Lights

This week's sabbath reading portion is titled Va-yeishev, which means "and he settled". This reading is assigned for the sabbath before Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, or the Festival of Lights. The lighting of the eight-branched menorah, or Hannukiah, during this feast memorializes the miracle eight-day multiplication of the oil needed to light the golden Lamp in the Holy Place of the Temple. The Maccabees had to re-dedicate the Temple after defeating the occupying Hellenists of the Seleucid Empire in 134 BC, who had deliberately defiled the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and persecuted the practice of Judaism. Since these sabbath readings for this week are connected to the Feast of Dedication, which Jesus observed (see Jn. 10:22-30), I am going to consider them in the context of light. There is also the fact that these main readings are found in the Book of Genesis, or B'reshiet in Hebrew, the Book of Beginnings. What "beginnings" is God establishing in these chapters from Genesis? These readings from Genesis this week deal with Joseph, one of the two sons of Jacob born to his wife, Rachel. Joseph had a great purpose to fulfill, unlike any that we had previously seen in Genesis. Through the gifts given to him by God, Joseph would eventually successfully guide both Egypt and Israel through a seven year famine. We can learn a great deal from the events of Joseph's life, but the one thing that I would like to study, because of the association with the Festival of Lights, is the fact that Joseph was repeatedly placed into circumstances of darkness, yet his personal spiritual light from God was always evident. This light, combined with the gifts from God, would lead to Joseph's deliverance, and his elevation. First, as a lad, he experienced the envy and hatred of his brothers, because Joseph had the favor of his father, Jacob: "But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him." (Gen. 37:4). One of the first times that we see Joseph's spiritual light is when, even after the mistreatment and hatred shown to him by his brothers, Joseph quickly agreed to his father's request that Joseph go to check on his brothers to see if they needed anything. The brothers were a distance away watching the flocks, yet Joseph answered his father's request saying, "Here I am" (v. 12-14). There is a special light seen in Joseph in his quick obedience to the will of his earthly father, Jacob. The brothers hated him to the point where they considered killing him (v. 18-20). Even from a young lad, Joseph never answered his brothers' unreasonable hatred with hate. Instead of killing him, his brothers stripped Joseph of his tunic that had been given to him by his father, threw Joseph alive into a dark, dry pit (bor/bur/barar - cistern, dungeon, well/to examine, bore into, to search out (the infinite), to declare/to dig, engrave like letters on a stone). The pit is a place of darkness and death, but as we can see from the root meaning of the word, it is also a place from which to search out the infinite and declare it. Something is engraved upon us, and upon the darkness around us. After throwing Joseph in the pit, his brothers sat down to eat (v. 23-25). They threw their brother away and then they ate a meal - that is cold, very dark behavior. It does not end there however. They then sold their brother to passing Ishmaelite/Midianite traders for a profit of twenty shekels of silver (v. 25-28). When the merchants get to Egypt (misrayim/masor/sur - besieged, distress, stronghold, assault, beset, bind up, enclose), they sell Joseph into the darkness of slavery to the household of Potiphar (meaning "belonging to the sun"), a captain of the guard for Pharaoh, and the chief of the executioners (v. 36). Again, Joseph is in a dark place - the dark place of betrayal, slavery, the spiritual darkness represented by Egypt - alone and separated from his beloved father and home. While Potiphar's name refers to natural light, Joseph shines with a spiritual light from God that illuminates him in favor and excellence. Because of this, Potiphar placed Joseph in charge of everything he owns: "And his master saw that the LORD was with him (Joseph), and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight...the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he (Potiphar) had in the house and in the field." (Gen. 39:1-5). The blessing of the LORD was upon Potiphar's house because Joseph's spiritual light was there, but Joseph himself was still a slave. When Joseph was falsely accused of a terrible crime by Potiphar's wife, being bitter at his rejection of her, Joseph was then thrown into another dark place - the king's prison (Gen. 39:7-20). However, you can't imprison spiritual light: "But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who e=were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his (Joseph's) doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper." (Gen. 39:21-23). Although things worked out well for the warden because of Joseph, Joseph was still in prison! But wait, Joseph's light is still shining, and God will lead Joseph into his future and world-changing purpose because of it. Even in prison, Joseph did not walk away from the spiritual gift which God had given him - dreaming and the interpretation of dreams. After a few years, Joseph would be brought up out of prison to stand before Pharaoh himself, in order to interpret Pharaoh's dreams which were troubling to the king. No one else, even his magicians, could interpret the mystery of the dreams for Pharaoh (see Gen. 41:14-16). Because of this, Joseph was promoted by Pharaoh to a position of life-saving power and authority in Egypt (see Gen. 41:38-43). In Genesis, the Book of Beginnings, God is teaching us the importance of His light in us, His people, especially and most importantly, in the middle of the darkest places. Although Joseph was gifted by God, we can also see that it was God's special light within him that preserved him through the worst circumstances. Natural light can be covered, closed off, and even sovereignly and terrifyingly darkened by God as a sign of His Son's coming (see Isa. 13:10, Joel 2:30-31, 3:15, Mt. 24:29-30, Rev. 6:12), but spiritual light cannot be hindered - except by the people of God themselves as we will see. In another of this week's sabbath readings from 1 Samuel, we will see what happens when God's people neglect their spiritual light. A great spiritual darkness began to overtake God's people: "And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation (open vision)." (1 Sam. 3:1). This darkness prevented the revelation of God from reaching His people. What had caused this darkness? Eli, the high priest, was lying down in his place. His eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could no longer see. The golden Lamp in the tabernacle, which was at Shiloh at this time, was about to go out, although the priests were supposed to refill it so that it would burn continually through the nighttime hours (v. 2-3). Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, had "made themselves vile", and Eli did not restrain them (v. 13). The vileness of the house of Eli was to such a great extent that the LORD said that it could not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever (v. 14). The two sons would eventually take the ark of the covenant from the Holy of Holies, and lose it to the Philistines in battle! (see 1 Sam. 4:3-5, 10-11). They thought the ark could save them, but they had long before given up the light of the presence of God within them. However, God sent a little light into their midst through the small child, Samuel, who had been dedicated to the LORD by his mother when he was born through a miracle. Even before Samuel had knowledge of the LORD, the LORD began to speak to him (1 Sam. 3:7). For the first time in a long time, the prophetic Word of the LORD would again come to Israel through this child. When the LORD called Samuel in the night, Samuel would answer, "Here I am!", as Joseph answered his father, above. The child, Samuel, delivered the Word of judgment against Eli and his house. The light came, and the darkness began to recede: "So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD." (1 Sam. 3:19-21). We started with a spiritual darkness in God's people that prevented the LORD's Word and revelation, but that which was lost returned with the light in Samuel. Not only did Samuel serve as a great prophet and judge guiding Israel, but he would also anoint David as king of Israel. David would, in turn, become a psalmist in scripture who brought the Word of the revelation of the LORD to many generations, as well as being named as a patriarch in the genealogy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, through a covenant based upon the prophetic promise of God. From another sabbath reading portion of this week before Hanukkah, we have this from the prophet Amos about the necessity of the presence of the prophetic, revelatory Word of the LORD: "I raised up some of your sons as prophets, and some of your young men as Nazarites (dedicated to sanctification from birth). Is it not so, O you children of Israel?...But you gave the Nazarites wine to drink (which is forbidden to them by vow), and commanded the prophets, saying, 'Do not prophesy!'...If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it? Surely the LORD God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The LORD God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?" (Amos 2:11-12, 3:6-8). We have already learned that spiritual darkness upon the people of God dims their spiritual eyes, and prevents them from receiving the Word and revelation of God. The prophetic Word of God is vital to the survival of His people. Amos wrote that there are urgent warnings delivered by God to His people through the prophetic word. If the revelation is dimmed to us by darkness, God's people become like lambs before wolves. The people of God are continually tempted to give up their light by the seduction of many things that appeal to us, especially to our eyes (see this sabbath's reading portion from Prov. 6:20-7:5). When our light becomes darkness, the darkness flourishes. Jesus warned His followers of the importance of being spiritual light: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand (menorah), and it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Mt. 5:14-16). Light begets greater light; the greater light being the glory of God. Jesus also gave this warning to His followers about becoming darkness: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good/single (haplous - whole, good, sound, fulfilling its office, as a particle of a union), your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad/evil (poneros/ponos/penes - evil, full of labors, annoyances, hardships, of a bad nature, causing pain and trouble, great trouble, intense desire, toiling for daily subsistence), your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters...You cannot serve God and mammon (riches)...Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness." (Mt. 6:21-24, Lk. 11:33-36). The light of the world is not the sun, it is the light of Jesus in us. The nature of the light that has been entrusted to us is very great. Light was God's first spoken creation, and its purpose was to drive back the prevailing darkness that was upon the earth, and to set a division between the two (Gen. 1:2-4). The Hebrew word and root for "darkness" is hosek/hasak, which means "darkness (as of Hades), obscurity, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness/to confuse, surrounded by darkness, of eyes becoming dim". From the beginning, Jesus was and is the Person of Light: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (katalambano - to lay hold of as to make it one's own or in order to use it, to seize, take possession of, of evils overtaking one, of a demon tormenting one) it." (Jn. 1:1-5). Jesus also said, as we know: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (Jn. 8:12). This light is not natural light. It is Christ, and the essence of life. Are we seeing more death, evil, misery and darkness in the world today? It is not because darkness has the power to seize this light, but could it be because the people of God have given our precious light of life in Christ away to the darkness? Then "how great is that darkness!" (see above Mt. 6:23). In our reading portions for this week, when darkness began to prevail over His people, God sent a child full of light into the circumstances. The birth of Christ was the same, as the dark of night was split, and lit up by the angels declaring the glory of God to the shepherds (Lk. 2:8-15), and by the unusually bright star shining in the night sky that called the Magi to honor the new King, laying in a manger (Mt. 2:1-2, 9-11). What a privilege it is to carry the light of life through Christ within us! At this time of year especially during the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, when we light the candles of the menorah, and also celebrate the birth of Christ during Christmas, it is the perfect time to re-dedicate our lampstand, ourselves, that carries the Light of the world. If you plan to light the candles of a menorah this Hanukkah, there are several traditional blessings that may be said: "Blessed are You, LORD our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light." Or: Blessed are You, LORD our G-d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time." Finally: "Blessed are You, LORD our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion." There is also a Messianic blessing for the lighting of the menorah for those who follow Christ: "Blessed are You, LORD our God, who has sanctified (dedicated) us by His commandments (see Jn. 17:17, 1 Tim. 4:4-5) and has given us Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, the Light of the world." If you would like to learn more about being the light of the world, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You commanded the light to divide and limit the darkness, and You sent Your Son, Jesus, to be the Light of life in men, and to be the Light of the world. Jesus told us to take His Light in us, and to set it upon the Lampstand for all to see. As long as this Light is shining, the darkness cannot overpower it. Fill me with Your living Word that sanctifies me, and the oil of Your holy Spirit, so I can re-dedicate myself and carry this Light of life for all. Let the Light of Your Son, and the Light of Your glory continue to shine in me, and in the world. Your Word in Isaiah says that he saw the angels declaring, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth if full of His glory!" This is my declaration also. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, and Your Son, Jesus, the Light of the world. I ask and believe these things in Jesus' name, AMEN."