“For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” (Ps 18:28 AV)
The title tells us much as to the meaning of this verse. The title tells us the Psalm was written by David in response to the LORD delivering him from all his enemies as well as Saul. It is important to note the emotional state of David here. He shares that presently he is in darkness. No doubt that would be the case! There is a wide range of opinions, but generally speaking, most agree that David fled from Saul from between seven and thirteen years. That is a long time to be homeless and on the run. That is a long time to wonder where your next meal or place to stay is going to come from. That is a long time to be without a family, structure, or purpose. No wonder David was in a place of darkness. So, it is quite understandable how someone can feel he is in a state of emotional darkness. Yet, not the tense of the promise. God will light his candle. God will enlighten his darkness. This means that despite David being in a state of emotional darkness, he never gave up hope that eventually, that darkness will pass.
I am a fan of the Babylon Bee. If you don’t know what it is, you should check it out. It is a Christian based satire site and their humor is classic! The reason why it is so popular is their entries are comedic takes on truths which often escape the common sense of today’s contemporary. The Bee has a way of satirically exposing the root problem or issue with satire and humor. Take, for instance, a recent offering entitled, Depressed Man Never Considered Just Not Being Depressed. Now, we know that depression can be a bit more complicated than simply deciding not to be. If we lose a spouse or our family suffers a tragic event, then sadness and depression are part and parcel of the experience. Our beloved Job comes to mind. But with the explosion of depression diagnoses and consequent anti-depression medications being prescribed, one has to ponder if the Bee isn’t on to something. Yes, there are legitimate reasons to be sad or sullen. But even Solomon tells us these are temporary periods. There is a time to weep. And there is a time to laugh. There is a time to mourn. And there is a time to rejoice.
David had his moment. It is very understandable. One can only imagine what it was like to care for a group of 600 men and their families as he ran from his father-in-law. His own flesh and blood wanted him dead. His wife left him. She went and married his best friend. The very last place David found himself before the death of Saul was in the land of the Philistines, with the families being taken captive and his men ready to hang him. No wonder David is in a dark place. Another very important point to be made here is David’s situation compared to his place. God has given him deliverance from all his enemies and Saul. Yet, he remained in a dark place. Healing doesn’t come immediately. But healing will and must come. Faith is the key here. Even though David felt like he was in a dark place, he gave God the benefit of the doubt and believed with all his heart a light was at the end of the tunnel. He makes the empathic statement that God will light his candle. God will lighten his darkness. The sun will rise tomorrow. Things will get better. God is still on the throne. God loves him with an everlasting love. There is never a reason to give up hope. By giving up, we testify to God’s inability to meet our deepest needs. And that is simply a lie
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