Dec 11, 2024 12:00 am
Why Does the Bible Say That “God Dwells in Darkness”?
By Tommy Paluchowski
Did you know that this exact same verse appears in the Bible twice? “Then Solomon said, ‘The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness’” (1 Kings 8:12 and 2 Chronicles 6:1). Actually, it was the same event, recorded twice. Why? I would like to think because it was important. Solomon announced this during a celebration when the ark of the covenant was set in place and God’s glory filled the temple.
At first, what Solomon announced in God’s name seemed strange to me. It was as if someone was talking off-topic. I was surprised by the lack of any logical connection between the occasion for celebration and the statement that God was in a dark place.
When I was researching the meaning of this verse, I found the explanation by Adam J. Walker to be helpful, that no one can view the full glory of God directly, so when God is within the reaches of human contact, He dwells in thick darkness so that His glory doesn’t consume those He loves.1
I reflected further on this concept of God dwelling in darkness. An interesting question is whether the darkness could be a type of invitation. At first glance, that idea seems counterintuitive. But an invitation to what?—To intimacy with God, of course!
When praying about this, the scripture came to mind with the invitation from Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Perhaps personal contact with God took place in thick darkness, so that, among other things, no one would disturb our one-on-one relationship, the time we spend alone with God.
Moses experienced something similar: “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:18–19, 21).
The apostle Paul was changed into a new man after three days in darkness, following Jesus’ appearance to him in the light while he was on his journey to Damascus. (See Acts 9:1–19.)
Jesus died in darkness for our sins. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit” (Matthew 27:45, 50).
And God told the freed Israelites: “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night” (Deuteronomy 16:1). “It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations” (Exodus 12:42).
Did God decide to bring the Jews out of Egypt at night because it is easier to travel in the desert since it is not as hot as during the day? Or was He showing them a metaphor by using night as a symbol?
In my life and work for the Lord I have seen many unusual events, even miracles when they were needed. I’ve celebrated and had fun with others. I’ve rejoiced in the Lord’s accomplishments. All this was a satisfying experience for me. But I can say with certainty that these moments of joy, although pleasant, did not teach me a whole lot.
The real learning and spiritual growth came during moments of darkness. Days when, for example, I got sick suddenly and had to quarantine alone for days. It was then that I experienced moments of inspiration while reading the Bible for hours, not rushing to some activity that normally would be waiting for me in my everyday life. I had a lot of free time and I could spend it with God. Sometimes it was the only thing I could do.
It was precisely these moments, shutting myself in my room to talk to God alone, that were like entering darkness. I say darkness, because sometimes it was not easy for me to listen and accept God’s correction of my life course. But it was worth the effort. It was during this time in darkness that I learned a lot about my spiritual life and my behavior.
What was painful to my pride was at the same time a gift for me personally as I grew in spiritual strength and in the knowledge of my Savior. I am certain that God allowed my failures, illnesses, and misadventures, if only so that we could be together. Just the two of us.
While being in darkness, I learned important principles and great truths. In hindsight, I know that if it were not for these times of darkness, I would not have managed my future life journey as well. God gave me enough time for this teaching to soak into my soul, to remain there forever. “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).
Now that I have a chronic illness—a kind of darkness that I didn’t know before—in addition to the new things I discover, I am also learning again what I have already learned. Of course, I would like to act, perform, and generally be active, but it is not my choice anymore. I surrendered my life to Jesus again. I placed my desires on Him. I did it once. Then I did it again. And again. And… Jesus is my best choice. My only choice.
At first, I resisted this time of learning. Later, when I calmed down, I made this choice even though I knew He would lead me through darkness and night. Yes, I did it consciously. Here is my reasoning.
Most of us have a bad feeling about darkness. I don’t remember hearing many sermons that were titled “God dwells in darkness.” People seem to avoid this topic. Despite this negative connotation, it was in darkness that I learned that God is light. To some, this may sound absurd, but it is the truth. It was the darkness that made me realize the need for His light. Gratitude for Jesus appeared in my life. He is the light, and through Him I see and am seen.
In the darkness I appreciated the brilliance of the treasure that is God’s Word. The dense darkness motivated me to look for the shining promises of God that I could lean on and that would give me direction in the darkness of this world. When I could see nothing in front of me, I learned how to take steps of faith.
In the dark, I was trained to recognize the “still, small voice” of God that replaced my sight. When I was walking gropingly, fearing that I’d stumble over something, I then began to appreciate and hold on tight to the hand of God, who was saying to me, “Do not be afraid.”
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
* * *
Often we walk in darkness. Who hasn’t felt the darkness of depression or uncertainty, of fear or sadness? In the dark moments of life I believe that God is far nearer than we can comprehend. In those times when He feels distant, when it feels like we are lost in the darkness, God is in fact with us, near enough to touch if we will simply reach out. …
One of the funny things about mankind is that we always expect God to come onto the scene with a flash of lightning and thunder that will shake our very souls. But God is rarely like that, I think it’s because He isn’t much of a show-off. God loves to come on the scene quietly and even humbly. He peers onto the scene of human suffering with the caring heart of a Father and the gentle grace of a lamb. He can be easily found by those that realize He is in the thick darkness, we just have to remember to look. After all, He did come onto the scene of mankind as a baby in the little town of Bethlehem. And on that dark night He was found by those humble enough to seek Him.—Adam J. Walker
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