Light—To Rule and To Separate…
Genesis 1 —
1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3And GOD SAID, “LET THERE BE LIGHT” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day….17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18TO RULE over the day and over the night, and TO SEPARATE the light from the darkness. And God saw that IT WAS GOOD. —
Matthew 5 —
14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so thatb they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5 says that the Church “is the light of the world” and that we are to “let our light shine before others.” So, if you are a believer, then Jesus says that you are a light. But do you know what it means to be light? Do you understand what your role and function is in the world as light? It doesn’t just mean that you are to be bright and cheery before the world. I actually don’t believe that is anywhere near the definition, although I feel like many people believe that it is. Jesus doesn’t need us to put on a good front for people. He is actually asking much more of us as light in this dark world. So how do we find out what it means to be light? Well, when we are trying to understand the purpose of anything, we need to look to the creator for direction. For example, if I wanted to understand how a coffee maker works, the best way to find out accurate information is to read the owner’s manual, or even better, find the creator of the machine and have him explain how it works (design) and what it’s for (purpose). The same is true with light. God is the Creator of it, so He will be the best person to explain how it’s designed and what its purpose is.
The other day I reread Genesis 1, and the Holy Spirit made two phrases leap off the page to me—”to rule” and “to separate.” On day one of creation, the Lord spoke light into existence and darkness scattered immediately. By day four, God gave instructions to the light which gave it purpose and authority. I sat there staring at this Scripture and thought to myself, I’ve never noticed that before. On day one, He speaks light into existence. On days two and three, God created the sky, the land, the plants, and the trees. And by day four, he circles back to the light that he started this whole thing with. It got me thinking how God often begins a work and then at the right time down the road, He circles back to give it more definition. It’s like God started out with a sketch pad, grabbed a pencil, made a quick drawing, and then came back days later to color it in. For light, day four was the day it got its color. It was the day God defined its role and function in creation.
Genesis 1:17 says, “And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, TO RULE over the day and over the night, and TO SEPARATE the light from the darkness.” So what does it mean "to rule” and “to separate?” First, take note, that God put lights in the heavens to rule from there. I think this is similar to what Paul alluded in Ephesians when he says that we are “seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus”- (Ephesians 2:6). So first, lights rule from a heavenly mindset, not an earthly one. Secondly, let’s pay close attention to how God orders things so that we will better understand the way He thinks and what’s important to Him. The Hebrew word for rule is mashal and in the lexicon it means, “to rule, have dominion, reign.” Some versions of the Bible correctly translate it to “govern.” According to the dictionary, to rule means to exercise power, authority, or influence over. To me, that sounds like a word used for someone with the highest authority over a given jurisdiction. For example, if a King rules over a nation, He is in charge of that nation. And not just that, he in charge of the direction of the nation. He can lead in a positive way or a negative way, but it is a known fact the leader most definitely influences the direction that nation will take. Let it be known that at the outset of creation, God intended for darkness to flee as LIGHT ruled and governed both the day AND the night.
The Hebrew word for separate is badal and it means, “to be divided, to separate, to make distinction between.” God makes it abundantly clear that there is to be a division between light and dark. And by His design, they are never intended to be mixed together, but rather two separate entities. The dictionary uses the following words to define the word “separate” — “unconnected, detached, existing independently, not shared.” By this definition, we get a better understanding of what God had in mind in relation to light and darkness. He wants us to understand that light and dark have nothing in common. They do not share any of the same characteristics. For example, light illuminates while darkness does the opposite. Light paves the way for clear vision, while darkness blinds. Light brings clarity, while darkness makes things cloudy at best, and downright confusing at worst. Light sharpens our sense of vision and direction, while darkness dulls our senses completely.
So can you see now that when Jesus called you Light, He had a much broader and authoritative design and purpose for you! He desires that you rule over the day (good times) and the night (trials, hardships, oppression, etc). By calling you Light, He gives you that authority, and He can do so because He is the Creator. As Creator, He has authority to explain your function and enable you to fulfill it. He desires for you to reign over darkness, not fall prey to it. He also says that you are to be completely detached from darkness. You have nothing in common with it and are therefore, completely separate and distinct. And finally, as Light, you bring clear vision to blinded souls. You illuminate the Truth about a situation, a struggle, a sin, etc. that is overtaking peoples lives and you pave the way for them to see clearly so that they can be free. You are the anecdote to confusion, the remedy to dulled senses, and the treatment for blindness. This is your identity as light-bearers made in the image of your Father.
So Light — SHINE brightly for others to see — “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” God has given you the authority to do so! I pray that you will keep this in mind when interacting with one another in the various situations you find yourself in.
Shine on, friends! Pray with me …
Jesus, we thank you for expanding our understanding of what you had in mind for us as Light in this dark world. We pray that you will help us to apply these truths to our lives as we move forward to advance your Kingdom. And we pray that you will help us to rule well in this dark world and to fight hard to keep light and dark separate… in our own lives and hearts first, and then to the people you have placed in our circles of influence. We love you, Jesus! -Amen
