Job 38:19
“Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof”
– English KJV
“אי זה הדרך ישׁכן אור וחשׁך אי זה מקמו׃.”
– Hebrew Text
“'ay zeh derek shâkan 'ôr chôshek 'ay zeh meqômâh. ”
– Hebrew Pronunciation
For centuries people have read this verse and passed right over it because they did not understand the significance thereof. Today people continue to read over it and fail to see the astounding revelation within it.
This verse is part of the conversation God has with Job, where God asks him a list of questions, to which Job cannot answer. In this list are a few very interesting statements that people tend to overlook. Earlier in the book Job mentions that the wicked does not know the light or walk in the ways thereof. Job may have been correct in his statements, however, in verses 19 – 21 God enlightens Job on how limited his human comprehension regarding the subject of light actually is. God is showing that even darkness has its purpose and that we as mortal humans cannot see all ends. We are bound by our limited view and understanding and therefore we are not always able to see the bigger picture or the consequences of our actions.
God does not do this to mock the limited knowledge of Job, but rather to put him in his place and allow him to glimpse the absolute magnificence that is our God. It is often necessary for God to teach us that we don’t know everything and that we actually do need Him.
However, beyond the basic meaning of these verses God reveals something even more amazing… This scripture is one of my personal favourites and I am really excited to share this with you. God points out that He knew something that took us centuries to grasp. Let us look closely at this verse:
"Where is the WAY where light dwelleth?"
The Hebrew word that has been translated to “way” is “derek” (שׁכן). It literally means “roads”.
"And as for darkness, where is the PLACE thereof?"
The Hebrew word translated to “place” is “mekomah” (מקמו). It means a specific standing or spot.
Now wait just a moment…
Is this verse saying that light travels in roads and that darkness stands still?
For those that do not know, light travels at the speed of 299,792.458 kilometers per second. That means a light beam can travel around the earth 7 and a half times in one second!
Now how fast does darkness travel?
…Darkness travels at the mind-blowing pace of 0…
Darkness does not move, only light does. Darkness is nothing more than the absence of light.
Isaac Newton (1643 AD – 1727 AD) was the first to suggest that darkness is the absence of light and that it does not move. Prior to that people who studied light believed that both light and darkness moved. Science has since then confirmed Newton’s theory. So we did not understand this concept until a few centuries ago ,however, that did not stop God from inserting this little gem here. This was probably written sometime between 990BC and 950BC – approximately 2500 years before humans actually figured it out.
God has always known that light travels and darkness does not – which is obvious given that He created it. Here’s a though: Do you think that when God spoke these words to Job He was also thinking about how we, in these times, would discover this and the scripture would transform from a mere question to a declaration of the Bible’s scientific accuracy? Awesome, isn’t it?
However, there is more to just a mind-blowing scientific revelation from God in this verse. There is also a substantial spiritual meaning linked to it.
We often hear people complaining about all the darkness or evil in the world. However we have learned that darkness does not move and it will therefore not go away if we just continue to complain about it!
When kids are scared of the dark we put on the lights and their fears dissolve along with the darkness. If the darkness of the world bothers us, then we need to turn on God’s light! We know that darkness does not move, since it is merely the absence of light, therefore, if we bring God’s light into this world all the darkness, fear and evil will dissolve. John 8:12 tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. However, it is important to remember that we need to spread His light, we are the messengers and it is our job to spread the gospel. A room will be dark until you open the curtains and allow the light to enter the room!
We need to open the curtains so that Jesus can enter into our lives and remove the darkness that plagues us. Once we have been filled with the light of Christ we become children of light and must continue to spread the light across the earth.
Have you ever seen darkness in a room after you turned on the light? If the light does not brighten up the entire room, it means one of two things:
1) The light bulb is not bright enough.
Are you spending enough time with the Lord? We must learn to open the curtains wide enough so that the entire room can be filled. If we do not allow Jesus into our hearts completely He will not be able to fill our entire life with His light.
2) There are obstacles in the way.
Are there things that you place before God? We need to get our priorities in order. God must be first in our lives, for example: If we place money before God, how can we expect Him to help us with our finances? If we place family before God, how can we expect God to help us with our relationships? Do you have sin in your life that is preventing you from getting close to God? All these things are obstacles that stop the light from filling your life completely.
It is important for us to become aware of these things in order to put them aside and allow Jesus into our lives.
Being children of light there are a few things we should remember: Light does not stand still, it moves continuously and wherever light goes, darkness disappears. We must live our lives like children of light, continuously moving, never giving up and never allowing darkness to take hold in our territories. Darkness should be running away whenever we get close!
We are not just shining the light of the Lord into the world for our own benefit, but also for others!
Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps you are the light sent by Heavenly Father to lead another safely home or to be a beacon from a distance to show the way back to the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life? Therefore we should live our lives in such a way that our light can be a beacon and it should never stop burning or mislead those who are looking for a way home.
Now imagine what God must be thinking when all these people are crying out to Him saying “the world is such a dark place!”. God is probably sitting on His throne, looking down and saying “Well go and do something about it!”. When the light enters darkness must disappear, there is no other option.
Matthew 5:16 records Jesus saying: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” That is what Jesus said, perhaps it would be a good idea to listen and go do it…
