God Is The Light Of The World

By Gwen Hamlin, R.I.P.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth … And God said ‘Let there be light’…God saw it was good,” (Gen 1:1 & 4). This is the first known creative words “spoken” by God. And there “was” light – and He divided light from darkness – then it was the first day.

I personally enjoy the translation of Torah which says “Let there be light in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night, they shall serve as signs for the set times – days and the years, as they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to light up the earth.” And it was so. Two great lights, the sun and the moon are part of creation but have none of the divine status attributed to them in ancient mythologies.

There are many references in Scripture about God’s light. A familiar one is Isaiah 42:6: God speaks to Israel that they are to be “a light to the nations”. When Israel was leaving Egypt to be free, they all had light in their dwellings but their slave masters had none.

The sages of Torah define this first primal light as filling the entire universe, light in its pure state, so intense that humans could not gaze on it. The fourth day of creation, God created lesser lights: the sun, moon, stars in the heavens.

“God is the Light of the World”. Today God reveals this true light in His Word if we ask Him, and seek His truth.

As I think of the true original light, I imagine it to be like a sheet of lightening in a storm – not as an electric light bulb. I had not realized this truth before as we observe God’s purity and holiness and try to imagine “His” light today.

The luminaries provided the light necessary to maintain life (v16). To rule over day and night, the sun, moon, stars were created carrying out God’s perfect will. Pagan impulse to deify the heavenly bodies for their light-giving properties, and to worship sun, moon and stars is wrong. We are to worship the Creator – not the creations.

Genesis is the book of origins of all the Creator brought into being. Most agree these 50 chapters of creation were written by Moses who was well qualified, trained in the wisdom of Egypt and educated to write this history.

Psalm 119:105, “Thy Word Is A Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path”.

Revelation 21:23 speaks of “the end of days when there is a new heaven and a new earth”. The New Jerusalem will reflect God’s light and there will be no need for sun, moon and stars. The Lord will give the light, Rev. 22:5. -