Midnight Approaches: Chapter 2 - Thy Word is a Lamp...

Have you ever been in a forest, miles away from civilization, on a moonless night? That is the definition of darkness. When I was thirteen years old, I attended a church camp in the mountains of Colorado. I stayed after the evening service to speak with a camp counselor, and ended up being the last person to leave the lodge. My cabin was the farthest away from the lodge, and there were no lights illuminating the path to it. We had been warned numerous times to bring a flashlight with us to evening service to light our way back to our cabins. Unfortunately, I had forgotten mine. I was faced with walking through a forest, down an unfamiliar path, without the ability to see even the next step I was taking. I tripped over low spots, high spots, rocks, and broken branches. At times, I missed turns in the path and wandered off. The end result was a journey that took much longer than it should have, and produced many unnecessary bumps and bruises.

King David used a powerful metaphor to illustrate the importance of the Word of God to our lives.

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.¹

This is a verse that most Christians learn very early in their faith. But the power of the metaphor of the lamp is only fully understood when we look at it in its ancient context.

What was it like for David as he and his mighty men were roaming throughout the Judean wilderness, on the run from a bloodthirsty King Saul? We know that David spent much of his time hiding in the beautiful oasis of Ein Gedi. It is an amazing series of springs and waterfalls among the jagged eastern edge of the mountains between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. The beauty is truly overwhelming, but for David and his men, the danger was just as real. I imagine that after evading the armies of King Saul, there were times when David had to find refuge among the caves of this oasis, just as the sun was setting. I’m sure that most of the time David would have his men settled in camp while it was still daylight, but the reality of life on the run is not always so easy. There were inevitably times when David and his men were forced to make their way into the caves in the pitch blackness of the night. The only way to successfully navigate these treacherous paths would be by the light of a foot-lamp. These small lamps were attached to a low-hanging rope or, in some cases, even strapped to one’s ankles. They would produce only enough light to guide the traveler’s next step. As soon as that step was taken, the next one would be clear. How many times did those foot-lamps protect David as he made his way, step by step, through those mountains?

Some Biblical historians believe that Psalm 119 was composed by David in those very mountains. It’s possible that, as he settled in to meditate upon the writings of Moses, he realized that the Torah illuminated the path of his life in the same way that the foot-lamp guided his steps.

Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

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