Afghanistan, the Pandemic, and
that terrible storm Ida have occupied our thoughts and prayers, and because of
them I brought a heavy heart to my daily Bible reading.
I sank a little further when I
saw what it was for the day—several chapters
in Leviticus. Excuse my sarcasm, but there’s nothing like reading about
defiling skin diseases or bodily discharges to lift one’s spirits. But on the
other hand, it sure reminds us of all that Jesus has done for us. Across the
top of several pages in Leviticus, I’ve written in large print, “Thank you for
Jesus,” because his sacrifice saved us from ritual sacrifices and a life of
rules and regulations.
God knows
what we need, and He knew this would be my reading on this day, so more than ever
I searched for what He might want to speak through his Word.
I found it in Leviticus 24:4. In the Lord’s instructions to Moses about the tent of meeting, one of them was, “The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord must be tended continually.”
In a day of
so much happening in the world in addition to our own personal heartaches, it’s
important to keep our lamps burning—to allow God by the power of His
spirit to as in the words of the old gospel song, “Keep us burning to till the
break of day.” We don’t want to be like the virgins awaiting the bridegroom in
Matthew 25 who ran out of oil before the bridegroom’s arrival.
And yes, I
realize I wrote about light last week. Let's call this part two.
When
heartaches roll in, it’s easy to let go of tending our lamps though Bible
study, worship, prayer, and meeting together. But these things are essential to
keeping our radiance for Christ. I’m struck by the word “continually” in the
Leviticus passage. This is not an on and off again situation, it calls for
being intentional.
One of the
commentaries I read on this verse noted that this lamp was the only light in
the tent by which the priests could carry out their tasks. The light of
Jesus is the only light that can change this ragged planet. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). We need
to keep our lamps burning because we may find ourselves in situations where we
are the only ones who gleam with the light of Christ in a dark place. Jesus
also said in Matthew 5:16, “. . . let your light
shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father
in heaven.”
So, let’s tend our lamps and
keep them blazing. Even when the news seems mostly bad, even when our hearts
break for those in difficult circumstances, and even when there doesn’t seem to
be many answers. There is still Jesus. He is and will always be the light
of the world.
