James, discussing trial and temptation, states that God is not the source of our troubles, nor is it possible for Him to be tempted by man (James 1.13). James notes that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift and calls Him the “Father of lights” (James 1.17). He adds that with God there is no “variableness neither shadow of turning” making reference to the nearly imperceptible movement of shadows on a sundial as the sun travels through the heavens. The nature of God, as detailed in the scriptures, does not demonstrate the slightest change or deviation in His character or actions. Regarding God as the Father of lights provides a perspective from which we can investigate the Lord’s essential character and that of his offspring.
Light is a physical phenomenon involving a radiant transmission source and is invisible as it travels to it’s destination. Particles of light remain unseen until coming into contact with a surface that absorbs some of the particles and reflects others. Reflection and absorption of these particles reveals an object’s unique characteristics establishing a relationship between the object and the source. The nature and quality of the relationship between the source and the object defines reality for us and shapes our interactions with it. Absence of light interferes with our ability to understand our surroundings and may conceal information vital to our health and safety. Light appears and behaves in the scriptures in a similar fashion to the physical realm.
In this chapter we will examine God’s nature by looking at how light is used as a figure for Him in the Bible. The unchanging nature of God will be explored by looking at the means by which His “light” has been transmitted through the ages. Examining these figures and the statement made by James will demonstrate how God is the “Father of lights”, the way in which this is accomplished, and how it impacts later scriptural discussions.
Mankind’s relationship with God has always been one of forgetfulness. Adam and Eve were given specific commands which provided for their life and happiness in a paradise where God communed with them (Genesis 2.15-18, 3.1-3). Satan, intent on corrupting God’s creation, introduced sin through deceit and brought about the separation of mankind from God (Genesis 3.4-5). As man grew in number and populated the earth God was forgotten as the ruler over them (Genesis 6.1- 13). A contrast surfaces in this portion of the book between the nature of man and God. Mankind is characterized as having an evil imagination continually (Genesis 6.5, 8.21) while God remains righteous. The Lord eventually destroyed the world of that time by means of a flood during the life of Noah (Genesis 6.9-13). Noah was acceptable to God because of his faithfulness to the Lord (Genesis 6.13-22, Hebrews 11.7).
Following the flood the nature of mankind did not change. God recognized that man was prone to follow the inclinations of his heart (Genesis 8.22) and determined to never destroy the world with a flood again (Genesis 9.12-17). The trend toward forgetting God continued as mankind multiplied again. Human opposition to God is seen in the story of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11.1-8) as the people, of one language, attempted to build a tower reaching into the heavens which would keep God from scattering them throughout the world. God intervened by confusing their language causing them to disperse throughout the Earth. This limited their ability to act as one and set limits on achievement driven by their collective pride (Genesis 11.6-8).
Paul, in his address to the Romans, deals with this trend toward forgetfulness as he describes the pagan cultures. Paul stated that God had been known by mankind by the things He had shown them (Romans 1.19-20). God manifested himself by the works of creation that were visible. Although He could not be seen, He was evident. Mankind, however, became “vain” in their imagination, their “foolish heart was darkened” and “professing to be wise” in their own devices became spiritual fools (Romans 1.21-22). Paul, like James, presents a contrast between the nature of God and that of mankind. The absence of knowledge or recognition of God is referred to as darkness (“.... their foolish heart was darkened”). Paul states that they had no desire to “retain God in their knowledge” (Romans 1.28). The consequence of this is that they were without “understanding” (Romans 1.31).
From the passages cited above we can begin to understand how the images of light and darkness are used by James and how these apply to God. Knowledge of God is represented as light in the scriptures. This light, or knowledge, is the word of God containing His commands. Paul stated that God is evident in the things that can be seen (Romans 1.19). Creation is a visible testimony of the creator of all things. Many times in the scriptures God is represented by images of a visual nature. Some of these are literal and others are figurative. The characteristics of God which can be “seen” by looking at these representations serve to describe his power, beauty, authority and consistency. It would be too time consuming to look at every representation of God in the Bible that has to do with light but we will look at enough of them to validate the point being made. The figure of light will also aid us in establishing an accurate and cohesive view of the God of heaven and His character.
God’s power is displayed first of all by the physical manifestation of creation itself (Genesis 1, Romans 1.19-20). God spoke the visible universe into existence. Noteworthy is that in the sequence of creation God created light first (Genesis1.3) and later created the sun, moon and stars (Genesis1.14-17). The evidence of God’s power remains visible as the sun rises and the moon goes through various phases marking the seasons and the passage of time as God commanded from the beginning (Genesis 1.14-15).
God sealed his promise of never destroying the earth with a flood again by giving a visual sign which would be perpetual. God established His “covenant” with Noah and his family after they came out of the ark (Genesis 9.8-17). God states; “.....This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” (Genesis 9.12-16).
God displayed His power to the Israelites in a visual manner at mount Sinai (Exodus 19-20). The description of the literal manifestation of God upon mount Sinai was one of great power. “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that the people that was in the camp trembled.” (Exodus 19.16). The appearance of God was further enhanced “because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” (Exodus 19.18). The physical presence of God was of great magnitude and was unprecedented in the narrative.
The visual imagery described in the above passage accompanies the giving of the Law to Moses. The scriptures figuratively represent the pairing of God’s appearance in visions with the revelation of commands and future events to the prophets. In each of these, God’s power is demonstrated through specific visual images accompanying verbalization of His messages to be delivered to a variety of recipients.
The two examples above, the rainbow and the appearance of God on mount Sinai, speak of the great beauty of the Lord’s appearance. The rainbow is a symbol, or token, of His covenant with the earth and the creatures including man who live upon it. This representation presents an image of splendor and perfection which are attributes of God as the creator of all things.
At Sinai the glory of God was so brilliant that Moses’ face continued to shine after talking with God. This frightened the people causing Moses to wear a veil hiding his face (Exodus 34.29-30). While at Sinai, Moses asked to see the Lord. God did not allow Moses to look upon His face but permitted him to see His glory from behind (Exodus 33.19-23). God covered Moses with his hand in the cleft of a rock until he had passed, then allowed Moses to look. Later when the Tabernacle had been built, the glory of the Lord, in the form of a cloud, covered the structure preventing anyone from entering (Exodus 40.34-35). In later years the Israelites would be able to remember God’s glory they had seen at Sinai, reminding them of their blessings.
Consistent with this literal manifestation of God are the figurative descriptions of God’s glory and beauty that some of the prophets experienced. Ezekiel, in a series of visions, ascribes to God an image of great splendor. The descriptors used by Ezekiel include brightness, the color of amber and fire (Ezekiel 1.4) and that of a sapphire (Ezekiel 1.26-28). God’s beauty is described as glorious showing similarities with His appearance at Sinai (Ezekiel 10.1). Ezekiel calls the beauty of God His “comeliness” (Ezekiel 16.14). These same images refer to the glory of God as manifested in visions as well (Ezekiel 8.4, 10.4, 43.4-5).
Although God manifested His glory before the Hebrews at Sinai, they did not see the Lord. God commanded the Israelites not to make graven images (Exodus 20.3-5). The consistency of God is demonstrated as He does not reveal a physical image to them, preventing them from worshipping objects in the future. The later history of the nation, as we have seen, shows that the Hebrews eventually corrupted themselves by worshiping manmade idols.
Moses states, “Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.” (Deuteronomy 4.15-19). God displayed His power in such a way that the Hebrews were aware of His spiritual nature and character. God had proven His existence in a way that the Israelites would not soon forget.
Isaiah makes a serious yet humorous statement concerning the spiritual ignorance of certain individuals. “The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he maketh it after the figure of a man .... He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh: he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: and the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, deliver me: for thou art my god ..... And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread on the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?” (Isaiah 44.13-19).
In the book of Revelation, John receives a vision from the Lord while exiled on the island of Patmos. The descriptions of God and his throne are similar to those found in the book of Ezekiel. In both writings, God’s abode is rendered in images of brightness, surrounded by precious stones, rainbows, lightning and brilliance. John records, “And he that sat on the throne was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone; there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald .... And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne .... “ (Revelation 4.3,5). Note the blending of images in the scene. The rainbow, precious stones, lightnings and lamps of fire, combine to describe the beauty of God. These images convey a sense of power and majesty serving to reinforce the authority of God as divine ruler.
Visual images, both literal and figurative, are linked with the exercise of God’s power in the scriptures. The rainbow was “the token of the covenant” between God and the earth (Genesis 9.12-13). Only God was able to order such a thing and make it happen. At Sinai amidst fire, lightnings and smoke, God issued a Law and ordinances to Moses (Exodus 20–40). John, as mentioned above, conveys a message, from Christ to the seven churches of Asia (Revelation 2-3) using visual imagery representing the power of God. These images affirm the authority of God and describe Him as sitting on a throne (Ezekiel 1.26, 10.1, Revelation 4.1-6).
God’s authority is further established in similar passages by His ability to bestow rulership or grant power (Ezekiel 21.26) and the ability to rescue, or save, from destruction (Ezekiel 21.26). These traits are also manifested throughout Revelation and can be seen directly in the admonitions to the churches of Asia (Revelation 2-3). Visual imagery is also used to describe God’s judgment against those who are evil. For example, God’s vengeance is figuratively described as a glittering sword by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 21.10,15,28)
One may conclude that God is consistent by nature from a study of these representations. God’s glory and majesty are similarly described at Sinai, by Ezekiel and John, as cited above. Some might argue that the occurrence of similar figures in the Bible are only literary devices used by the writers or prove that the prophets shared a similar delusional influence. The similarity of these images may also be seen as complementary pointing to a common origin which is God. Ezekiel describes the consistency of his visions throughout his writing. Speaking of the visions he received Ezekiel gives descriptions of their nature (Ezekiel 1.1, 3.23, 8.3, 11.24, 40.2, 43.3) stating their consistency precisely; “As the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar...” (Ezekiel 3.23), “....according to the vision I saw in the plain.” (Ezekiel 8.4), “....according to the appearance of the vision that I saw....” (Ezekiel 43.3). Comparing these visions with other prophets, and those of John, shows a striking similarity and consistency with each other, and with the variety of manifestations within each of the books. This latter point bears out the stability of God as the inspiration for these passages and reinforces the credibility of the message as being of divine origin. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14.33).
Isaiah gives a similar description of God’s dwelling place which complements the above mentioned attributes. He states, “Look down from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: ....” (Isaiah 63.15). The power, beauty, authority and consistency of God are summed up in the description of God’s abode provided here. The holiness and glory of the Lord are those characteristics of the creator manifested at Sinai and figuratively represented in visions received by the prophets. In the scriptural narrative God selectively revealed himself to the faithful chosen to convey the message. The embodiment of God’s glory in such figures throughout the scriptures leads to a simple question. How is the glory of God transmitted and preserved?
Paul likened the absence of knowledge of God to darkness (Romans 1.21-22). This is consistent with the writings of the prophets who alluded to spiritual darkness or lack of knowledge. Hosea wrote “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee ....
(Hosea 4.6). From this it is reasonable to conclude that the spiritual light of God is present in knowing Him. Taking this thought a step further leads to the conclusion that the glory of God, or knowledge of His ways, has to do with knowing and observing his commands. This pairing of the manifestations of God with the issuing of the Law and prophetic messages is evident within the context of the events discussed so far. A final conclusion then is that God has given a representation of Himself in the word left for those who will heed the message.The culmination of God’s revelation reaches it’s fullness in the appearance of Christ. The coming of the Messiah provides a unifying factor which validates the conclusions reached above. Noteworthy is that Christ is referred to as the “word” and in the opening of the Gospel of John the image of Christ as the word is paired with the image of light evoking the reference to the Father who sent Him. John states, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. .... In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1.1-2,4). John supplies additional evidence to support the image of darkness as a spiritual lack of understanding as he further states, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1.5). This last statement is an apt description of the rejection of Christ that led to His crucifixion and parallels Paul’s description of the pagan world in Romans (Romans 1.19-22).
John indicates that Christ possessed the characteristics of deity in His bodily form and as the word of God represented God Himself. Christ stated “...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father ....” (John 14.9). Since Christ is the word of God and ascended to His Father, the way in which one may “see” Him today is through the record left of Him. The preservation and transmission of the glory or light of God is inherent in the word itself which contains the knowledge of God.
David refers to the word of God as a light when he stated, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119.105). The pairing of light and God’s word in this passage once more reinforces the conclusions above. God’s word was delivered by inspiration through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2.10, 2 Timothy 3.16). Since the word was delivered to us from God, it is a reflection of His majesty. Christ himself can be regarded as a mirror that displayed the glory and power of God in perfection during His time on earth.
How then is the glory of God transmitted aside from the existence of the writing itself? Christ also answers this question in his descriptions of those faithful to God. Christ stated “Ye are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5.14-15). The way in which the faithful are a light, spiritually, is through the word of God. Paul states that Christians are to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom ...” (Colossians 3.16). One who is faithful to God rests on God’s word. David wrote, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119.11). David bears out that the knowledge of God is that which makes one prepared to do the will of the Lord and not be as those who “did not like to retain God in their knowledge ....” (Romans 1.28) or who were destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4.6).
Peter admonishes that if one speaks it should be as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4.11). James warns “ My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” (James 3.1). In this passage James warns against teaching falsely or darkening the message by teaching that which is false. Paul warned of the need to preserve the integrity of the scriptures given by inspiration in his letter to the Galatians when he stated, “But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1.8). The writer of Hebrews warns against a lack of knowledge of God stating, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again ...” (Hebrews 5.12). God’s word is the representation of His glory and the evidence of His eternal purpose through Christ which leads to spiritual knowledge and salvation through obedience. Why is this important?
James states that God is the Father of lights as we noted in the opening of this chapter (James 1.17). How is God the Father of lights? We have noted the pairing of visual imagery and it’s eventual tie to the word of God. James also brings these elements together in telling us how God is the Father of lights. James writes, “Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth ...” (James 1.18). One may refer to God as the Father spiritually when they are begotten by Him through individual obedience to His commands found in His word.
When one obeys the commands of God one is said to be partaker of the divine nature of the Father. John discusses this when he states, “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another ....” (1 John 1.7). John further clarifies how we walk in the light by adding, “....whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him.” (1 John 2.5). It is reasonable to conclude that one who adheres to the word in faithful service is acceptable as a child of God. Rendering flawed service by partial acceptance and faulty observance of God’s commands leads to rejection. God is truly the Father of lights to those who observe and do what He commands.