he wants us to take.

God Gives Light to Our Eyes

Having light doesn’t do much good if our eyes are blind. God knows that we need to have our eyes and heart opened so that we can see. Therefore, God doesn’t just give light to the path. He also gives light to our eyes.

Luke 11:33-36: ³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

How do we get this light in our body? Through following God’s commands.

Psalm 19:8: The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

God’s word, his commands, give light to our eyes and light to our path. He provides all the light we need to walk in his ways.

Conclusion

Give yourself a little self-analysis. Are your eyes opened to see the light that God provides? Are there places in your life where you are still walking in the dark? Where in your life are you seeing God’s light shine, and where do you need to step into the light a little further? Spend some time in God’s word this week and ask him to give light to your eyes and light to your path so that you can walk in step with him.

Go to Part 8

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Light Verse List

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Last week, we looked at how God controls light, and more specifically how he controls the absence of light, or darkness. In that lesson, we saw the contrast between light vs. darkness and good vs. evil. Evil tends to prefer the darkness, whereas good prefers the light. In this lesson, we want to look at this idea a little more. What does God do with the darkness that is associated with evil? We see two things mentioned in Job:

Job 12:22: He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings utter darkness into the light.

In this lesson, we’ll look at these two themes: God uses his light to expose what is in the dark, and he turns darkness to light.

God’s Light Exposes What Is in the Dark

As humans, we tend to want to hide what we are doing, especially if we know it’s something we shouldn’t be doing. This is especially true for sin. We saw last week in Job 24:13-17 that the murderers, thieves, and adulterers all come out at night, avoiding the light so their actions won’t be seen.

But the Bible tells us that no matter what our sins or actions are, even if they are done in the dark, God’s light will reveal them.

Daniel 2:22: He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.

Psalm 90:8: You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

Psalm 139:11-12: ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Luke 8:16-17: ¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. ¹⁷ For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

We can try to hide our sins, but God’s light will expose our actions. And it goes even deeper than that. His light exposes even the motives of our heart.

1 Corinthians 4:5: Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

In fact, all of our works will be tested by God’s light.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13: ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

The good news is that we have a choice to voluntarily live in the light rather than the darkness.

John 3:19-21: ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Romans 13:12: The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

We can choose to live by the truth and have our deeds exposed to the light. This choice raises our integrity because we know that what we do is visible to others—and most importantly, to God.

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God Turns Darkness to Light

On our own, we are incapable of choosing the light. We are blind, stumbling around in the darkness. Thankfully, God uses his light to bring us out of the darkness.

2 Samuel 22:29: You, Lord, are my lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.

Isaiah 42:16: I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.

Micah 7:8-9: ⁸ Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.
⁹ Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,
until he pleads my case
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will see his righteousness.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6: ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Before Jesus, the whole world was living in darkness. But Jesus came as a light so that we no longer have to live in darkness.

Matthew 4:16: “the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”

John 12:46: I [Jesus] have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

When we choose to believe in Jesus, we trade our life in the dark for life in God’s light.

Ephesians 5:8-9: ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Conclusion

What a marvelous promise! I’m so glad that God chose to call me out of darkness and into his wonderful light. He is calling to you as well. Do you want to stay trapped in darkness, wandering around lost with no visible means of escape? Let God shine his light to show you the way. Trust in him to lead you out of the darkness.

Go to Part 7

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Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.

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Or you can download them here:

Light Verse List

440KB ∙ PDF file

Download

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Light Word Search

85.5KB ∙ PDF file

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Light Word Search Answer

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Last week, we saw that God controls light. But did you know that he also controls darkness? Just as God can give light, he can also take it away. This is seen most frequently with the wicked. God withdraws his presence from the wicked, leaving them in darkness. Let’s look at God’s use of darkness in the Bible.

God Controls the Darkness

We’ve seen in past lessons that God strategically uses light and darkness when interacting with the Israelites. First, God used darkness as a plague on Egypt.

Exodus 10:21-23: ²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

Interestingly, darkness covered all of Egypt, yet the Israelites still had light. If that doesn’t tell you that God controls light and darkness, I don’t know what does!

Once God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, he set himself up as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But did you know that the pillar was different on one side than the other? Whereas the cloud brought light to the side of the Israelites, it brought darkness to the other side. This kept Israel away from their enemies.

Exodus 14:19-20: ¹⁹ Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

We see this same idea of brightness on one side and darkness on the other in a passage that has always been confusing to me until this study.

2 Samuel 22:7-13: ⁷ “In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
⁸ The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
⁹ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
¹⁰ He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
¹¹ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹² He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹³ Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.

When I’ve read this passage in the past, I was so confused by the dark clouds under God’s feet and the darkness as a canopy around him. But when you think of this in the same terms as the pillar of cloud that was bright on one side and dark on the other, it makes sense. The darkness is away from God—it provides a barrier between God and his enemies. All the enemies can see is darkness, but when you look at God himself, you see the brightness of his presence. He uses the darkness strategically to protect himself and his people from the enemy.

We see this darkness even more dramatically at Jesus’ crucifixion. At the time of Jesus’ death, the entire sky went dark.

Luke 23:44-45: ⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Once again, God used darkness as a barrier to separate his light from the darkness and evil going on in the world. God turned away when Jesus bore the weight of our sin on the cross. He withdrew his light. That brings us to our next point: darkness occurs when God withdraws his presence.

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Darkness Symbolizes the Absence of God

The theme of light vs. darkness and good vs. evil is prevalent throughout the Bible. Evil or wickedness is often equated with darkness, just as God is equated with light. In particular, when evil or wickedness abound, God cuts off their light and drives them into darkness.

Job 18:5-6: ⁵ “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;
the flame of his fire stops burning.
⁶ The light in his tent becomes dark;
the lamp beside him goes out.

Job 38:15: The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.

Proverbs 4:19: But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.

Proverbs 24:19-20: ¹⁹ Do not fret because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
²⁰ for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Lamentations 3:1-3: 3 I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.
² He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;
³ indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.

1 John 2:11: But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

Darkness is when people tend to act on their wickedness and sin. They hate the light and take cover in darkness to hide what they do.

Job 24:13-17: ¹³ “There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
¹⁴ When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.
¹⁵ The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’
and he keeps his face concealed.
¹⁶ In the dark, thieves break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
¹⁷ For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness.”

John 3:19-20: ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

The message is clear: if you love the darkness, or if you persist in doing evil, God’s light does not dwell in you. This is a warning for all of us.

Darkness Signals the Day of the Lord

Why is the darkness a warning for us? Because the Bible tells us that the Day of the Lord is coming. And for those who are still in darkness, it won’t be a good day.

This is the part of this study that surprised me the most, but I found it consistently in multiple books from multiple authors in both the Old and New Testament. I always imagine the Day of the Lord arriving in great light. God’s glory will shine brightly, and all the world will see and recognize him. But did you know that the Day of the Lord is actually marked by darkness?

Joel 2:10-11: ¹⁰ Before them the earth shakes,
the heavens tremble,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
¹¹ The Lord thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?

Amos 5:18-20: ¹⁸ Woe to you who long
for the day of the Lord!
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?
That day will be darkness, not light.
¹⁹ It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
²⁰ Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

Acts 2:17-21: ¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹ And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

The description of this darkness aligns with the sixth seal opened in heaven.

Revelation 6:12-13: ¹² I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, ¹³ and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.

But in those days of darkness, we see a shift from darkness to light.

Mark 13:24-26: ²⁴ “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
²⁵ the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

²⁶ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

Luke 17:22-24: ²² Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ²³ People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. ²⁴ For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

Zechariah 14:6-7: ⁶ On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. ⁷ It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.

Although the beginning of the Day of the Lord is marked with darkness, it will end with glorious light when Jesus returns.

Conclusion

When Jesus returns, what side do you want to be on? Do you want to be on the side of darkness, refusing to let go of your sin? Or do you want to be on the side of light, with God’s power and glory on full display? If you are walking in darkness, I invite you into the light.

Go to Part 6

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Over the last couple weeks, we’ve seen that God’s presence and glory are visible as light. This is consistent both in heaven, where he resides, and on earth, where he appears occasionally as visible light to deliver an important message. But his presence isn’t God’s only interaction with light. God also controls the light that we see on earth: the sun, moon, and stars and the lightning that we see in storms.

God Controls Sources of Light

We saw in Part 1 that God created light, including the sun, moon, and stars. As their creator, he controls when they shine and when they don’t.

Jeremiah 31:35: This is what the Lord says,

he who appoints the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,
who stirs up the sea
so that its waves roar—
the Lord Almighty is his name:

Job 9:7: He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;
he seals off the light of the stars.

Matthew 5:44-45: ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Even though God set the sun, moon, and stars in motion, he still has power over what they do, and he can make them do extraordinary things.

Isaiah 38:7-8: ⁷ “‘This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: ⁸ I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.

Can you imagine seeing the sun go backwards? What spectacular evidence that God is still in control! He didn’t just set things in motion and walk away. He is intimately involved in their continued work.

God doesn’t only control the typical sources of light that we think of—the sun, moon, and stars. He also controls the weather, including the lightning that lights up the sky.

Job 37:3: He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.

Job 37:11: He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.

Psalm 135:6-7: ⁶ The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
⁷ He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

I don’t know about you, but I love thunderstorms! The lightning and thunder are spectacular. It is a great reminder of the glory of God and his power over his creation.

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God Uses Light for War

The Bible also provides a lot of imagery related to God using light for war. One of the best examples of this is when God made the sun stand still for Joshua so the Israelites could defeat the Amorites.

Joshua 10:12-14: ¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
¹³ So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. ¹⁴ There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

The Psalms use a lot of imagery of God using both light and darkness to defeat the enemy.

Psalm 18:12-14: ¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
¹³ The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁴ He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

Psalm 97:1-5: ¹ The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
² Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes on every side.
⁴ His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

Psalm 144:5-6: ⁵ Part your heavens, Lord, and come down;
touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
⁶ Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy;
shoot your arrows and rout them.

The prophets also used imagery of God’s sword and arrows flashing like lightning.

Ezekiel 21:28: “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults:

“‘A sword, a sword,
drawn for the slaughter,
polished to consume
and to flash like lightning!

Zechariah 9:14-15a: ¹⁴ Then the Lord will appear over them;
his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;
he will march in the storms of the south,
¹⁵ and the Lord Almighty will shield them.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get in the way when God is ready to slaughter the enemy! God will use every weapon at his disposal, including light, to defeat his foes.

God Uses Light to Display His Wrath and Judgment

Throughout the Bible, we see God use light, especially lightning, strategically to accompany his wrath or judgment on a particular people. We first see this in the plague of hail that fell on Egypt, which was accompanied by lightning.

Exodus 9:22-24: ²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” ²³ When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; ²⁴ hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

God’s wrath devours anything in its path.

Psalm 50:1-3: ¹ The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
² From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
³ Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.

We also see God’s judgment poured out at the end of the earth. That judgment is accompanied by flashes of lightning and the scorching sun.

Revelation 8:5: Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Revelation 16:8-9: ⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. ⁹ They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

Revelation 16:17-18: ¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.

When God’s work has finished on this earth, when he returns to judge the earth, we will see his judgment visibly as light.

Conclusion

We often think of God as light in a glowing and radiant sense. But the verses we looked at in this lesson tell us that God uses light for much more than that. God controls the light and uses it as a weapon to defend his people and to judge those who refuse to worship him. Come back next week to see how God uses the absence of light—darkness.

Go to Part 5

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Last week, we looked at the idea that God is the source of light in heaven. But every so often, God finds a reason to come down to earth to bring his message to his people. We see this in several places in the Bible: when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, when God led the Israelites with a pillar of cloud/fire, when Moses received the 10 Commandments, when God’s glory filled the tabernacle/temple, and when Jesus was born. The Bible tells us that what people are seeing as light is God’s glory.

The Burning Bush

Throughout the Bible, when God appears, there is often an element of light included. Sometimes it’s fire, sometimes it’s lightning, sometimes it’s just bright white light. In Exodus 3, when God appeared to Moses, God spoke to Moses from a burning bush.

Exodus 3:1-6: 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

The Bible often speaks of God as a consuming fire. But here, we see the opposite—the bush was not burned up. This shows God’s control over how he appears and how he interacts with nature. We’ll talk more about God’s control of light over the next couple weeks.

Pillar of Cloud/Pillar of Fire

When God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, he didn’t just leave them to find their own way. He stayed with them in a visible presence as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Exodus 13:20-22: ²⁰ After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. ²¹ By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

I would imagine that as an Israelite, the constant visible presence of God was a comfort.

Moses and the 10 Commandments

After God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians, he gave them the 10 Commandments. When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments, the glory of the Lord covered the mountain, and it looked like a consuming fire.

Exodus 24:15-17: ¹⁵ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, ¹⁶ and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. ¹⁷ To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.

When Moses returned with the 10 Commandments, his face was radiant because it reflected the light of God.

Exodus 34:29-30, 33-35: ²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

God’s glory was so bright that Moses’ face reflected its radiance. That’s what happens when we encounter God. We can’t help but reflect his glory. We’ll talk about that more in the coming weeks as well.

God’s Glory in the Tabernacle/Temple

God’s presence with the Israelites didn’t end when he gave them the 10 Commandments. Along with those commandments, God gave the Israelites instructions for how to build a dwelling place for him—the tent of meeting or tabernacle as they wandered in the wilderness, and a temple once they were settled in the Promised Land.

Once the tabernacle was built, God’s glory descended on the tabernacle. This glory was visible as a cloud by day, and at night, the cloud had fire in it.

Exodus 40:34-38: ³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁶ In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; ³⁷ but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. ³⁸ So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

Leviticus 9:23-24: ²³ Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Similarly, when the temple was completed and the ark of the covenant was placed in it, God’s glory filled the temple, and his fire consumed the offering.

1 Kings 8:6-11: ⁶ The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. ⁷ The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. ⁸ These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. ⁹ There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

¹⁰ When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. ¹¹ And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3: 7 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. ² The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. ³ When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
his love endures forever.”

The Israelites had no doubt when God’s presence was among them, for they could see his glory in the cloud and fire, and he sent fire from heaven to consume their offerings and sacrifices.

Announcing Jesus’ Birth

The New Testament never really talks about whether God’s glory still dwelled visibly in the temple in Jerusalem. But we know God’s presence was still alive and active through the sending of his Son, Jesus, into the world. When the angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, the shepherds were witness to the glory of the Lord.

Luke 2:8-14: ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

What would your response be to seeing the glory of the Lord? Probably like the shepherds, I would be terrified. But to those who believe in him, seeing God’s glory brings joy and worship.

Light in the form of a star was also sent to announce Jesus’ birth to the wisemen.

Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11: 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The star led them to the place where they could worship Jesus.

Conclusion

When I think about the greatness of God and the relative smallness of people, it’s amazing that God would come down to earth and interact personally with us. Each time he did, he showed his presence as light so there would be no doubt about who he is.

Go to Part 4

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Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.

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Or you can download them here:

Light Verse List

440KB ∙ PDF file

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Light Word Search

85.5KB ∙ PDF file

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When I think about the characteristic of God is Light, the topic of this week’s and next week’s lessons is what I normally think about. God doesn’t just create light or use light for his purposes. God IS light. His very being provides light to those around him. Let’s look at this theme in more detail.

God Is Light

When writing these individual studies of the characteristics of God, I like to find the verses that most clearly state the characteristic to first establish that this is a characteristic of God. Here are a couple of my favorites.

1 John 1:5: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Psalm 104:2: The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent.

Psalm 76:4: You are radiant with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.

Light is an integral part of who God is and how God appears to those who see him. The Bible lays out a clear contrast between light and darkness, with God’s presence being associated with light and his absence being associated with darkness. Interestingly, even though darkness is often associated with God’s absence, God can use darkness strategically for his purposes. We’ll look at all of these ideas about God as light more closely in the coming weeks.

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God Is Heaven’s Source of Light

The Bible tells us that God makes his home in the heavens, and verses in both the Old and New Testament tell us that God is the source of light in heaven.

Isaiah 60:19-20: ¹⁹ The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
²⁰ Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.

Ezekiel 1:25-28: ²⁵ Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. ²⁶ Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. ²⁷ I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Revelation 21:22-25: ²² I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵ On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

Revelation 22:5: There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

These descriptions of God provide quite the picture! Fire, brilliant light, everlasting light, rainbows, radiance. There’s no doubt that God is the only source of light needed in heaven.

Interestingly, even God’s throne and God’s voice are given qualities of light.

Revelation 4:2-3, 5a: ² At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.

⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.

Psalm 29:7: The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.

Everything about God is light. It’s no wonder that the theme of light is so prevalent in the Bible!

Conclusion

I hope that you are a little bit more in awe of God than you were at the start of this lesson. I know I am. I don’t think our imaginations or descriptions do justice to the brilliance of God’s light and the awesomeness of his presence. I look forward to the day when I witness God’s glory and light for myself.

Go to Part 3

Premium Resources

Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.

You can access these resources by clicking here: God Is Light Resources

Or you can download them here:

Light Verse List

440KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Light Word Search

85.5KB ∙ PDF file

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Light Word Search Answer

89.3KB ∙ PDF file

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The most recent Bible study I wrote was on Jesus’ 7 I AM statements in the book of John. A few of those statements align with some of the Characteristics of God that we’ve discovered. The one I was most intrigued with was the connection between Jesus’ statement of “I AM the Light of the World” and the characteristic of God is Light.

When I started thinking about the theme of light in the Bible, I realized that light is mentioned from the first chapter in the Bible to the last.

Genesis 1:3: And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Revelation 22:5: There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

The theme of light is so prevalent in the Bible that it’s going to take us 11 lessons to understand this characteristic of God.

• Part 1: God Created Light

• Part 2: God’s Presence is Light

• Part 3: God’s Glory is Light on Earth

• Part 4: God Controls the Light (Presence of Light)

• Part 5: God Controls the Light (Absence of Light)

• Part 6: God Turns Darkness to Light

• Part 7: God Guides With His Light

• Part 8: Light Can Be Used to Worship God

• Part 9: Jesus is the Light Part 9a / Part 9b

• Part 10: God Shines His Light on Us

• Part 11: God Shines His Light Through Us

Creation of Light in Genesis

In our study of light, we are going to start where the Bible starts: God created light. God creates light over two days: Days 1 and 4.

On Day 1, God created the light itself and separated it from darkness. This theme of light vs. darkness will be prevalent in our study.

Genesis 1:1-5: 1 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.

On Day 4, God created the sources of light that we recognize on earth today: the sun, moon, and stars.

Genesis 1:14-19: ¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

God knew that it was important for his creation to have light. We see the usefulness of light for plant growth, which in turn provides food for us and the animals. We see the usefulness of light for our circadian rhythms, telling us when to be awake and active and when to rest. Without light, our emotional moods are affected, as seen in people with seasonal affective disorder. God knew that light was essential for life, and he created exactly the light sources and light rhythms that we need to survive and thrive.

When God created the sun, moon, and stars to give light, he also gave us a system of time—days and years. This system of days and years is so consistent that we can use them to mark sacred times, such as holidays (or festivals, as in the Bible), birthdays, and other special occasions.

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God Recognized as the Creator of Light

God’s creation of light isn’t only mentioned in Genesis 1. Other people throughout the Bible credited the creation of light to God.

Job:

Job 26:10: He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.

David:

Psalm 19:4: Yet their [the heavens] voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

Asaph:

Psalm 74:16: The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.

Unknown (probably David?):

Psalm 104:19-23: ¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
²⁰ You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
²¹ The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
²² The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
²³ Then people go out to their work,
to their labor until evening.

Psalm 136:7-9: ⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:26: Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 45:7: I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things.

Not only did God create the light, he set each light with intention. Psalm 104:19 says, “The sun knows when to go down,” and later in verse 22 it says, “The sun rises.” God established the sun and moon. He set them about in their motion to govern the day and the night as he intended. He made them to establish days and nights, seasons, and years.

Conclusion

Because God created light, he is in complete control of the light. He can form light or take away light. He can even make the sun stand still. He created it, and he controls it. But before we get into that, over the next couple weeks we want to talk about the most fundamental of all the themes of light in the Bible: God’s presence in itself is light.

Go to Part 2

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The psalm for this week is Psalm 27.

Of David.

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

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The psalm for this week is Psalm 18.

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

¹ I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
⁷ The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
¹³ The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁴ He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²² All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³ I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶ to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
²⁷ You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
²⁸ You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
²⁹ With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
³⁶ You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
³⁹ You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.
⁴² I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them like mud in the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁴ foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵ They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
⁴⁸ who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.

⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.

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The psalm for this week is Psalm 80.

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph. A psalm.

¹ Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth ² before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.

³ Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

⁴ How long, Lord God Almighty,
will your anger smolder
against the prayers of your people?
⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
⁶ You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.

⁷ Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

⁸ You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
⁹ You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
¹¹ Its branches reached as far as the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.

¹² Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
¹³ Boars from the forest ravage it,
and insects from the fields feed on it.
¹⁴ Return to us, God Almighty!
Look down from heaven and see!
Watch over this vine,
¹⁵ the root your right hand has planted,
the son you have raised up for yourself.

¹⁶ Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at your rebuke your people perish.
¹⁷ Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
¹⁸ Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.

¹⁹ Restore us, Lord God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

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The psalm for this week is Psalm 33.

¹ Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
² Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
³ Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

⁴ For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
⁵ The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰ The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
¹¹ But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
¹³ From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind;
¹⁴ from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
¹⁵ he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.

¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
¹⁸ But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
¹⁹ to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.

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The psalm for this week is Psalm 19.

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

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The psalm for this week is Psalm 23.

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

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The psalm for this week is Psalm 136.

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.

²³ He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

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In the last three lessons on God’s love, we learned more about what God’s love is and how it causes him to act. God’s love is abundant and lasts forever, and he loved us so much that he sent his Son to save us so we could be adopted into his family. His love is intimately connected with many of God’s other characteristics, including how he provides for us and protects us. Now that we understand God’s love in more depth, how should we respond to it? That’s what we want to answer in this lesson. We’ll look at this from two perspectives:

1. How God’s love changes my relationship with him

2. How God’s love changes my relationship with other people

How God’s love changes my relationship with him

We should respond to God’s love in three ways. God’s love should cause us to worship him. God’s love should cause us to live in him, or remain in him, as we discussed in our Remain in Christ word study. And God’s love should cause us to have hope. Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

Worship God

Psalm 63:6 says:

Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.

Once we understand God’s love, we know that his love is better than anything else in this world, including life itself. This causes us to glorify or worship God.

Part of our worship should include giving thanks to God for his love.

Psalm 107:1, 8-9: ¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 136:1-3: ¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

Live in God

The book of 1 John has a lot to say about what it means to live in God or remain in Christ, but this passage in 1 John 4 tells us how to respond to God’s love:

1 John 4:15-18: ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

If we live in God in response to his love, we should find ourselves becoming more like Jesus. If we truly understand the depth of God’s love for us, we will rely on his love and we will not be afraid.

Another key aspect about living in God that we learned in our Remain in Christ study is that part of remaining in Christ is keeping God’s commands. Jesus’ disciple John, who wrote 1 John, also wrote about this in the gospel of John:

John 14:21: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

John 15:9-10: ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

In these verses, we see an intricate relationship between God loving us and us loving God, which we show by obeying his commands.

Put my hope in God

One thing that we find very little of in this world is hope. Our world is full of sin and hate and destruction. But if we know the love God has for us, and we know that love us unfailing, then we have hope:

Psalm 130:7-8: ⁷ Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption.
⁸ He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.

If we focus on God and his love, then we have hope because we know that he has redeemed us from our sins so that the depravity of this world is not the end. This hope keeps us going as we wait for God to bring us into eternal life with him:

Jude 1:20-21: ²⁰ But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

How God’s love changes my relationship with other people

God’s love shouldn’t only change how we interact with God. It should also change how we interact with other people.

Love one another

We’ll look at the command to love one another a little more in a couple weeks, but loving other people is one of our primary responses to God’s love for us.

John 13:34: ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 John 4:11-12: ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Our love for one another serves at least two purposes: It provides evidence that we are followers of Christ, and it allows God’s love to be made complete in us.

The Bible calls out one relationship in particular that should show love as a result of God’s love:

Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

The Bible compares the relationship between Jesus and the church with a marriage relationship between a man and woman. Just as Jesus loved the church and died to save her, so men should also love their wives. This is the best reflection of God’s love for us that we can find on this earth.

Speak of God’s love

The last response to God’s love that we will learn about today is that if we understand the greatness of God’s love, we will share that with other people.

Psalm 89:1-2: ¹ I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
    through all generations.
² I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

God’s love isn’t something we should keep to ourselves. His love isn’t limited or exclusive. The more we share God’s love, the more his love will abound from generation to generation.

Conclusion

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been overwhelmed by my greater understanding of God’s love these last few weeks. God’s love extends beyond anything we could ever imagine, and it never fails us. His love caused him to give us the gift of salvation, which came at the price of the life of his Son. This gives us hope in a dark world because we know that we are saved from our sins. In response, we should worship God, live in him, love one another, and tell others about his love for us. What will you do in response to God’s love today?Grounded in the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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