Tales In The Dark

Courtesy Pixabay.com

"What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light" (Matt. 10:27).

The title for this post and the scripture came several weeks ago, on Dec 17, 2010. I put the title in the box and wrote the scripture and then. . . nothing. I had nothing else to say. A tiny bell had rung and it felt important. So, since I thought it was stupid to post like that, I saved it in my drafts. I've looked at it several times in confusion wondering what I had wanted to say. I didn't know. Still, I had the sense it meant something. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it so I just closed it up again.

January 1, I was reading my Bible and that bell went off again. I thought fleetingly "That's odd." I learned long ago that nothing is really coincidental. Things happen for a reason. You don't have to agree. But small things are like pebbles dropped in a lake. They start ripples that move outward, forever if the source is large enough. In theory, if you drop one in the middle of the Atlantic there will be ripples that become waves that have great impact somewhere.

That second bell went of when I read the following scripture. "So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was" Ex. 20:21 The word "was" was not in the original Hebrew text. It is put there for clarity. It is italicized in the KJV to show this. So, Moses drew near the thick darkness where God.

I did nothing at first when I found it. But it kept coming to my mind and eventually I got out of bed that evening and marked it in yellow in my study Bible. Again, I had that sense that this was important... at least to me. So, I set up a marker and left the verse in the Bible.

Today, I became restless. That verse and the post I had started but not finished continued to gnaw at me. I decided to search for the phrase "darkness" in the Bible. I read each entry that fit my search criteria. Darkness is a broad term and not all verses I found appeared to relate. They didn't give me that same clanging sound in my head. But I did start to notice the connection to the word "God" in some of the results. Mentally, I refined my search farther.

Of course, as Christians we don't connect God to darkness. He's all about light. Bringing light to the world and lighting our paths. He's the bright and morning star. His light has expanded to encompass the globe in nations once shrouded in thick darkness. Everything we learn about God is stated in terms of brilliance. The Bible clearly states these terms in regard to God's character. It even says that God is not found in darkness.

As I searched I started pasting all the scriptures to my document. I realized I was in trouble because I usually over research things anyway and the Bible is a big book and the word "darkness" is repeated . . . well. . . a lot.

Bells and Voices

I further refined my search and formulated a filter to assist. What was I looking for based on the two verses already "given" to me? I sort of knew the answer. God can be found in darkness. Well, that flies in the face of all Christianity! It was just a little voice that slipped past the sound of the bell.

However, after reading all the scriptures I felt were closely related to my first two and which seemed to catch in my filter, I noted two things. In the Old Testament God was frequently mentioned as "inhabiting darkness". In the New Testament, he was frequently mentioned "inhabiting light" and literally banishing darkness. It confused me at first but after thinking about it a bit, it made sense. Jesus is considered to be the light of the world. We believe He illuminated the darkness where God dwelt. That resonated with me but that was not the direction I was headed. I noted it for another study.

I listed all the scriptures I felt related in some way to my first two and my filter. There are dozens but I wouldn't use them all. I was looking for the reason those first two verses kept ringing in my head. What do they mean?

As I did my search, I noticed in many places where God revealed important information to a person, He did it in thick darkness. Sometimes, this terrified the human. Sometimes, they simply took the news and made the necessary changes. Most of the time I suspect they were scared witless. That's why so much dictation took place. When you are afraid and in the dark, you don't think too well on your own.

"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great  darkness fell upon him." Gen. 15:12

"And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:" Ex. 10:22

"The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness." 1 Kings 8:12 

"Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne." Ps 97:2

In each instance God was cloaked in darkness but he was there, acting in some capacity. Giving Abram a dream or dealing with the stubborn Egyptians. That was interesting to me. I've been living in very dark places. I was still in those dark places. It was frightening and I don't think to well but. . .at least I was hearing bells.

Fire And Smoke

Next I discovered the story of the Exodus where God put a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. This was to protect the Hebrews and not allow their recapture. What I didn't know was that there was a dual perception to this cloud/pillar.

To me the pillar of fire could easily be seen as a cloud in the daylight because . . . well, it produced huge quantities of smoke. I've seen enormous fires that appeared to be nothing but thick billowing smoke. You couldn't even see the fire! Until it got dark. The Bible says that the Egyptians only perceived the darkness. They never saw the pillar of fire! Read the verse with an emphasis on the terms "them" and "these" and you will see what I mean.

"And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night." Ex. 14:20

This cloud was darkness to the Egyptians but it was light to the Hebrews. The Egyptians didn't see the light! They saw only a great towering darkness before them and they weren't about to cross that line. Remember in the Old Testament God cloaked himself in thick darkness.

"And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness." Ex 4:11

"These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me." Deut. 5:22

Everyone outside the cloud saw thick darkness. Moses walked along the road and stepped into that  darkness.

Down A Dark Road

Many of the scriptures I found referred to the impact of this darkness on others. Frequently, darkness is laid across someone's path. This darkness was so thick, so terrible that the wicked couldn't even speak when confronted with it.

"He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail." 1 Sam 2:9

It always surrounded the Almighty. "And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies." 2 Sam. 22:12 & Ps. 18:11 

"He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet." 2 Sam. 22:10 & Ps. 18:9


Trouble in the Dark

Job said God set the darkness in his path. He couldn't avoid it; it was across the path he had to take. Moses went into the darkness. Why? Why would God set darkness in the path of anyone, particularly people He held in high regard? Would God put darkness in our paths? Yes.

"He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths." Job 19:8

"He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old." Lam. 3:2 & 6

"When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness." Job 30:26

WHY? The question screamed at me. Why would he do that? And if it was there, why would anyone enter that darkness as Moses had? Why would they have to go through the darkness at all? There is no light there. It is a darkness you can feel, that burns its way into your soul and consumes you. You don't know what is there waiting. Why would I go into that darkness? Because there are secrets in the dark.

"He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him." Dan 2:22

"And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." Isa 45:3

"He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death." Job 12:22

There is more to this story, but not today. There are a dozen more scriptures, but they'll still be there later. Today, that is what I needed to know. I heard it in the dark.

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Isa 60:1-2

"And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." Isa. 42:16

"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." Micah 7:8


Revised 2/8/15

The Priest of Heliopolis

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/w/index.php?curid=58987

I was reading my daily Bible reading, trying to catch up the three days I'm behind and ran across something that drew my attention. I've probably read it dozens of times in the past but today, it sort of rang a bell with me and I felt inclined to do a little research.

I'm reading in Genesis where Joseph was released from prison because he interpreted a dream for Pharaoh. The ruler was so impressed he appointed Joseph to be his second in command and to manage the food supply for the predicted seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife named Asenath, daughter of Potipherah, a priest of Heliopolis.

The word Heliopolis (On) jumped out at me because several years ago, I kept running across this area of Egypt in my studies. I even watched a documentary on the History channel about it and a certain Pharaoh named Akhenaten (he changed his name to this from Amenhotep IV. There are variations in the spelling of both names).

This particular Pharaoh is interesting because he began a rebellion in Egypt and established a religion to a single God whom he called Aton, rather than the pantheon of gods Egypt believed in. He began a temple to this god at or near Heliopolis. 

The History Channel link for the following citation no longer works, but I've provided additional links below. 

"During the 18th Dynasty, the pharaoh Amenhotep III renamed the sun god Aton, an ancient term for the physical solar force. Amenhotep's son and successor, Amenhotep IV, instituted a revolution in Egyptian religion by proclaiming Aton the true and only god. He changed his own name to Ikhnaton, meaning “Aton is satisfied.” This first great monotheist was so iconoclastic that he had the plural word gods deleted from monuments, and he relentlessly persecuted the priests of Amon. Ikhnaton's sun religion failed to survive, although it exerted a great influence on the art and thinking of his time, and Egypt returned to the ancient, labyrinthine religion of polytheism after Ikhnaton's death." From The History Channel 

Now, you may ask why I find this small bit of the Bible of any interest at all. It's a good question. I believe in a single, unified God. I believe He is one being. So, when I find Joseph, a child raised by a father who also believed in a single God but who is a prisoner in a city where the major religion worships hundreds of gods, being given a wife who is likely the daughter of a Priest of a religion that teaches there is one God, I experience several emotions. 

If they presented Joseph with any other woman, he would not have accepted her because of the conflict in their religious beliefs. Of course, if he accepted her, she might draw him away from the God of his father to accept the gods of his wife. However, Joseph is given a woman who was probably taught to recognize only one reigning God. That's just amazing.

Of course, you could say there is no evidence of Asenath's background. No, there isn't. But I find it curious we would even be told who this Egyptian woman's father was if there was no importance attached to it. When they mention wives in the Bible, their lineage is only important when it concerns something momentous. Even the men's lineage is subject to this peculiarity. For example, in Genesis 36:24, we find that one of the original peoples of Edom was a man called Zibeon, who had two sons named Aiah and Anah. Anah is the one who discovered hot springs in the wilderness while he was grazing his father's donkeys.

Now, that single fact has no bearing on anything in the Bible that I know of. But for those repeating the oral history, it would be very important. Perhaps the springs themselves became well known, but this was Edom - the land of Esau, and not a place Jacob's descendants would bother with much. Lineages in the Bible contained important information. You can find this kind of thing where a recitation of names occurs.

I believe this wife was probably selected for Joseph specifically for her religious beliefs. God looked out for Joseph. The religious uprising in Egypt probably occurred before the children of Israel came to Egypt. Imagine for a second, a rogue Pharaoh suddenly breaking with hundreds of years of tradition to establish a monotheistic religion. A single priest of this religion has a daughter destined to become the wife of Joseph and a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ - the god/man of Christianity. After the death of that Pharaoh, the religion of Egypt reverted to polytheism and never again did such a thing occur.

Peculiar, interesting, amazing? A plan?

NOTE: Here are two sites that give you more information on this infamous Egyptian. 

https://www.ancient.eu/Akhenaten/

https://discoveringegypt.com/ancient-egyptian-kings-queens/akhenaten/

The Last Day

We finally reach it - our last day. Mankind had reached a nadir while above the sun is shining. On the horizon is darkness and one can only wonder what lies ahead for us all. Will we go on? Was there a better place waiting? Or would the crouching darkness devour our very souls? What will we do?

The last year has been one of radical change, chaos, and confusion. We'd weathered it but there were many wounded and many battle-scarred. Some had died on the field. Even the earth had been assaulted. The villages and towns that still stood were reeling under fiscal problems, energy crises, and joblessness. In many places children cried for food while famine raged in the land. Wars among factions had only increased, their participants splintering skirmishes around the globe.

Terror had become a raging monster fed by a demonic mindset. Children had lain bleeding or dismembered in the streets, a sacrifice to a violent god filled with hatred and minds so twisted by their fables that they believe a lie and are damned themselves.

I scanned the horizon, looking for some sign, some rising star, some glimmer of hope. I saw none. We had obliterated hope along with faith. No one prayed anymore for peace and safety because there was no longer a God to pray to. Or if there was, He must remain hidden in case someone actually grasped His garments in desperation and began to believe in Him. Goodness was servant to selfishness. Mercy lay dying on the alter of intolerance, bigotry, and self-righteousness. No longer was there freedom to speak without fear. No longer could one assert a righteous indignation without fear of reprisal or accusations of religiousness.  Death lurked around every corner waiting for a willing participant to utilize his tools.

I sat down on the rotting stump of an ancient oak. It had stood many centuries, growing tall, strong, and full. It's branches had sheltered many from storms, given shade to the weary travelers, and lifted up a multitude of downcast eyes. But long ago they'd begun to hew it down. It had taken a couple of generations to succeed but finally they had chopped it down and burned the carcase. Only the stump remained, a slowly rotting reminder of a time when people actually believed in something good. When ideals, dreams, and hopes were allowed to flourish without dissension.

The sun was lower in the west now, near the time when the darkness would be complete. From the East, it had begun to crawl along the ground, reaching long probing fingers toward us. We stood and watched, making no effort to greet it and none to stop it. I knew that it would overtake us but some part of me continued to search along that dividing line between light and dark, as a thirsty animal searches for a watering hole. Still I saw nothing but approaching darkness. The light behind me dimmed further as the power of that darkness began to overwhelm it.

Then, it came. One moment a fleeting glow suddenly shut out by overwhelming blackness the consistence of tar. My heart pounded so hard I knew others must hear but I couldn't see beyond my outstretched fingertips. I felt tears begin to course down my cheeks and my stomach twisted in knots as I stood in a a night deeper than any well I'd ever seen. I had no measure of how long it lasted because without the sun, time didn't exist.

Just as the last flame of hope in my heart began to gutter like a candle in the wind, I raised my head and hands and strained my eyes to the void. Suddenly, from the farthest reaches of the heavens came a tiny flicker, so faint it would have been undetectable to the casual observer. But I was searching for that flicker and as I watched through blinding tears, it grew and expanded and blazed forth with gathering strength, until it broke through the darkness and glowed brightly -a single star in a vast expanse of nothingness. All around me I heard gasps as first one, and another and then, another star broke through until all the heavens were filled with brilliant starlight, their beams stretching to touch one another.

I looked at the horizon again and saw where the earth and sky formed a line and stars blinked along it the way diamonds do on a necklace. I turned back to my ancient stool for a seat to observe the wonder of it all. At the base of the stump, where gnarled roots snaked away and into the ground, a single green stalk now stood. Tender green leaves had unfurled during the long dark night and now began to reach to the lightening sky.

Then, it came, blazing from the east and banishing the darkness to the depths. A fresh breeze began to blow and dawn came with a chorus of songbirds. We were here.

Now, what will we do?