Clouds and Thick Darkness
10/11 Reading Portions: 1 Kings 14; Colossians 1; Ezekiel 44; Psalms 97-98
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10/11 Reading Portions: 1 Kings 14; Colossians 1; Ezekiel 44; Psalms 97-98
Psalm 97:2
Clouds and thick darkness are all around Him;
OBSCURITY
Clouds are often emblems of obscurity, while darkness often represents distress. Yet this is how the YHVH God appeared several times before the children of Israel (Ex 14:20, et al). The truths of God’s holy character and the blessings of His gospel are obscure and distressing to rebellious, unclean, and fallen souls. This truth is expressive of God’s grace, as the clouds part just a little and are disbursed by rays of sunlight cast down to earth; and by this illustration we see how our heavenly Father reveals to us His only Son, Christ Jesus, while giving us glimpses of His character: His love, His power, His majesty, etc.; and then Christ calls us…
…out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
Moreover, the clouds and thick darkness surrounding Him is a merciful and protective truth. For who among us can look directly into sun? How then could we possibly look directly into the full glory of almighty God, our Savior and ascended Lord, without being utterly consumed? Indeed, for even the…
…mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. Psalm 97:5
Finally, the clouds and thick darkness surrounding our holy God is a maturing, provoking, and sanctifying truth. The Hebrew Scriptures tell us that it…
…is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. Proverbs 25:2
Every day that we rise from sleep is a blessed opportunity to see with eyes of faith the concealed glory of God in clouds and thick darkness, to surrender each morning to Him, to search out His word as kings and priests in Christ’s kingdom and ask our blessed Potentate to reveal to us the wonderful light of His precious Son. Hallelujah! What a glorious Savior!
In love and mercy God obscures
His glory we can’t touch;
But as we grow, we search His truth,
And by grace, we see much.