Blog

by Bill Seng

“But when they cried to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them.” ~Judges 3:9

It is written that when God established the foundations of the earth, the angels shouted out with praise (Job 38:6-7). Have you ever thought about why? Forget all of the other questions that might come to your mind when you read about this; why would the angels shout for joy at the founding of the earth? Well, we must first answer this: what part of Genesis 1 defines the foundations of the earth (being the creation account and all)?

My guess is that more happened on day 1 than just the creation of light. For one, I believe that the angels had to have been created. But what is too often missed is that the first verse says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” He created the heavens and the earth on day one, apparently before he created light. The foundations were established there. What caused the angels to shout out in praise? In my opinion, it was the creation of light.

The angels were created under the cover of darkness and were temporarily blind, but before there was light, I believe that it makes sense that there had to have been darkness. The heavens and earth were created and yet unseen. If this is true, then I believe that when the angels were created, they could not see. Then God created light, and all of a sudden what they saw was marvelous, the foundation of God’s creation. Out of the darkness, into the light, they sang songs of praise to the one who created them.

Out of the darkness we cry out to God and in the light we sing him praises. The Israelites in Judges 3:7 had started disobeying God and aligned themselves against him. As a result, God turned them over to oppressive rulers for eight long years. They had fallen into deep darkness. Within the darkness, they could see no respite. But all the while, as their hearts became aligned toward God once again and they humbled themselves as they cried out to God, God raised a leader to thwart the enemy and deliver Israel from their oppressor. In the darkness Israel cried out, and into the light they sang songs of praise.

Are you experiencing a dark time right now? We all go through dark times. We don’t always want to share the particulars with everyone, but life can be tough. When we are surrounded by darkness, we need to remember that God is still in our midst. The angels could not see God or the plans he had for creation. But when he shined light on the universe, what they saw was more marvelous than what they could have imagined.

Through my most recent struggles, I have finally started to learn that there is a higher purpose to what I am going through. The more I suffer in my circumstances, the more useful I become to those who are going through the same thing. For me, this helps me to develop strength to endure even through circumstances that seem unconquerable. It is my hope that in enduring through these dark days, the glory will be all the greater when the light shines brightly.

God responds when we cry out. It might take some time, but that’s because his answer is dependent only on his timing. All we can do is prepare for that day. If you are going through dark days, as difficult as it may be, rejoice in knowing that God is still in control. Although you have not yet seen what God is up to, take hope in knowing that God is always at work.

This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration.  All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved.  Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.