Blinded by the Light

A Lesson Learned: by Robin Thomas

Blinded by the light! As I opened the door to the garage an almost blinding sunlight hit me and my reaction was, “I love my new garage doors.” A couple of weeks ago we replaced our aging, dreary, solid garage doors with brand new white metal doors with windows. My neighbor told me when she saw them, “I have garage door envy.”

What did she envy? The Light.

I was struck by how transforming it was to let light in. It makes me think of God’s light shining through the window of my soul.

The verse in Malachi 4:2 (NLT) came to my attention:

“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out of pasture.”

Just a little study on this. I thought the term “Sun of Righteousness” was interesting because it wasn’t “Son” but “Sun”.

When “Sun” and “Moon” are the same. When the Lord heals his people the righteous

sun will rise.

It is the literal “Sun of Righteousness” when God’s Glory will rise on the earth.

I looked up some cross references for this verse: 2 Sam 23:4, Isa. 30:26 and Isa 60:1

“…is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain.” 2 Sam 23:4

“And the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.” Isa 30:26

“Arise, shine, for your light has come. And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isa 60:1

I thought this was so beautiful and what a glorious image.

I walked outside on this beautiful November morning and was instantly happy as the sun warmed by face. Light transforms. Light helps us navigate around obstacles. Light brings peace and tranquility, so what will “seven times brighter” be like?

Plato said, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

It’s funny really, we think we can hide things from God. We are afraid to bare our soul to Him, but why? He already knows. God is omnipresent. He knows yesterday, today, and tomorrow all at once, not on a linear timeline. Well, if He already knows then why do I have to tell him?

That’s simple, free will. The freedom that he has given us to choose for, or against his light, his transformative power.

“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel-‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.” John Steinbeck, East of Eden (Ch 24)

So, on that day, when the sun and the moon become one and the SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, the glory of the Lord, shines on earth seven times brighter than the sun I will stand before Him, in all my battle worn armor and say, “I choose Light.”