Watch Your Step! (God’s Word is a Lamp)
Have you ever been in a forest, miles away from civilization, on a moonless night? That is the definition of darkness. This is the type of darkness the psalmist is thinking about when he wrote Psalm 119:105. God’s Word is a lamp to guide every step of our lives. I’ll prove it to you in less than 10 minutes.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
Jewish tradition says that King David wrote Psalm 119 – the longest chapter in the Bible – as a tool to teach his son, Solomon. This psalm is divided into 22 sections: one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section is composed of 8 verses and each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter. It is likely that this was for both aesthetics and as a memorization aid. This kind of poem is known as an acrostic. Each verse contains a special word pertaining to the Torah, ordinances, word, commandments, statutes, precepts and decrees. And verse 105 is a powerful metaphor for how the Word guides us as we walk by faith.
Ein Gedi
What was it like for David as he and his mighty men were roaming throughout the Judean wilderness, on the run from a bloodthirsty King Saul? We know that David spent much of his time hiding in the beautiful oasis of Ein Gedi. It is an amazing series of springs and waterfalls among the jagged eastern edge of the mountains between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. The beauty is truly overwhelming, but for David and his men, the danger was very real. I imagine that after evading the armies of King Saul, there were times when David had to find refuge among the caves of this oasis, just as the sun was setting. I’m sure that most of the time David would have his men settled in camp while it was still daylight, but the reality of life on the run is not always so easy. There were inevitably times when David and his men were forced to make their way into the caves in the pitch blackness of the night. The only way to successfully navigate these treacherous paths would be by the light of a foot-lamp. These small lamps were attached to a low-hanging rope or, in some cases, even strapped to one’s ankles. They would produce only enough light to guide the traveler’s next step. As soon as that step was taken, the next one would be clear. How many times did those foot-lamps protect David as he made his way, step by step, through those mountains?
Psalm 119
Some Biblical historians believe that Psalm 119 was composed by David in those very mountains. It’s possible that, as he settled in to meditate upon the writings of Moses, he realized that the Torah illuminated the path of his life in the same way that the foot-lamp guided his steps.
Solomon
King David wasn’t the only writer of Scripture who used this metaphor. King Solomon, David’s son who was known for his wisdom and understanding, also described the commandments of God as a light:
My son, observe the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is a light…
Proverbs 6:20-23
The language used by King Solomon is unmistakably familiar. “Bind the commandments on your heart and tie them around your neck,” is very similar to “bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead” from Deuteronomy 6. But Solomon also used his father’s illustration: “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is a light.”
It’s not an accident that King David used this metaphor for walking with God. Our path isn’t supposed to be clearly illuminated for miles ahead of us. That isn’t walking by faith. Our lives are to be lived one step at a time. But thank God we have the Scriptures to guide the next step.
