2 Samuel 22:26-34
26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.31 “As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.{Prayer}
Before becoming an astronaut, Navy pilot Jim Lovell completed more than 100 successful aircraft carrier landings. Most of us don’t remember Jim Lovell because of his Navy career, we remember him from his flight and command of the infamous Apollo 13 mission to the moon which was drastically changed when an explosion on board turned the moon rock collecting mission into a mission of survival. In his book and in the Apollo 13 movie, Jim Lovell recalls a memory from his Navy days.
Lovell states that while he was flying a F2H Banshee off the coast of Japan one evening in 1953, he was faced with a life and death decision. You see, his instrument panel failed, which means he was flying without a radar. Flying in the darkness of night in a completely dark cockpit, the thought of ejecting himself from the plane came to mind. However, as he looked out the window down at the vastness of the dark Pacific Ocean, he saw something unique. Lovell saw the thick green carpet of phosphorescent algae on the surface of the water. This green algae surfaces and glows when it is churned up by a giant propeller. Like the giant propeller of an aircraft carrier. Using the green glow, Lovell safely landed upon the deck of the carrier.
King David in our Old Testament lesson from 2 Samuel knows a lot about finding a path which leads to safety. You see, by the time we get to 2 Samuel 22, King David is nearing the end of his life. So many times in Sunday School and in different Bible Studies, David is lifted up onto this pedestal for being this great hero of the Bible. This mighty little shepherd boy who defeated the giant Goliath with a sling shot and a smooth stone should by no means be anyone’s hero. David was by no means one who you and I should look to for advice on fatherhood or on life in general.
Yes, I know that God is the one who chose David and his family line to be the line in which the Savior of the world would come, but you also need to know that David lived his life in the darkness of the sins which he had committed. David had to suffer the consequences which came with his sins. Sleeping with another man’s wife, getting her pregnant, and then having her husband killed because he wouldn’t sleep with his wife to make it look like the child she was carrying was her husbands and not David’s is just the beginning of the sins which David committed and suffered for. The prophet Nathan calls David out on this sin and the guilt which David experiences leaves his soul as dark as night. David, lost in this darkness begs to God in Psalm 51, “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (vs 10-12). Upon David’s recognition of his sin, upon David’s confession, God forgave David … but he still had to suffer the consequences of his sin as this child would later die.
If we fast forward within David’s life, we find David’s son Absalom seeking revenge against his father. Absalom wants revenge because when his sister Tamar was raped by David’s oldest son, David did nothing. So in seeking revenge, Absalom kills David’s oldest son. David mourns the death of his son. Afraid for his life, Absalom leaves Israel. But while he is away, he deceitfully develops a following. After three years, Absalom brings this army back to Jerusalem to overthrow his father. David, in fear of his life, flees from city. In the process of trying to escape David’s army, Absalom’s mule rides under a tree branch, his hair gets caught in the tree, and as he hangs there, his mule runs off. Hanging there in the tree by his hair, Absalom is killed. Once David finds out … he again finds himself in the deep darkness of his sins.
As we get closer to our reading, David finds himself in a couple of wars with neighboring kingdoms because they believe that David is growing weak. David’s life and his family seem to be falling apart around him. David has no idea what is going to happen next … but David does know one thing … he knows that he is God’s chosen one whom the promised Messiah will come. So even though David is suffocating in the pitch black darkness of his sin and anxiety … God does something absolutely amazing for him. God through his prophets and by His actions shows David the light, the absolutely amazing light of His love, His mercy, of His forgiveness. And in response to the deliverance which God gives to David, David speaks to the LORD the words of this song (2 Sam. 22:1a). David says, “You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light” (2 Sam. 22:29). You see, God through His amazing love for His children, for His chosen ones, He restores them and guides them back onto His path. A path which leads to eternal life.
You and I aren’t too different than David. We easily find ourselves in the midst of days of darkness. Some days are darker than others. We have days where it seems like nothing can go right. Days where bad news is followed up with even more bad news. Days where doctors give a heart wrenching diagnosis. Days when a loved one suddenly dies. In the dark days of difficulty … you and I need to and we will want to remember that God is our only true source of light. David sang, “You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.”
These words of David should remind us of some other words which David had written earlier in his life. “The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). This time in our Old Testament reading isn’t the only time when David found himself in the dark. It is a place which David has found himself in before. We too find ourselves in this dark place on different occasions. When we find ourselves facing dark and uncertain days, like Jim Lovell, we may sometimes think of ejecting ourselves from that day or that particular situation. In our dark and uncertain days, it is easy to panic and we may even want to give in to the paralyzing fear. Most of the fears which you and I experience are rooted in the belief that there is something just around the corner which will prove too much for me. You and I fear that the events of tomorrow will overwhelm us, that they will leave us devastated.
But here’s the thing … if the Lord is lightening our way … whom shall we fear? I mean really? No one of knows what tomorrow holds or what the future will be like. Only God knows that. However … what God does do is this … God gives us the light we need to live one day at a time, relying on him. It sounds easy, but all we need to know is that God is God. We need to trust that He is and always will be in charge and that He knows what it is that He is doing. As David sings, “This God – his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (2 Sam. 22:31).
This God in whom David trusted in … He is the very same God who you and I trust in. He is the God who brings the light of Christ into this dark and dreadful world. This God is the one who brings the light of Christ’s love and forgiveness to the dark hearts of sinners like you and me. This light of Christ could and never can be extinguished. Even when the darkness of death surrounded Christ on the cross and in the tomb and the prince of darkness Satan was rejoicing, thinking that he had won the battle … it was only a temporary victory dance for the darkness of death didn’t last long. The light of God, the light of perfection and power and love for all sinners shone forth from that tomb as Christ walked out of it alive.
This light of Christ is given to you and me to help us live out our daily lives. This light isn’t given as just some sort of false security for us to lean on. This light of Christ says to you God is with you, that you are forgiven, and that you are God’s precious child. And even though you and I may be going through a time of darkness, a time of uncertainty … Jesus says not to be anxious but to cast all our concerns, all the things with darken our lives upon Him. The light of Christ himself living within each and every one of you illuminates your path, it is the lamp unto your path which like the algae for Jim Lovell, it is shining, and maybe even glowing, but as the true light of God, it is guiding you to the eternal safety of your eternal home. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.