Psalm 119:105 – Light
A lamp for my feet is your word,
and a light for my path.
This text begins the next eight verse section of Psalm 119. We’ve been looking at the value of God’s Word throughout the Psalm, but especially in the last several verses. This verse is well-known and evokes many other verses from scripture.
We can start in Genesis 1:3 – And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” The chaos of the deep covered by darkness is captured by the light. The light is brought when God speaks, a physical manifestation of God’s Word. God’s Word is found in the Bible, but it is much, much more than that. Psalm 104:1b-2 describes this light as covering.
Exodus 13:21 ties these elements together as God goes before the people as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night providing guidance no matter what the state of the natural light. Light thus evokes both God’s creative and God’s guiding power.
Jesus picks up this theme when in John 8:12 he says that he is the light of the world. Anyone who follows him will not walk in darkness. This also connects the light (light of life) back to the Word, which is the subject of our text today, as well as of the entire Psalm. God’s Word is more than words on paper, it is “alive and active” and represented in the person of Jesus and in the presence of Jesus in the world through his church.
This takes us to Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world.” The light stretches from creation to divine guidance for God’s people, to God’s people providing that light. I connect this with the principle of God’s blessing, expressed in Genesis 12:2 – “I will bless you … so you will be a blessing.” We receive light to be light.
How then are we to react to the works of darkness?
With the proclamation of the light! By sharing the connection to the guidance God has given us. Let me translate me from my own poetic paraphrase of Isaiah 58. This selection begins in verse 11:
God will guide you continually,
satisfying your needs in the wilderness.
God will strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden,
like a water spring,
one flowing year-round.You’ll rebuild old, despairing ruins;
Henry Neufeld, “Psalm 58 – A Slightly Poetic Paraphrase” – The Jevlir Caravansary
You’ll restore ancient, strong foundations.
You’ll be called the one who repairs broken walls
and restores streets lined with homes.
Where will you spread light in the darkness today?
(Featured image generated in Adobe Express [which uses Adobe Firefly] according to my description.)
