Psalm 27a - Light and Salvation
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes,
came upon me to eat up my flesh,
they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear:
though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. KJV
Light and Salvation... What could that mean?
When I was a wee lad, we sang "This little light of mine" in Sunday school. Like everything else, our understanding grows as we mature. Our understanding of God grows from "this little light" to "I am the light of the world" who said "let there be light". He is the creative power of the universe, the author of light itself.
I have been a student of light since I played with prisms and lenses as a kid. I've studied the abstract properties of light as a physicists, and the artistic properties of light as a photographer. It's a wonder of nature that the sky is such a beautiful blue, due to scattering theory, and that you can capture those shades of blue with a camera. It is a testament to God's goodness that He has created the world to be so beautiful, and that the light that He created allows us to see it. As a photographer, I take it as my task to use that light to capture the beauty of God's creation in such a way that others can appreciate it. Not everyone stops to see the intricate beauty in God's creation in both large a small things. The physicist can explain why it is the way it is, and the photographer can capture that beauty in a way that many others can appreciate it.
Personal note: I'm also more appreciative of being able to see the light, since I nearly lost that ability twice. Fortunately, modern medicine was able to repair the cataracts and diseased corneas, so I am able to see now; thanks be to God!
But what kind of light is great enough to accomplish salvation? This question got me to thinking about a book I read recently about the development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan project and the pilots who trained for the first atomic mission. When the bomb was dropped, the overwhelming impression of the crew of the Enola Gay was of overbearing and overwhelming light; A light not imagined in man's creation before that time. But that atomic explosion is but a pinprick of light compared to the light of the sun, which is but one of the smaller stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and that light is small compared to the light spoken into creation "In the beginning..." Even so, the atomic light from from that first bomb, and it's sister at Nagasaki, brought salvation to nearly a million soldiers who could have lost their lives if we had invaded the Japanese home island. How much more a salvation has been brought to mankind by the Son of God, who came and died for us that we may live. He is the one who can say, "I am the light of the world".
As always, The Sons of Korah have put together a hauntingly beautiful rendition of the first part of Psalm 27. Enjoy...
Sons of Korah, Psalm 27 part a
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