[i]But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments … you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. Deuteronomy 28: 15, 28[iii]
On the first day of The Creation, God created light. The earth’s darkness had gone. Evil did not exist. The next five days of creation were filled with beauty, joy, love, and peace. When the pinnacle of God’s creation had been completed on day six, all settled down in perfect harmony. In creating humans, God expressed His own image, creatures with a high degree of intellect, emotion, and will, in human form. Yes, God gave humans a will—a free will to choose. Our primogenitors chose; they chose to disobey; they chose darkness; unwittingly, they chose East of Eden, and thus began the creation of darkness. Shame ensued. Death was born.
Although humans have made some incredible creative accomplishment in the arts and crafts; although they have made unbelievable advances in the sciences, when humans are in charge of creating a spiritual world, the progress of their creativity counters the beauty of God’s wondrous formation of the vast universes and our tiny planet.
And the world of humans became dark.
Day 1: (Genesis 3) Humans create sin. The eighth day after the beginning, humans said, “Let us choose to disobey—let us be our own gods. And they saw what they had created, and it was bad, ending the first day.
Day 2: (Genesis 4:1-2) Humans said, “Let us create more humans in our image. So they conceived and brought to birth more sinners. And they saw what they had created, and it was bad, ending the second day.
Day 3: (Genesis 4: 3-7) Humans said, “Let us make jealousy, hatred, and anger.” And they saw what they had created, and it was bad, ending the third day.
Day 4: (Genesis 4: 8-16) Humans said, “Let us destroy the image of God.” (But God saw and punishment followed.) And humans saw what they had created, and it was bad, ending the fourth day.
Day 5: (Genesis 4: 25-26) Humans saw that their choices had put them on the road to nowhere, so God showed them hope in His creation of a new godly line and an opportunity to begin to redeem the darkness they had created. And humans saw what God had created and had the prospect of finding Light. But … They rejected hope and God and created chaos. And humans saw what they had created, and it was bad, ending the fifth day.
Day 6: (Genesis 5) Humans rejected hope and continued on their trajectory of darkness resulting in death. And humans saw what they had created, and it was bad, ending the sixth day.
Day 7: (Genesis 6) Humans became darker and darker until creation became unsustainable. Humans saw what they had created and died without entering an eternal rest–and the end came.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6: 8
Now there could be hope; now there could be light. Now there could be … the true Light of the world—a new line for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet, of the more than 8,231,613,000 people in today’s result of the dual creations, only 7.9% are evangelical Christians. Oh yes, probably no different from those millennia prior to the flood and on down through history, there were those who said, “Sure I believe in God, but I want to live my life the way I see him.” They, however, unwittingly lived in darkness then, and many millions live in darkness today. Jesus warned of this:
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24: 37-39
In the book, A Hunger for God[iv], the author, John Piper states:
Do not be paralyzed by the statistics. We are not responsible for what we cannot do but for what we can do.
What we can do is bear the light of the Lord Jesus. We are responsible to shine our light everywhere we can, whether in place at home, neighborhood, social outlets, or beyond with the seven-and-one-half billions who remain in the creation of darkness.
Tell them:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 19-20
Challenge: Where do you see darkness in the world where you travel? Is your light lit brightly enough to bring them the hope of eternal Light? Is there anything that stands in the way of sharing His Light in your world?
Prayer: Light of lights, and Creator of light, show me to darkness along my pathway today, and help me to venture into the depths of the darkness to lead another to the Light of the world. Because of Jesus, Amen!
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5: 14-16
[i] https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1000/1*bEMiexliHynhOPsf7WiizQ.jpeg
[ii] King James Version (KJV)
[iii] All Scriptures taken from English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated
[iv] Piper, John. A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer (p. 131). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
[v] https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2023/12/20/09/37/ai-generated-8459425_960_720.jpg
