God's Great Lights

As we continue in Psalm 136, our minds are again, taken on a trip back to the time of God’s creation on the railway of God’s mercy. The words of Psalm 19 become increasing clear as God continually reveals Himself by means of His creation.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”

When we reach the seventh verse of this psalm, we see God’s character in the spotlight of what He calls His “great lights.” We initially read about these “great lights” in the first book of the Bible (Genesis 1:14-19). Here, we are introduced to two great lights—the greater to rule the day, and the lesser to rule the night. And, in what seems to be a side note, the Holy Spirit adds, “He made the stars also.”

It is here that we find a great parallel. Since the foundation of the world, a battle has been raging. The Devil and his forces have labored tirelessly to halt the eternal plan of God. But we know that the greater light, the ruler of the day, our ever-present, eternal God, will be eternally greater than the lesser light. Now, we live in the night, where the lesser light of sin rules, but one day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Though we walk in the night , we are given a breath of hope when the Holy Spirit tells us, “He made the stars also.” Even in the dark, when the lesser light rules, we are given the stars also. Out of His mercy, our God will never leave us without some vision of Himself.

The Greater Light
In the book of John, Jesus tells us, “I am the light of the world.” It is God that is the greater light. He will always prevail. No matter how dark the night may appear, God is always in control. The universe is in His grip, and so are we.

The Lesser Light
Even since the garden, Satan has been using every means available to stop the plan of God. Sadly, many people have both knowingly and unknowingly been used in Satan’s army. Even as the moon takes its light from the reflection of the son, so the source of all of the Devil’s power is the Lord.

The Stars
As it has been seen, even in the night where the lesser light dominates, we find another source of light—the stars. Each time we look into a star filled sky, it is an evident token of God’s ever-enduring mercy. In God’s mercy, He has given us armor to equip us for this spiritual battle (Ephesians 3:10-17).
- Truth
- Righteousness
- The preparation of the gospel of peace
- Faith
- Salvation
- The Word of God

Our Warfare
The Bible tells us that our battle is a spiritual battle. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This battle is one in which are to be actively involved. We have been given the tools, and now we are responsible to use them. We are the recipients of God’s mercy, and now we must enlist for active service in His army. May we prepare ourselves to serve our Master.