Daily Journal: 1 December

Fireflies:

Light Over Darkness

I grew up with fireflies. Fireflies are magical, tiny lights (bugs, in reality, trying to attract a mate) dancing in the early evening as night approaches. I loved dancing with them in the garden when I was young, imagining them as little fairies.

God created fireflies. Little lights to shine and dance in the darkness.

Even though darkness encroaches, it cannot overcome light when light shines.

Here, I find the discourse of light in the NET study notes illuminating.

Genesis 1:3-4 (NET)

God said, “Let there be^[b] light.”^[c] And there was light! ⁴ God saw^[d] that the light was good,^[e] so God separated^[f] the light from the darkness.

b. “Let there be” … form a profound wordplay to express both the calling into existence and the complete fulfilment of the divine word.

c. Light. The Hebrew word simply means “light,” but it is used often in scripture to convey the ideas of salvation, joy, knowledge, righteousness, and life. In this context one cannot ignore those connotations, for it is the antithesis of the darkness. The first thing God does is correct the darkness; without the light there is only chaos.

d. Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind—it is God’s opinion.

e. The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

f. The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive—a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (John 1:5). The idea of separation is critical to this chapter. God separated light from darkness, upper water from lower water, day from night, etc. The verb is important to the Law in general. In Leviticus God separates between clean and unclean, holy and profane (Lev 10:10, 11:47 and 20:24; So I have said to you: You yourselves will possess their land and I myself will give it to you...); in Exodus God separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exod 26:33). There is a preference for the light over the darkness, just as there will be a preference for the upper waters, the rain water which is conducive to life, over the sea water.

John 1:5 (NET)

And the light shines on [continually shines] in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it [Those who follow Jesus do not walk in darkness (8:12). They are to walk while they have light, lest the darkness “overtake/overcome” them.] 

John 8:12 (NET)

Then Jesus spoke out again, “I am the light of the world!^[b] The one who follows me will never [emphatic] walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

b. The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.

Fireflies are God's little reminder to me that darkness cannot dispel His light, no matter how tiny, or how fragile.