Back To The Beginning
Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your kindness. Psalm 31:16 (ISR translation)
Make Shine – No matter where you turn in the Scriptures, you are never far from Genesis. The beginning is the end. The Garden is the destination. So, we shouldn’t be too surprised to find ‘or connected with salvation. David reminds us that the original light of creation (ye-hi ‘or) is the same light he wishes to fall on him. It is not the light of the sun or the moon. It is God’s blessed light, the very light that separates order from chaos, long before night and day were regulated by the sun and moon. “Bring Your light, the light that belongs to the order You established, into my life, O Lord.”
The Hebrew in this text is ha-ee-ra (shine, give light, make light, become light). Of course, this verb finds expression in a lot of Hebrew idioms. Wisdom lights up the face (Ecclesiastes 8:1). God’s Torah brings light to the eyes (Ezra 9:8). The Lord’s face shines on His people (Numbers 6:25). The presence of the Lord causes the earth to shine (Ezekiel 43:2).
Did you notice that David implores the Lord to turn His countenance toward him? The light of God’s face is the light that saves. In this Hebrew idiom, to experience God’s light is to be rescued. Of course, rescue and deliverance in the Hebrew context don’t carry quite the same meanings as the contemporary Christian idea of salvation. The salvation we experience in a Hebraic context is here and now. Salvation is reinforcements in the midst of battle. God brings His glory and the flares light up the dark night of the attacking enemy.
But that’s not the only connection here. Seeing the light from the face of the Lord not only rescues me from the darkness, it directs me to His kindness. This word is hesed, a very difficult word to translate into English. It covers kindness, mercy, love, goodness and faithfulness. In Psalm 136, the word is used twenty-six times in various nuances. Hesed is the very foundation of God’s actions, from creation to salvation. David knew the connection, so he tied ‘or and hesed to yasha’ (to deliver, to save). Salvation stands in the middle of light in the dark and the faithfulness of God.
Are you standing in God’s light? It isn’t Florida sunshine. It is light that illumines the dark – the places where both the enemy and our own evil inclinations lurk. In that place, we need rescue (yasha’) and it comes from the very nature of God – the God of hesed. If you’re standing in the light, oh what a glorious place to be! If you’re not, ask God for some heavenly flares to light up your dark.
Topical Index: light, ‘or, yasha’, hesed, save, kindness, Psalm 31:17
Thanks Skip…
I’ve always loved the power of God’s true light in contrast to darkness as can only be revealed in Scripture. One of my favorite passages is John 1:5 — “And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it — put it out, or has not absorbed it, has not appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it.” (Amplified). The very nature of God’s Light prevails throughout the spiritual and physical realm so what are we afraid of? It reminds me that His perfect love (totally transparent) casts out fear (hidden darkness).
It made me reflect as well on I Timothy 6:16 regarding the realm of HaShem (God) “…who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him {be} honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
I think if Albert Einstein had read this passage of scripture, he would have thought, “Yes! the phenomena of True Light can never be approached or crossed over…”
And in finishing, in Exodus 14:19-20, we see the Angel of God coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel as the Israelites are fleeing Egypt. “It was a cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to the Israelites, and the one host came not near the other all night.”
This is awesome because it reveals how the Lord can manifest it such that He is an ethereal wall, hedge or border of protection between the enemy and His people whereby the enemy literally sees darkness and foreboding but His people see light and hope. This gives His people the courage to cut and pass through the darkness in the midst of “dark times.” Hallelujah!
thank you for you post Christine.. -a very timely blessing for me.
Hi Carl,
Yes, HaShem can do beyond our wildest hopes or imagination (Eph.3:20). The beauty of His community is being able to share the insights He reveals to us with one another so we can all be mutually blessed. Keep on walking in His anointing and victory brother!
Christina
Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your kindness. Psalm 31:16 (ISR translation)
Hi Skip,
Psalm 31:16 takes me back to 1968 and a song called “White Room”, performed by Cream for their album “Wheels of Fire.”
It is easier to make the connection between the beautiful lyrics in the song White Room and Psalm 31:16 with the translation in the (The Jerusalem Bible 1966)
Let Your face smile upon Your servant; save me in Your LOVE. Psalm 31:16
White Room
In the white room with black curtains near the station.
Blackroof country, no gold pavements, tired starlings.
Silver horses ran down moonbeams in your dark eyes.
Dawnlight smiles on you leaving, my contentment.
I’ll wait in this place where the sun never shines;
Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves.
You said no strings could secure you at the station.
Platform ticket, restless diesels, goodbye windows.
I walked into such a sad time at the station.
As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning.
I’ll wait in the queue when the trains come back;
Lie with you where the shadows run from themselves.
At the party she was kindness in the hard crowd.
Consolation for the old wound now forgotten.
Yellow tigers crouched in jungles in her dark eyes.
She’s just dressing, goodbye windows, tired starlings.
I’ll sleep in this place with the lonely crowd;
Lie in the dark where the shadows run from themselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvnWuOjJDh4
When someone is happy to see you- the face “lights up” (revealing the condition of the heart). “Light” (simply put)-is that which reveals. -Light reveals. Darkness conceals.- Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Evil deeds done “under cover” of darkness. Living life on the sly. (Closed door meetings, etc.) Christine mentioned openness and “transparency.” Do I live a “transparent” life. Is my life an “open book” for all to see? Or am I afraid of what someone might think and try to hide my true self and instead rely upon my false “persona” to carry me through. Our Bible states all things are open (and transparent) in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. What (pray tell), do we (falsely) think(?), -are we able to hide from YHWH- and from El Ro’i the “God who sees” (me)?” -Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you. (Jeremiah 12.3) Yes, it is true, (amen)- (it is written!)- Hallelujah!- Thou, G-d, seest me. (Genesis 16.13)
“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9) Light is that which reveals, but light refused increases darkness. Jesus (Yeshua to some) is the light of the world. He has come to ‘reveal’ the Father unto us.
Remember when Jesus “looked” at Peter (after his denial). What a look that was! -I can “feel the heat” from here! Our Father is able to see -right through us.
Has a dentist ever “examined” the condition of your teeth? He uses a bright light pulled down and over the mouth to view the (right or wrong) condition of our chompers. No one is able to work without light. In total darkness we are ‘some kind of helpless’. Yeshua, (Jesus to some) said, “Without me (the light of the world) you can do nothing. (John 15.5)
Remember this event? “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. ” — (Exodus 10:21–23)
By the way.. hell will be a place of burning – yes,- but it will also be a place of total darkness. “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” (Jude 1.13) (I didn’t write this- just quoting from Someone’s Book!)
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5.9) “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Our Bible is G-d’s self-revelation of Himself to us. From Genesis 1.1 to “maps” – this, written -“word of the LORD” is our “Him” book.
“Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.” (Psalm 43.3)
“the face “lights up” (revealing the condition of the heart)”
Hi Carl,
Good point, that would work better than the following:
“the smile “lights up” (revealing the condition of the teeth)”