One of the first verses I ever memorized when I was a kid was Psalms 119:105 in the KJV -- “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” I just learned something new and it was an “Ah-HA!” moment for me. I always had a mental picture of the ‘lamp’ being like one of the kerosene lanterns we took camping with us, and the ‘light’ was … well … a pretty large illuminated area. Like the high beams from a car’s headlights. Or a lighthouse beam.
But I read that the ‘lamp’ referenced was one of those little olive oil lamps, like the one pictured at left. The light thrown off from one of those is enough to take, maybe, a step or two. And I thought, “That doesn’t make sense to me. God’s Word should be revealing … should show the way clearly ….”
Oh … oh yeah …. that’s not necessarily how you “live by faith and not by sight,” is it? It’s a matter of trust. Many times I CAN’T see clearly, but I follow that little light from an olive oil lamp (God’s Word) and TRUST Him to direct my steps. AH-HA! Well, gosh, it only took about 40 years to see that little nugget! Thank You, Jesus!
I emailed my friend in PA about this. She wrote back:
“The smaller olive oil lamps made enough light for a few steps at a time; I saw some of these lamps when I was in Israel (in an antique shop). Actually, I never thought about this! But, tis true, we want enough light to illuminate our entire lives when, in fact, we can only live our lives a step at a time, so the smaller lamp is adequate.”
One step at a time. And trust God.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:17
I never really thought about how much light one of those lamps would throw off. But think about this as well. At a time when there was never electric lights, or kerosene lights or anything else... even the little lights thrown off by these olive oil lamps would have seemed incredible, if the only option was dark of night. It must have seemed amazing all over.
ReplyDeleteThank you for opening my eyes...I don't think I have ever thought about those lamps much. Now I will remember this next time I see one referenced in scripture. And, the one step at a time...well, that's my life right now for sure!
ReplyDeleteHugs, GraceinAZ