Guest Columnist for The Messenger

June - July - August 2023
The Messenger

"And GOD said, Let there be light: and there was light." - Genesis 1:3

In the last Messenger, I wrote about the trip to the Creation Museum and ARK Encounter. How what we saw and experienced there, made us desire to search the Bible deeper. It made me continue my study of Proverbs 20:27. Let's read it again, "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly." This time, we will learn about the candle. In Hebrew, the word also means lamp and light. I searched in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance; the other words, looking for the verses that use the Old Testament number 5216. Lamp(s) use that Hebrew word most of the time, and light(s) less than ten times; which explains why different versions will use the other words.
Do you know what I discovered? Solomon isn't the only one that mention using the Hebrew word. Job, in chapter 29 and verse 3 and David (Psalm 18:28, 27:1) for an example of GOD's blessing and in Jeremiah 25:10 for Israel's seventy years captivity. David also acknowledged that the LORD was his lamp, that lights his path (2 Samuel 22:29, Psalm 119:105). Then I came upon these verses in Isaiah, and I realized that they are talking about the light to the Gentiles (42:6 and 49:6) Who could that be? According to Apostle John; Jesus the True Light (John 1:9), He is the light of the world (8:12;  9:5; 12:46).
Messiah Jesus taught that we believers are to be lights to the world by our behavior, our love for each, other as well as our enemies. And to be like the Good Samaritan, giving of our time and resources, not expecting repayment. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).
Till we meet again, Shalom

~ Guest Columnist