There are times when I feel like I’ve figured God out and there’s nothing left to learn, like I’ve read the Bible enough times and it can’t have anything left to offer. But then God shows a new piece of himself, and he’s so much bigger than I could ever imagine, and I feel so small. This happened again to me recently, and I see once more how I know almost nothing about God. He is so far beyond my understanding. This time when it happened it was all about the darkness of God. I was reading the introduction to Smoke on the Mountain by Joy Davidman, C.S. Lewis’ wife, and it begins with a verse from Exodus:
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
– Exodus 20:20-21
Have you ever thought about God as being in darkness? I never thought about it that much before. In traditional art, God is always depicted as light, and surrounded by light, never darkness. We were always taught that God is light.
But here it is, descriptions of darkness. As I looked further, the more I found in the Bible placing God in darkness:
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. – Psalm 97:2
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the Lord spoke. – Genesis 15:12
He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. – Psalm 18:9-12
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. – Psalm 91:1
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? - Amos 5:18-20
Why is this? How can God be light and yet surrounded by darkness? How can the day of the Lord be darkness? You will find many commentaries and theologians who try to answer this question with logic. You’ll find these reasons:
- God’s darkness is a metaphor for his wrath and judgement
- God’s darkness is meant to shield us from his full glory, which would destroy us because of our sin
- God’s darkness simply represents good and evil, where anything apart from God is darkness and sin
These explanations are fine ideas, but they’re not the whole truth, and scripture itself says otherwise to these oversimplifications of God. Let’s walk through each one:
Is God’s darkness a metaphor?
The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
– Exodus 20:21
This is not a metaphor. This is a simple historical recount of the situation. So while it can be a metaphor in some other contexts, God is simply surrounded by real, literal darkness in this example when his presence was near the Israelites. So this explanation is not a full answer.
Is God’s darkness necessary to shield us from his glory?
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14
We see here that God does not hide his glory from Christians. And in fact, Jesus goes further with this:
Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. – John 14:9
However, this claim about God’s darkness is neither completely correct or completely wrong, because we know that God’s darkness as a spiritual metaphor is indeed used to blind unbelievers from seeing his glory:
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. – 2 Corinthians 4:4
So this claim is also not the whole answer.
Is God’s light and darkness purely symbolic of good and evil?
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. – Psalm 5:4
The darkness of God is not simply symbolic of evil, because he does not wrap himself in wickedness. Evil may not dwell with him.
What does this all mean?
It seems as though God’s darkness can be a metaphor sometimes, a literal and physical darkness other times, and symbolic of morality other times. So what? How do we know what it really is, and why does it seem like there’s conflicting reasons?
The answer to this question is, ultimately, quite simple. I can imagine Jesus giving us the same answer he gave when someone asked about marriage after the resurrection:
Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” – Matthew 22:29
When we ask what the specific nature of God’s darkness is, we are in error because we do not know the full power of God. If God dwells in darkness, doesn’t that mean all of our images of him are wrong? Doesn’t that mean that God is capable of being so much more than we ever imagined? Doesn’t that mean that we have sinned and broken the second commandment by believing that we’ve created accurate illustrations of God’s nature?
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. – Exodus 20:4
If the whole point of this post can be summed up in a single statement, it’s that I have been greatly humbled by seeing scripture depicting the darkness of God. I realize that I know almost nothing about the true nature of the almighty God, and the only way to know him more is through the glory of Jesus indwelling in us as Christians.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6
God is so much bigger than anything we could possibly imagine. I can confidently say that I don’t know the answer to what God’s darkness really is, and we should be careful with oversimplified explanations of his nature.
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. – Isaiah 45:7
I hope that after reading these passages from scripture, he’s gotten a lot bigger for you, too. At the very least, God’s darkness is good.
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. – Psalm 63:1-8
Dave Aldon 