A Stark Contrast.

“For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see^.” – Psalm 36:9 NLT

In this Psalm, David compares the wicked with God. Both are realities in his life. As the king of the nation of Israel he is surrounded by enemies – both within and without. He gets to see and experience firsthand the attitudes and actions of the wicked as the interact with him on a daily basis. Of course, David seems to using the literary device of hyperbole to make his point about the wicked  – but only slightly. He speaks of their hearts being filled with wickedness. In fact, they’re so blinded by pride, they can’t even see how wicked they really are. They have no fear of God and everything they say and do is perverted by their own sin, so that they are incapable of doing anything good or wise  – in fact, not a single one of their actions is good at any time. They can’t even sleep at night because they’re so busy dreaming up more evil things to do the next day. From David’s perspective it is as if they couldn’t stop doing evil even if they wanted to. And while much of this is exaggerated, there is a certain degree in which it is true. Those who do not know Christ and have a relationship with God through Him are controlled by sin. They are slaves to sin (Romans 6:19). They are incapable of doing what is right or righteous in God’s eyes. This does not mean that they can’t do any good, but that the good they do will not earn them favor or merit in God’s eyes. Isaiah put it this way, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT). So in a way, David was right. The wicked – those who do not believe in God – are incapable of doing anything good. They are controlled by and enslaved to sin.

But then David addresses the other reality in his life: God. While the wicked seemed to surround David and impact his life on a daily basis – so did God. David describes God’s unfailing love or mercy, His unbelievable steadfastness or faithfulness, His justice and righteous judgments, and His ever-present salvation, care, provision and protection. David says that God is THE “fountain of life, the light by which we see” (Psalm36:9 NLT). God is not only the source of first life, but makes possible every breath we take, every second we live on this earth. And that is true not only of us as His children, but of every single person who lives – including the wicked. God provides us with light so that we can see. In the Hebrew verse nine literally says, “In thy light we see light.” It is as if David is saying that it is only in the illuminating presence of God’s glory that we gain the capacity to see things as they really are. The wicked can’t see their own wickedness. But when we stand in the light of God’s glory, we see just how sinful we really are.

All this reminds me of the opening verses of John 1. “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created,and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:1-5 NLT). But John goes on to say, “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him” (John 1:10 NLT). The Light of the world came into the world to dispel the darkness, but those who lived in the world rejected Him. They didn’t want their darkness exposed. They didn’t want the Light to illuminate and eliminate their darkness. “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13 NLT).

With David we can say, “Pour out your unfailing love on those who love (know) you; give justice those with honest (righteous) hearts” (Psalm 36:10 NLT). We have had our darkness exposed, our sins forgiven and our hearts transformed by the Light of the world. We were once just like those David describes in the opening verses of this Psalm. But because of the grace, mercy and goodness of God, we have been given a second chance. We have drunk from the river of delights, sheltered in the shadow of His wings, and fed from the abundance of His house.

Father, we are surrounded by those who love darkness more than light and wickedness more than righteousness. But we used to be the same way. And we would still be that way if it were not for the gracious gift of Your Son. May we learn to love the Light and increasingly appreciate how it exposes our own sin. You are always transforming us into the likeness of Christ and that takes the exposure of our sin nature. It isn’t always fun to see, but it’s a necessary part of the transformative process. Thank You for Your patient, loving care for us. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org