Those That Rebel Against The Light
- Justin Ray
- Jul 20, 2020
- 5 min read
Job 24
I used to think that Job was basically a pointless book other than the first, second, and last chapters. All that back and forth talk can seem to just drone on and on. I do not see it that way anymore. I don't know if it shows, but I am truly enjoying my study through the book of Job. If you have been reading these, and enjoying them too, then today's text will not disappoint either.
They are of those that rebel against the light;
They know not the ways thereof,
Nor abide in the paths thereof.
14 The murderer rising with the light
Killeth the poor and needy,
And in the night is as a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight,
Saying, No eye shall see me:
And disguiseth his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses,
Which they had marked for themselves in the daytime:
They know not the light.
17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death:
If one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
Job 24:13-17
As a pastor, I hope your brain has already connected this to another section of scripture: John. You may not have been able to call the exact book, chapter, and verse, but I hope you thought about the idea that "men loved darkness rather than light" (John 3:19), or "the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:5). If you didn't, that is ok. Now you will!
So, what is the big deal about darkness? What is it that Job was trying to convey? I will share a little story with you that might help us understand.
When I worked at the prison, I was on a team that conducted investigations. We received intelligence that said someone was going to try to throw some contraband over the prison fence one particular night. So, we dressed all in black and that night we conducted a stakeout. Due to the amount of corruption in the department, and not knowing what other agencies that spread to, we did not tell anyone that we would be out. So, we tried to be invisible so as to not alert anyone, including the local police. We were spread out between an empty house (owned by the prison), a cotton field, and on a dirt berm.
One of my teammates was spotted and the local PD was called. They rode around and shined their spotlights trying to spot the intruders. At one points, their lights shined directly on me but they did not see me. Why? Because I was camouflaged with the darkness. We didn't catch anyone that night but it was exciting.
What does this have to do with our passage? Well, the bad guys we were trying to catch were planning to work at night so that the darkness concealed them. We also worked at night for the same reason. Darkness hides activities that we do not want others to see. There is the cover of darkness and there is also the fact that most people are home and asleep at night, so there are fewer people out and about. On a different occasion I had someone almost step on me when we were playing a game at night and I was hiding.
That is what Job was talking about. Those that do evil do it in the night because it conceals their activity. Why do you think so much of the rioting happens at night? People want to do wrong but they do not want to get caught.
There is also a spiritual aspect to this. Job discusses this in the very first verse of our text. "They are of those that rebel against the light; They know not the ways thereof, Nor abide in the paths thereof" (Job 24:13). Light is always a picture of Jesus. Read that verse again, but this time we will substitute the name of Jesus for light. "They are those that rebel against Jesus; they not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof." If you think I am going way out on a limb here, hold on; I will connect the dots.
In the first chapter of the Bible, the Holy Spirit inspired Moses to begin with this idea of darkness and light. Check it out.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:1-3
I'm not going to copy the text here, but if you read Genesis 1, you will see that God did not make the sun until day 4. So, where did the light come from on day 1? The answer to that is Jesus. Jesus said that he was the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46). This is not just figurative talk. John said "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Revelation 21:23). In heaven, Jesus will be the source of light. His glory will illuminate all of creation in eternity. It was this light/glory that illuminated creation until the sun, moon, and stars were created on day 4.
When Saul was on the Road to Damascus, and he encountered Jesus, he saw a bright light (Acts 9:3). It was this light that revealed his sins and convinced him of his need for Jesus as a savior. It was this light that he was persecuting (Acts 9:4-5). This light is Jesus!
So, when Job says that men rebel against the light, they are rebelling against Jesus. Everything he describes is men committing sin. Sin is rebellion against God. It is doing that which violates his holy nature. It is rebelling against what we were created to do.
In verse 17, Job say, "For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death". When the light begins to shine on them, they lose the cover of darkness. They are exposed. Their sins are revealed. They perceive that they are in the shadow of death because they are. However, rather than run to the light and confess our sins, we try to hide form the light. We view the light as our enemy even though He is there to save us. Remember, this light is the glory of the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
In Heaven, there will be no shadows because the glory of the only begotten (John 1:14) will illuminate Heaven for all eternity. We will live in the light of the Son of God. Can you imagine? This light blinded Saul. Some believe that his eyes never recovered from this encounter. We will have eyes in heaven that can behold his glory and be in awe of him.
There is coming a day When no heartaches shall come No more clouds in the sky No more tears to dim the eye All is peace forever more On that happy golden shore What a day, glorious day that will be
What a day that will be When my Jesus I shall see When I look upon His face The One who saved me by His grace When He takes me by the hand And leads me to the Promised Land What a day, glorious day that will be
Father, thank you for letting your light shine on me. It is never pleasant to have our sins revealed, but it is necessary for salvation and repentance. Thank you that your light drives away the darkness that we try to hide in. May I always willingly live in your light and not try to hide in darkness.
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