Compelling Love

Proverbs 4:18 (NIV) beautifully describes a walk with God in ever greater light: “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”  There is a recurring theme in the Bible of light breaking forth in the minds and hearts of people who turn to God.

He declares in Jeremiah 29:13, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Dawn is a time of day when certain key events occurred in the Bible, such as in Matthew 28 where the two Marys came to see the tomb “as the first day of the week began to dawn.”  Dawn was also a favorite time of David’s for singing and giving praise to God to usher in the new day.  He declares in Psalm 46:8, “I will awaken the dawn”, and then exalts God above the heavens, and prays that His glory will be over all the earth:

Psalm 46 (NKJV)⁷
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
⁸ Awake, my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
¹⁰ For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.

The light of dawn is also used metaphorically to describe the dawning of the light of truth in people’s lives.  Isaiah 58 speaks of light breaking forth in our lives and blessing others as we receive God’s love, and express His love to them.  To people who consistently show compassion and love, God declares, “your light shall break forth like the morning” and “the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”  To those extending help and love to the hungry and afflicted, He says, “your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.”

Isaiah 58 (NKJV)
⁶ “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
¹⁰ If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Regarding people who lived in the region of Israel called “the Galilee of the nations” (or “the Galilee of the Gentiles”), Isaiah 9:2 (NIV) declares,

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”  Though spoken in the past tense, it was also a future hope that was specifically fulfilled when Jesus began his ministry in this region, as recorded in Matthew 4:

Matthew 4 (NKJV)
¹² Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
¹⁶ The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Randy Alcorn writes, “On a long dark night, the appearance of the morning star means daybreak is imminent. In the long dark night of suffering on earth, Jesus being seen as the morning star means the eternal morning is about to dawn. Hence, Christ as the morning star is a picture of great promise and hope.” (https://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Mar/29/jesus-venus-and-morning-star)  By believing in the authority of the Bible as God’s Word, and especially believing what it says about Jesus, we are prepared to receive the light of Christ as the “morning star” in our hearts (2 Peter 1:19).

2 Peter 1 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹ And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The risen Lord refers to Himself as the “Morning Star” in Revelation 22:16: “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”  As the Son of God who was with the Father before the Creation of the world (John 1:1,14), Jesus Christ is the Root of David.  In the Incarnation, He was also the descendant of David.  He is the Bright and Morning Star in the hearts of all who believe in Him.

In Psalm 17:15 (NASB), David describes awakening to behold God’s face in righteousness:  “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”  There is no better way to “awaken the dawn”.

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, 3/17/2018, https://compellinglove.net/ 

Photo credits:
impactprayerministry.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/proverbs-4-18.jpg
thebottomofabottle.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/isaiah-58-8-9.jpg
mysheepknow.me/promises-of-god-in-the-bible/a-light-has-dawned/
lifeamongothertings.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/bible-verses-that-inspire-me/
blogtalkradio.com/iamprayers/2018/01/22/jesus-christ-is-our-morning-glory