‘There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths’ (Job 24:13)
‘For you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…’ (Eph 5:8)
Job reminds us that there are wicked people in this world. We sometimes forget the truth, deceiving ourselves that all human beings are good, nice, faithful and generous. Then God permits that we should encounter a wicked person and we feel afresh the grief of betrayal and loss. The pain is just a reminder of the truth: only God is totally good! The pain is also deliverance from the deadly bondage to deceit.
Truth is a fruit of the light (Eph 5:8-10). Truth is not available to all men. Truth is Jesus. Truth died to set us free. You need the pay the price for truth to be your friend. Truth needs the light of the Scriptures. Truth is ‘a domesticated’ blessing. It is only by the leading of the Holy Spirit that you can discern truth (Jn 16:13). No other spirit can bring truth to you. If you are born again, you are blessed! If you are Spirit filled, you are blessed even more!
There are many wicked people who enjoy, who love darkness and hate the truth. There is the armed robber who sleeps during the day and it is on active duty in the night. Darkness is his friend. Darkness covers his footsteps so he can run away from his dying victim, his pockets full of stolen money. The adulterer waits for the night to come. He is attracted by the colored bulbs hanging at the gate of prostitutes. Darkness covers his face. His wife, his friends will never know of his double life of stolen pleasures. Then, there are the oppressors, the opportunists. These are fake religious men who are skillful in deceiving others. Their preaching is designed to steal the joy and peace of others. They cheat the hopeless, the needy, the widow or the barren woman who is looking for a baby. They promise them miracles of healing and prosperity so that they remain in bondage to wicked, false hopes.
These wicked men have this in common. They rebel against the light of God!
What is the light of God? It is the revelation of His Person and of His glory!
The light of God comes to men in three main ways: Thru the nature, the conscience and the Scriptures.
First, God reveals His existence thru His creation. The nature, the mountains and the sea, the sun, moon and stars, all these tell us that God exists and he created them all.
‘The heavens declare the glory of God…day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge…their voice goes out into all the earth’ (Ps 19:1-4)
The wicked people see the nature as something common. They believe that man came out of monkeys and the earth from a lost material in the sky. They think ‘scientifically’ and doubt the Creator.
The question is this: what is the attitude of your mind when you see God’s creation? What do you think of His mountains and lakes, of His birds and fishes? When you travel and see new things, how do you feel? Do you remember God and do you worship Him as the Creator of the whole universe? Can a rain drop or a water lily inspire you enough to write a poem, a song or a letter to God? If the answer is no, then you are a wicked man. You should repent of rebellion against the light of God!
Secondly, God reveals His light thru the conscience. God has placed in the spirit of man an organ called conscience who will warn and rebuke you for your sins. If you know the good thing to do, and your conscience testifies to it, but you reject its voice, then you are a wicked man. If you know that your action is bad, and your conscience troubles you, but you continue in your sin, then you are a wicked man. You rebel against the conscience, which is a mirror of the light of God (1Tim 1:19, 4:1-4; Jam 4:17)
Thirdly, there is the light of the revelation of God’s Word. This is the greatest and purest of all lights. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. His Word is ‘a lamp under your feet’. The more you read the Bible and repent of your sins, the more light will shine on your path of life. No believer should just ‘fall’ into sin. The Word of God is sufficient to direct your life, your speech and your actions. The scriptures are complete and infallible. You don’t need anything else for wisdom and success in life outside the Word of God. This is the truth. If you ignore the Word of God, your quiet time with God, the preaching of God’s Word and prayer, then you are a wicked, rebellious man. You need to repent of sin and come to Jesus!
There is a great revelation we glean from the Book of Job: God does not expose and punish the wicked men immediately. This delay in action is based on God’s sovereign will and on His extraordinary patience. Men misinterpret God’s patience and take it as an approval of their sins. That is a deadly deception (Ecc 8:11-13). For the Bible is clear: ‘God is angry with the wicked every day…’ (Ps 7:11)
Please listen! This is what the Bible teaches: if you insist to go to hell, God will allow you to go there! If you love lies and deception, God may keep quiet! God does not force His light upon anyone who hates it and rejects it. If you insist in living in sexual immorality, God may not stop you. A venereal disease may slow you down, but God will not stop you. This is a wonder, this slow action of God in the presence of sin! Many believers are confused by it, but this is the truth! Accept it! God may not punish the wicked men immediately, sometime not in this life time! But trust God, their judgment is sure!
But for anyone who has this testimony, that God troubled you with His light until you surrendered to Him, blessed are you!
May God’s light shine on me!
May I never live carelessly on this earth!
May I never be ungrateful and ‘business-like’ with God’s gifts and His revelation!
May my conscience trouble me when I rebel against His light and may I repent of sin!
May I hate the powers of darkness and the wickedness in high places!
May foolishness, wickedness and rebellion be far from me!
May I see God’s wonders in the nature, wherever I go!
As I see the sun, the clouds, the moon and the stars, may I worship Jehovah Elohim day and night!
May the nature, the work of God’s hands and His gift to me make me a true lover of Jesus!
May the Word of God bring light to my understanding, to my memory and to my spiritual discernment! May I walk and work in the light of God!
May I love the Word of God!
May I love the light of God and come close to it!
May God’s presence fill and cover my home!
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen!