Walk In The Light
From darkness to light to restored fellowship we become who we were made to be through confession, repentance, and walking in the light as He is the light.
“In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite...took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave...the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy the night...But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus...the old man asked, “Where are you going? He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem No one has taken me in for the night. “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said...While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house...Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him...the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night...When her master got up in the morning and opened the door...there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway"
Judges 19:1, 9-27
There are not many stories I hate more than this text. It is vile, evil and should never happen. The unnamed concubine is sacrificed to save the guys who hide inside. The wickedness of depraved men lead them to abuse the vulnerable. The history of our world contains countless stories of people who have suffered from abuse and wickedness. Edmund Burke once said, "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
The first line of Judges 19 is the beginning of understanding all that happens in the story. The text says there was no king. There was no one with overwriting authority. There was no truth and people just did what they wanted. Does that sound like anywhere?
Where there is no light, people do dark, disgusting, and despicable things. It is one of the clearest pictures in Scripture of what happens when there is no fear of God. Night is not just a setting. It is a state of the heart. Truth says that evil thrives where light is absent.
The word for wicked is used in the same context as the one for the fool who says there is no God in Psalms 14. Wickedness is a way of living that rejects God so deeply that human dignity collapses. It is where truth gets twisted and temptation triumphs. Hopefully none of us are experiencing or have experienced this type of darkness. Unfortunately, studies have shown that abuse is widespread. How can being aware of the darkness in or around us drive us to draw closer to the light? How can we become people who stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves?
“Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful. Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.” Psalms 80:3, 5, 17-18
This psalm can be the turning point. It is the place where we recognize we need help. We have walked or are walking in darkness and recognize we need God. We need restoration because we have fallen. Baptism is often a time of great celebration because of the external expression of the inwards cleansing that occurs when we give our lives to Jesus.
This psalms speaks to something deeper than a one time cleansing. The people of God had at times loved him, but they had not remained faithful. Like a daily shower, there will be things in our lives that need to be cleansed each day. Where could the light of Christ help cleanse your heart so you could radiate the goodness of God's grace?
The passages today move from the horror of life in darkness to the invitation to live in the light. Living in the light begins with knowing you need God and it is God that can light up your life. Jesus said the word repent. To repent is to turn. Turn from something to Him. What do you need to turn from today so that God can shine on and through you?
“As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.” Proverbs 26:11-27
Wisdom tells us that darkness is not accidental. It is chosen and repeated. You choose to return to your vomit. You might not even like it, but you are drawn to returning to it. You choose to keep doing what you know is wrong because as Jesus said people preferred the darkness to the light. The ruts that form the patterns of our lives tend to be pretty deep.
Darkness can come in varying degrees. We can mask it or minimize it, but all of us are tempted by it. Solomon warns against gossip, pride, and digging a pit. Truth tells us that we reap what we sow. What have your actions over the last week said about your heart? Are there any patterns or habits that you have that are unhealthy that need to be broken?
“before the decree takes effect and that day passes…before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger. That land will belong to the remnant…The Lord their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes.” Zephaniah 2:2-3, 7
Zephaniah warns us of what will happen if we do not confess and repent. God does not want to see even one person perish. God is patient but God is not apathetic. One of the issues in our world is that people often get away with bad behavior or criminal activity. God tells us that there will be a day of judgment. He will allow or actively punish those who practice darkness. God is just God.
The cry from Zephaniah is a call to action. It is the same call to action that Jesus gave. When Jesus says, follow me, He does not add the phrases when or if you feel like it. The life of faith is active and intentional. Truth tells us to seek humility and walking rightly with God. Where could you intentionally take one step of seeking God today? How could you grow in how you seek Him?
“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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 claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:3-9
What does it mean to you to be a child of the light? What does it mean to you to walk in the light? John is not saying God gives light, he says God is light. Whenever we are God's presence we cannot help but be full of light. He is light. We saw what an absence of God looked like in judges. Darkness is relational separation and moral blindness.
God's call is to fellowship. Fellowship with God and fellowship with each other. Was pursuing fellowship with God and your community on your to do list today? Should it be? When we do not care about fellowship, the world falls apart. Just like Edmund Burke said, and in the same way that Jesus calls us to be His hands and feet in Matthew 25, we have an expectation of making a difference in the world. The life of faith is not simply defined by an absence of or avoidance of sin. The life of faith is about building up and bringing the kingdom. We have an opportunity every day to shine God's light not just avoid darkness.
John says confess. Confession is simply telling the truth. It is coming to a place of honesty. The irony is God already knows, already sees, and is just waiting for us to come honestly and in humility before Him. Confession is agreeing with God about your sin, not hiding it, not minimizing it, not redefining it, now allowing it, not continuing to do it. This message is for everyone. John says all sin. Paul said all fall short of the glory of God. What do you need to confess?
The beautiful truth is that Jesus provides the way out. Judges shows us that we have to call what is right, right and what is wrong, wrong. Like Aseph in Psalm 80, we recognize the truth that we need God. We are sinners in need of a savior. We can't do it on our own.
Every day, the call is to seek the light and shun the darkness. It has to be intentional. We have to choose to avoid returning to our vomit and seek first the kingdom of God. Then, as we confess, clear our conscience, and commit our way to the Christ, He is faithful and just to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
There is simplicity hidden in plain sight in the text. John says that God does this so that your joy would be complete. He is not doing this because He wants something from you, God wants something for you. He wants you to experience the life of freedom, purpose, and power that is the kingdom life that you were born to live. There is freedom and confession and power in purification.
So let us walk in the light as Jesus is in the light pursuing Him, putting our sins at the foot of the cross, and picking up our own cross as we seek ways to serve and practice bringing the light of Christ to our family, friends, and those who are foreign to us but equally in need of the light of Jesus Christ. And let us shine with our a song in our heart as our joy is made complete singing this little light of mine, I am going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.