My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 43:3-5
Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
In our last post we spoke of the audacity of David asking the Lord to judge him. He was dependent on God as his refuge in the storm he was in, and only in God could he find protection (refuge) from the ungodly, deceitful and unjust man.
David again pleads with God for help, and in verse 3, if we read it carefully, we find that he has two requests of God.
Send Your Light and Truth
David knew the source of light and truth, and that it wasn’t from his own thoughts or ruminations. He needed the light and truth from outside of himself. This is foremost an act of humility, admitting that he just doesn’t have all the answers. Secondly, it was an act of praise, since he identified the only One who has light and truth, for all other sources of “light and truth” are mere corrupted and damaged mimics of the Holy One of Israel.
In our day to day life, I find I depend on my accumulated experience and (somewhat) logical thinking to get me through the day. Occasionally, I will reach out to the Lord for direction, and find Him to be ever faithful, in anyway He answers. Yet I need light to see, not only my own circumstances, but also the goal I am to reach for, the method of attaining that goal.
Light speaks of revelation, that which reveals a subject, or uncovers something that was hidden before hand. The One who occupies eternity certainly has the ability, the right, and based on His will, the desire to shed His light on a situation or problem the saint is in need of.
David doesn’t stop there. He needs light to be shed on a worthwhile object, and in this his request includes truth. No use having light shine on something worthless! Truth speaks of that which complies with actual reality, that which conforms to actuality. Truth is that which is in accord with fact.
Truth is a very rare thing nowadays, and to request both light and truth by the psalmist reveals David’s realization of his circumstances. Unless the Lord provides light and truth, David’s situation is one of darkness and falsehood. My friends, our situation is no less dire, one of darkness and falsehood. And how great is that darkness, for we cannot see our circumstance without the light, or understand the circumstance without understanding the truth of our condition!
Lead Me in the Light
David was not satisfied with the Lord merely sending out light and truth, but that the truth and light would lead him. He is asking to be led by the truth, not simply to hear about it, to consider it, or to hear it for the sake of hearing it.
He was looking to be subservient to the light and truth. David sought to be led by light and truth. He echoed the One in the garden who prayed
Luke 22:42 b
…Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
What did David expect as a result of being subservient to the truth and light? He knows the result of this prayer, that he will be led by the light and truth to the One who provides these treasures. He will be led by truth and light to the holy hill of God, to the dwelling of God, to the altar of God, and finally to God Himself, his exceeding Joy.
Truth and light do not lead the saint to lies and darkness. That is illogical, and is to be rejected. If you are following your truth or your light, realize this is a serious concern. Light and truth emanate from outside of ourselves. My truth, or my light is simply the delusion of a proud creation that provides comforting messages to those who refuse to look for truth outside of themselves.
There is only One who we are to follow, One who is the embodiment of truth and light, the Messiah Himself, who was sent out by God, to lead us to the holy hill of God, to the dwelling of God, to the altar of God, and finally to God Himself, our exceeding Joy.
John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Are you on the path drawing closer to Him? Upon what can you objectively look to for direction? To what shall we pay attention to? While in darkness, where may we find light, even as a lamp shining in a dark place?
2 Peter 1:19
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
The Word of God, exalting the Son of God, provides the light and truth we need so desperately. But not only this truth needs to be reckoned with, we are to respond properly to the Son of God in an attitude of submission and obedience.
He is good and has supplied all our needs. Take advantage of His bounty, for it will only benefit us greater and greater as we are drawn near to Him Who gave Himself for us.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.
Considering the Bible 