The Hidden God
He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. Psalm 18:11 NASB
Darkness – Where is the Lord, the God of creation, YHVH of Israel? Why don’t we see Him exercise His mighty hand on behalf of the righteousness? Why are the wicked of the world so apparent to all who look while God remains hidden from view?
In a previous verse, David uses the Hebrew term ‘arapel, a word translated “thick darkness.” TWOT comments:
Descriptions of the glory of God in the ot seem deliberately vague, perhaps to preserve the element of reverential awe respecting the wonder of beholding tokens of God, and also, perhaps, to remind one of the horror of sin in his presence. Hence, while the people stand afar off, Moses comes near to the “thick darkness” enveloping Yahweh (Ex 20:21). Indeed, the very mountain visited by God became an awesome mountain, “burning to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness (ḥōšek), cloud (ʿānān), and thick gloom (waʿărāpel)” (Deut 4:11). Similar expressions are found in Deut 5:22 [H 19]; II Sam 22:10; Job 22:13; Ps 18:9 [H 10]; 97:2. When Solomon dedicated the temple, the glory of Yahweh filled the building in cloud and thick darkness (I Kgs 8:10–12; II Chr 5:13–6:1), “as a reminder of the darkness into which Moses penetrated on Sinai” (JTOT, p. 259*).[1]
But in this verse, David does not employ ‘arapel. Instead he uses hosek, a word that in common terms, means the absence of light. We should notice that the same word is used in Genesis 1:2 to describe the primal chaos of the unordered world, something archaic man feared. The difference between ‘arapel and hosek is important. Thick darkness is visible! The terrifying descent on Sinai was seen by all Israel. It is true that the “face” of YHVH was enveloped in the cloud, but His presence was clearly perceived. Now David notices something far more disturbing. God is hidden. Where we would expect to see light, we see nothing. We do not discern the great God of Israel in the terrifying cloud. We don’t see Him at all. He is absent from our view—and we are alone in the universe.
The difference is seeing thick darkness from the outside instead of being in darkness from the inside. But we should not conclude that hosek is always like being in a cave with the lights off. There is also the phenomenon of the “white out,” the atmospheric condition when cloud and light are so close that we cannot see anything except the empty white space. In a “white out,” we experience the darkness of light. It is possible to hide in the light as well as the dark. It is possible for God to be hidden in the white space, the white fire of the Scriptures even while we read the words in the black fire. Just because we have the Bible does not mean we are in the presence of the Lord.
Why, then, does God choose to hide Himself? Perhaps it is because the obvious is often ignored or dismissed. Perhaps it is because we must seek Him in order to see Him. Rather than provide us with a neon sign in the sky, He envelopes Himself in hosek and waits for us to search. Perhaps those who find are only the ones who notice His absence.
Topical Index: ‘arapel, hosek, darkness, Psalm 18:11
*JTOT E. Jacob, Theology of the Old Testament, 1958
[1] Allen, R. B. (1999). 1701 עָרַף. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the Garden of Eden, which, apparently, stayed visible on earth until the flood. Cain and Abel, for example – didn’t they come to the entrance of it to offer their sacrifices? With the forbidden Garden in their midst, complete with cherubim and flaming swords, it only took 2000 years from perfection to debasement so horrible everything had to go. Israel sinned grievously over and over with the Pillar of Fire and Cloud in front of them, and, later, also, in the presence of the Temple in their midst, which had the Shekinah over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. Seeing apparently didn’t help very much – it was rebellion to His face, or, visible presence, so to speak.
When I was wandering in my wilderness, I looked and looked and did not see Him. I felt very alone. But, when I called with full heart, I found Him. I think about that a lot in context of my own children, who are all in various stages of trying to figure things out. Some of them want to deal with me, their parent, right now, and some of them don’t. I decided to treat them the way I was treated all those years I was having to figure things out, so I wait until they call me. I don’t go chasing them just because my heart misses them. I wait for them to miss me. Its called respect.
This is so beautiful to contemplate that I really do not want to trouble it with my thoughts.
In the white fire of the “deep darkness” (darkness of darkness) I perceive the geburah element of the Complex Unity, and all that goes with it.
The “white out” is a new revelation to me … and an exquisity to perculate.
I see this as God is still there but the burden of our intentional sin obscures Him from our view. I’m troubled by any concept that promotes the absence of God in any situation. His Presence in constant, continuous, and consistent. It is our disbelief and insistent pride that veils. We must clear the cloud by ruthless self inventory and repentance. We must seek His Holiness.
Just one little post script.
The cloud is of our making, not His.
Pre-Creation, YHWH’s Spirit was All and everywhere.
In the white fire surrounding the Hosek, I perceive the deliberate emptying / withdrawal of Spirit to enable Creation: An absence of Light, being filled with Light and light.
Interesting idea.
Just today, I was trying to capture a photograph of stuff in a fully lighted glass display cabinet, with full lighting outside and around the cabinet; the objects in the cabinet I was trying to capture came out dark/black with no distinct shape nor form! I wondered why that was so. After reading TW, I could connect!!
TW is amazing, Skip!
“There is a old Jewish story of a sage who, stroking his beard and looking up from his volume of Talmud, says: “Thank God thinks are good”. Then he pauses and adds, “But tell me ….if things are so good, how come they are so bad?”
That sure is the question of our time” – Rabbi Sacks: Radical then, Radical now
“I am the one who forms light and creates darkness” Isa 45:7
The creator of darkness hides in the absence of light and He is sometimes present in the visible thick darkness – how do we connect this with the statements of Yeshua?:
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5/1John 2:8/John 8:12
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness
….and HaSatan?
” Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
We should be a light in the world with it’s visible darkness, while seeking for YHVH in the absence of light(hosek)? And lights can only be seen in darkness. What happens now to the idea of Heschel that God is searching for man? God is present, but man left Him side and partnership?