A lamp to my feet ∙
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. – Ps 119:105
Psalms 119:106-114
106 I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations.
107 I have suffered much, O LORD; restore my life again as you promised.
108 LORD, accept my offering of praise, and teach me your regulations.
109 My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions.
110 The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments.
111 Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight.
112 I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.
113 I hate those with divided loyalties, but I love your instructions.
114 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.
In ancient times, electricity remained a mystery, its potential untapped. Electric lighting, as we know it today, was lacking. Instead, throughout the Mediterranean region before the time of Christ, they used terra-cotta oil lamps.
Clay lamps are among the most common pottery pieces found by archaeologists in Mediterranean dwellings and tombs dating from 1500 BC to 800 AD. These lamps, simple and economical to produce, served as portable light sources akin to candles or modern flashlights. They held significance in religious rites and were commonly found in burial chambers.
The traditional lamp design in ancient Israel featured a small bowl with a pinched lip to hold a flax wick, resembling a flattened teapot. These lamps were typically filled with olive oil, which was plentiful in the ancient Near East and made excellent fuel for lighting.
Exodus 27:20 Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.
In Hebrew, two terms are employed to denote a lamp or lampstand. The primary word for terra-cotta lamps is “ner,” appearing 49 times in the Old Testament.
The second term, usually translated as lampstand, is “menorah.” A menorah typically refers to a seven-pronged candlestick or lampstand. The Father instructed Moses to position a menorah in the holy place of the Tabernacle. This term occurs 42 times in the Old Testament.
REFLECT & PRAY
“Left to ourselves, we often don’t know which way leads to life and which way ends in death; we remain in the dark. But God’s Word provides us with a searchlight to cut through the darkness and lead us to safety” (Stanley).
Father my desire is to pursue You wholeheartedly, with all of my heart, soul, and mind. I aim to embody the teachings and truths found in Your Word. I want to get this right, but I know I will make missteps and fail. Guide me one step at a time along the path You have chosen for me.
INSIGHT
But there is more!
During nighttime journeys, individuals would attach small lamps to their feet to illuminate their way. The lamp could only provide enough light for only one footstep at a time. This modest illumination revealed only the immediate path beneath their feet rather than being able to see the whole route in front of them. With each stride, the light advanced, allowing travelers to see just one step forward into the darkness, guiding them gradually on their way.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
This provides a beautiful word picture of how the Father leads and guides each child of the King. A lamp to my feet means “a light that lights up the path I walk on” (USB). We walk by faith and follow the Word of God. Each step we take in obedience illuminates the next. Eventually, we arrive at the destination the Father intends. When David composed the Psalm, the Scriptures available to him were primarily the Law of Moses. The Torah served as a guide for ethical decisions and provided information to help discern the will of the Father.
“Two familiar biblical images combine in this verse: life is a path, and God’s Word is the light that helps us follow the right path” (Wiersbe).
The Word of God provides light for the path of life. The Psalm is written in Hebrew poetry, which rhymes ideas rather than sounds. My feet and my path are synonyms referring to the psalmist’s conduct, that is, his behavior and way of life.
We inhabit a world often shrouded in darkness, where it’s commonplace for individuals to navigate through the shadows, growing used to the absence of light. However, Lord Jesus Christ emerged as the light of the world, offering illumination so that we need not tread in obscurity. The Father empowers us to walk in light by engaging with and adhering to the Word. Step by step, the Father faithfully leads us through His Word.
Matthew 7:7-8
7 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.”
“But I believe that the desire to please you does, in fact, please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me on the right road, though I may know nothing about it.”
“Therefore, I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone” (Thomas Merton).
Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.
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© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 