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“Lesson 01 - Darkness: From Beginning to End”
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Estamos bien en el refugio los 33. These seven words made up the first message sent from 33 miners trapped in a Chilean gold and copper mine after a probe sent from rescuers 2000 feet above broke through the ceiling of the room where they took refuge. Seventeen days before, August 5, 2010, the mine collapsed - trapping the men inside as they were eating lunch. Over the next few hours they desperately searched through the tunnels and ventilation shafts, only to find each way out blocked by rubble. There would be no escape. Reality set in. Completely cut off from the light and freedom of the outside world, they were essentially buried alive in the dark recesses of the earth. Surviving on just two teaspoons of tuna and one biscuit every two days, they washed down their “meals” with a small sip of spoiled milk. As time went by, the workers were forced to spread out their rations, first eating once every 24 hours, then every 48 hours, and finally, every 72 hours. After the milk supply was exhausted, workers were forced to drink contaminated water from truck radiators and mining equipment. But, worse than that was the darkness. It affected everything. To get a few moments of brief relief, the miners would use their electric lights - from headlamps, jury-rigged light bulbs, trucks and tractors, as a “treat” and a “reward” to “boost morale.” As the days went by, all hope began to diminish. Every hour they honked one of their vehicles' horns, on the faint hope that somebody would hear. One miner said, "The days went one into another. The first week was bad, but the second week, that was terrible."
Most of us would have a hard time identifying with the sheer terror and fear of the unknown of spending 69 days in such a dark and dreadful place. After his rescue and hospital examination, the first place Mario Sepulvedia took his family to visit was the bright, sunny Chilean beach.
For most humans, perhaps there is nothing more dreaded and fearful than darkness. Darkness is often associated with gloom, murkiness, and obscurity. Most of us avoid it at all costs. Darkness is disorienting. There is no sense of direction. Darkness robs things of their identity. When there is true darkness, one cannot see things for what they are. Where darkness reigns, there may be unseen dangers present - just out of reach. Darkness isolates. From this emerges our fear of the unknown, and so our fear of the darkness.
We have been created to thrive in the light. We build rooms with large windows to allow natural light to flow in. We love to bask in the warmth of the sun on a lazy summer day. We paint our rooms with bright and bold colors that enhance the artificial light inside. For seven months out of the year, we attempt to make the days feel longer with daylight savings time. Those who live in higher latitudes often flee to brighter, warmer confines during the short, cold days of winter. Prolonged exposure to darkness can drive people mad and make them depressed. When we are in the light, we tend to be happier, more content, and more productive.
Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun,
Ecclesiastes 11.7
Understanding Darkness
God’s word has much to say about darkness and light. Light is used as a symbol of God’s purity, wisdom, and glory. Darkness is the exact opposite. In scripture, darkness is used to refer to the absence of God, the absence of knowledge, and the personal, active opposition to God’s truth. In 2 Peter 1.19 dark is used to describe a “squalid, dirty place, that is destitute of brightness.” It is also used to refer to a time of punishment, as in the day of the Lord. It can refer to things mysterious, trouble and affliction, death, or nothingness. Satan and his angels are said to be darkness - who live to increase their influence over all the earth. As a result, spiritual darkness is not passive. Rather, it is promoted by Satan and is diametrically opposed to Jesus’ Lordship, the cross, God’s word, and every Christian that walks on the face of the earth. In this sense, darkness is viewed as a threat - always encroaching on those who are in the light.
Light and darkness are described as polar opposites. Isaiah said:
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined,
Isaiah 9.2
There is no blending of the two. In the land of Israel this was literally true. “Day and night, light and darkness, are notable antitheses in Palestine. There the day does not slowly fade away into the night after a period of twilight, but before sunset there is the brightness of day, and when the sun has disappeared everything has changed and night is at hand. From sunset until the darkness of night is less than an hour.”
One either dwells in the light or the darkness. God’s children have been called not to “walk in darkness,” but must come out of “darkness” by placing their trust in the light and “walking in the light,” as He is in the “light,” (John 8.12; 12.35-36; 1 John 1.6-7). Neutrality is impossible. Either people remain in darkness and sin or, because they have placed their trust in the light, they will be rescued from the domain of darkness.
Darkness is the Absence of God
In most dictionaries, the simple definition of darkness is the “absence of light.” Applying this definition to the spiritual, we may simply define darkness as the absence of God. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all, 1 John 1.5. In the Bible, we are first introduced to darkness in Genesis 1:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1.1-5
It is noteworthy that the Holy Spirit uses darkness to describe the condition present before creation. Before God hovered over the face of the waters, darkness prevailed. Not only does darkness represent the absence of God, but also the absence of every principle of nature mankind takes for granted. Simply stated, there was nothing. Darkness is void. It represents the absence of substance.
When God came, He brought with it order and the establishment of principles. What had been void, now has substance. What was out of order now has purpose. What had been out of control and overpowering (darkness), is now under control. Where there had been no life, now, because of the absence of darkness, life is able to exist. Where there had been no law, now law exists. Relating to God’s power, John said, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it, John 1.5. The presence of God dispels the darkness and brings peace, order, and life to all who are around it.
Perhaps one of the worst parts of the human existence is the feeling of loneliness. In scripture, darkness and loneliness are closely intertwined. The absence of God brings great despair and grief. Nothing could drive biblical characters to despondency quicker than the feeling that God had deserted them. Job asked God,
Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy?
Job 13.24
Before his afflictions, Job felt near to God. But afterward, it felt as if He had withdrawn from him which led him into deep spiritual darkness.
Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,
Job 29.2-3
David also lamented the hiding of God’s face.
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?,
Psalm 13.1-2
When God is gone, there is nothing left. The world is left only with darkness and there is no light. In his darkest hours, Jeremiah felt as if God had deserted him:
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light,
Lamentations 3.1–2
On the most monumental day in human history, Jesus was forced to experience the darkness that is associated with separation from God. As Jesus bore the penalty of our sin, God turned His face away. Darkness descended and in the silence of the moment, Jesus cried out,
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Matthew 27.46
Darkness is the Absence of Knowledge
In the Psalms, those without knowledge or understanding are said to walk about in darkness, 82.5. Throughout God’s Word, ignorance and falsehood are continually represented by darkness. Darkness effects what a person knows and believes. The absence of true knowledge is often referred to as blindness. Paul spoke of this when he said,
The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,
2 Corinthians 4.4
See also Romans 1.21 and Ephesians 4.18. Spiritual blindness is often revealed by how a person acts. Isaiah said,
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
Isaiah 5.20
Not only were the teachings of those in Judah corrupt, but their actions were as well. Spiritual blindness (dwelling in darkness) leads to Paul’s admonition in Romans 13.12-14.
In contrast, think of the imagery used in connection with God’s way of truth.
- Psalm 43.3: Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!
- Psalm 119.105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
- Proverbs 4.18: the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
- Proverbs 6.23: For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.
- Acts 26.17-18: I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
- 2 Corinthians 4.6: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- 1 John 2.11: Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
We Are at War With the Forces of Darkness
Darkness is also used in scripture to describe those who are involved in open rebellion against God and His way. Satan and his servants are darkness and actively work to hinder God’s purposes from being accomplished. Paul said we are at war against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, Ephesians 6.12. Satan is constantly on the offensive. In this sense, darkness is never passive. It’s threat is ever-present. It lurks. It crouches. It skulks and slinks behind. It waits for the optimum opportunity.
It is sobering, but it is important to remember we were once darkness. At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, Ephesians 5.8. Again, we are either “in” or “out” of darkness. There is no middle ground. Before we came to Christ, our entire existence was characterized by darkness. John MacArthur has written, “There was no other aspect to our spiritual life than that of darkness. We were children of darkness and sons of disobedience. We were not simply victims of Satan’s system but were contributors to it. We were not merely in sin; our very nature was characterized by sin.”
Now, as God’s sons and daughters, we are no longer in the darkness.
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness,
1 Thessalonians 5.5
God’s Punishment is Darkness
In the waning days of the northern kingdom, Amos pointed to a day of judgment and punishment.
Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it,
Amos 5.20
Just over a century later, Ezekiel prophesied a day of doom for the people of Judah:
All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord God,
Ezekiel 32.8
These were terrible days where the judgment of God was poured out on the wicked. After repeated warnings of destruction and countless urgings to repent and return to God, the cities of Israel and Judah were destroyed and the people were carried off into captivity.
If one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds,
Isaiah 5.30
These are just a few of hundreds of references in the Old Testament that warn of the completeness of Israel’s destruction and their ultimate separation from God.
In the New Testament, darkness is used to describe eternal punishment. In fact, Jesus used the term outer darkness on three occasions to describe the ultimate destination of those who rebel against God. In that place of outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Matthew 25.30b. Note the imagery of what awaits false teachers and those who sow discord in the church:
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; and These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved,
2 Peter 2.4, 17
Jude also uses the same terminology in 1.6, 13. For those who abide in darkness, the day of judgment and its result will be anything but pleasant.
We Must Avoid Spiritual Darkness at all Costs
After being as good as dead, the last place Chilean miner, Omar Reygaldas, wants to be is back in the oppressive darkness of a copper mine. He now travels throughout Chile and the world giving motivational speeches “to show the meaning of teamwork, power, and faith.” The nightmares of his experience still haunt him. “I try to read, to tire myself out so that I can sleep well. But if I’m alone in a closed space it still makes me anxious - I have to get out and find someone to talk with or distract myself with something.”
Rather than returning to the mine, other survivors are running their own small businesses selling fruits and vegetables, and others have spent time traveling and doing odd jobs as they deal with the emotional baggage associated with their traumatic experience.
With our response of faith in the saving power of Jesus, God has brought us into His marvelous light, 1 Peter 2.9. With every fiber of our being, we must resolve to fight off darkness at every turn. We’re not alone in this war. We stand in the strength of Jesus and wear the protective armor of God. With God on our side, we are guaranteed victory over darkness. The only way the darkness will overtake us is if we surrender to it. Heighten your commitment to Christ. Hold on to God’s hand each day. Trust in God no matter what. Satan will give it his best shot, but you don’t have to become his prey.
Questions for Discussion:
- What scares you most about darkness?
- How does darkness affect our emotions?
- Define darkness and light as used in scripture.
- Can one be in darkness and light at the same time?
- Describe the charactistics of darkness before creation.
- How did light change our physical world? Are there any spiritual applications?
- How are men and women affected by the absence of God?
- Describe the activity of darkness. Is it passive or aggressive?
- What is outer darkness as described by Jesus?
- How can darkness overtake us?
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