This morning our text is found in the second book of Samuel, chapter 22 and verse 29. The second book of Samuel, chapter 22 and verse 29. Thou art my lamp, O Lord, and the Lord will lighten my darkness. Now this psalm appears to have been composed after the Lord delivered David from King Saul and from his enemies at that time. So it appears in what seems to be its original form in The psalm book in Psalm 18 is one of those few psalms that are repeated in the word of God, so we have two records of the psalm. But if it was written on the day when Saul was overthrown and David's enemies were destroyed, it seems to have appeared in another form, the form which we have here, at the end of David's life, as he looks back and sees how all his enemies have been overthrown, like King Saul, and how great his debt to God, who has brought him through tremendous difficulties and brought him safely to the end of his life, Certainly, this is among his last sayings, a slightly different form of the psalm, but it precedes his death. Because in chapter 23, we read, these be the last words of David. If we look back at the psalm itself, you'll see that it has three parts to it. There is, first of all, in the three verses that begin this chapter, there is what belongs to the present, and David looks upon God as his rock, his fortress, his deliverer, and so on. And then he looks back to the past in the verses which follow from four right down towards the midst of the chapter when he thinks of the great distress he was in and at that time he called to the Lord and the Lord wonderfully saved him. And then at the end of the psalm, he looks to the future, and in the future he is full of hope. He speaks in verse 45, for example, strangers shall submit themselves to me. As soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me. Strangers shall fade away. They shall be afraid out of their close places. The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock. So it's a question of the present. God is to him everything that he describes here. The past, he saved him from great straits, great crises. The future, God will prosper him still. and give him good success on every side. There's one verse in the midst of the psalm here which contains just simple truth, but I really felt moved to take it this morning. It's the 29th verse of 2 Samuel 22. Thou art my lamp, O Lord, and the Lord will lighten my darkness. I want to look at it under three heads. The first, God, and what the verse teaches us of God. Secondly, the lost, and how God can make a difference to them. And thirdly, the saved, and how God can also come in for them. Thou art my lamp, O Lord, and the Lord will lighten my darkness. First of all, God is referred to here as a lamp. And scripture refers again and again to what we call the Shekinah, the glory of the Lord. And in Old Testament times, that was actually seen on a number of occasions, the visible brightness which was God manifest to men. You remember the children of Israel saw something of that Shekinah glory, and it's referred to By God, in Exodus 16, 7, in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord. See, something visible, the glory of the Lord, some wonderful manifestation of his presence. That glory was Later seen in the tabernacle when it was finished, the glory of the Lord filled the place. In a later age, in the age of Solomon, it was seen again, the light of God's presence in the temple which Solomon had built and He dedicated it to God and in 1 Kings chapter 8 and verses 10 and 11 we read, and it came to pass when the priests were come out of the holy place that the cloud filled the house of God. That's the cloud of his glory. Here it's described as a lamp, and it obviously is meant to indicate the manifest presence of God, the visible display of God's presence. It's not the only place, of course, where God is likened to a lamp. We know that he's likened to light so often in the Psalms. The Lord is my light and my salvation. But there are instances where he, as here, is likened to a lamp. In Genesis chapter 15, when God renewed his covenant with Abraham, In verse 17 of chapter 15, it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. It was God establishing his covenant with Abraham and appearing as the covenant God. It's a metaphor that continues into the New Testament. We read that our Lord himself is likened to light. He's likened to the dawning of the day. He's likened to the light of the world. The light that shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not. So here in 2 Samuel 22, thou art my lamp, O Lord. The God who is, the God who reveals himself, the God who is near, thou art my lamp. So what does that tell us in the first place about God? I think it tells us that he is a glorious God. The light speaks of that which is glorious. And God is glorious. In the book of Job, we read in verse 11 of chapter 13, shall not his excellency make you afraid? That's the glory of God. his excellence, which is greater than any other being. He is glorious in himself, but he's also glorious in his nature, because he has not the nature of the beast or the nature of a man, but the nature of God. He is pure spirit. glorious in that respect. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. He's glorious in his sovereignty. He is over everything, over this world and all worlds. He sways his scepter over it. He does his will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. Glorious in his sovereignty. He's glorious in his fullness. He has a fullness of good. Common good for the whole world, but special good for his people. And we know that The Apostle tells us in Ephesians 1 that he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. What a fullness. That he can bless us with everything we need, everything that he's promised. Not only us, but all his people. Glorious fullness. And he has a glorious eternity. Moses says, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. None is so glorious as he. So our God is a glorious God and the only way visibly to express that truth is for light to appear. And as we are dazzled and overcome by the light, so we realize how great is the excellency and the beauty of God himself. He is a lamp, a light, a wonderful light in this world. But he is a lamp as far as his holiness is concerned. Light is an indicator in scripture of that which is pure. And we know that God is pure, of purer eyes than to behold evil, and he cannot look upon sin. He's light. In a world of sin and darkness, God is light. The Apostle John takes this up in his first letter, in his first chapter of that, where he says God is light. And he goes on and says, and there's no darkness in him at all. Glorious, yes, holy, evidently. And there is nothing so pleasant as our God, a glorious God, who is as pure as the light can be, and has no contact with darkness. There's something very pleasant about the light. In the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 11, and verse seven, the preacher says that truly the light is sweet. And it is a very pleasant thing to behold the sun. How pleasant to see the sunshine, to see the light coming over the earth and creating the beauty of the world which is all around us. Thomas Brooks, in one of his sermons, tells of the northern nations some of which are denied the light of the sun for many, many months. But when the light of the sun approaches again, these people climb up into the highest mountain after months of darkness to catch the first glimpse of the light. Truly, the light is sweet. And it is a very pleasant thing to behold the sun. The sight of God is truly wonderful. The awareness that God is drawing near, that's so precious. To know of a surety that God is at hand, that is all we could ever ask for. Now how is it that God manifests his presence? There are several ways God does that. He shows that he is present with his word. The entrance of thy word giveth light. Sometimes God speaks to us through his word, brings before us some great truth or some promise upon which we can hope And it's a light, a shaft of light in our darkness. It's God showing that he's with us, especially through his word. Sometimes it's by his spirit. The spirit of God can appear for us and come to us with great comfort and with great strength. And that is like the rising of light upon us. It's interesting that in the book of Revelation, chapter four and verse five, we read this, and there were seven lamps of fire before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Not that there are seven spirits, but it means the fullness of the spirit. there at the throne of God. And when the Spirit ministers to us, teaches us something which gives us grander hope, teaches us something which rejoices our hearts, it's as if the light shines upon us by the Spirit. Of course, in the Word and by the Spirit, we see something of the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So, David, as here, thou art my lamp, O Lord. The light is further a symbol of God's favor and God's kindness toward us. I thought as I considered these things, that verse in the fourth psalm, there be many which say, who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. What that means is show us thy grace. Thy gracious presence, show thyself to us not in clouds of darkness, not in tokens of anger. Lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. Then thou shalt put gladness in my heart, and I will lay me down in peace. It's a symbol of the favor of God. The love of God is like light, coming to relieve us, coming to comfort us, coming to assure us. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. So thou art my lamp, O Lord, means thou hast within thyself such love as cheers me when I am cast down. And the light penetrates, doesn't it? The light gets through the darkness. And so God, in his favor toward us and in his blessing, He penetrates straight to our hearts. And he gives us to know the influences, his gracious influences, and his great kindness. And that lifts us up. Just as after dark, cold, rainy days, we're suddenly given a day when the sun rises shines so beautifully, and it gets through to us. The light seems to revive our spirits. So it is with the light of God. It comforts us. Thou art my lamp, O Lord. It's wonderful before we leave this point, isn't it, that walking in the light in 1 John 1 and elsewhere, is walking in fellowship with God in the light of his countenance. And so the idea here is not only that God will show favor towards us and God will permeate our very hearts with his loving kindness, but thereby we shall have communion with God. We will be able to share God in our hearts, partake of him, and we shall be blessed through him. Paul speaks of us in Ephesians 5 as being light in the Lord. Light in the Lord. In the fellowship of God, we know his light. So what a blessing, friends, to have a glorious God at hand One who thinks no evil, does no evil, who is the Holy One of Israel. Such a blessing to us, such a pleasant thing to know that He's near and that He shines grace upon us through the Word and by the Spirit. He gives us to know of His goodness. in our hearts as well as in our lives, and thus we walk with God and commune with God. Thou art my lamp, O Lord. I walk in thy light, and I walk because thou art with me every step of the way. God and I walk together. I hold onto him, my lamp, together. So it tells us something of what God is like. Let me go secondly, and perhaps briefly, to what God is like to the lost. David says here, thou art my lamp, O Lord. He indicates that his state is a state of grace, that he's in a place of blessing. He's found the lamp, my lamp. And so it is with every lost sinner that they can find the lamp too and make this God their God. What is it then to be without the lamp? Well, how dark. life is without him. Do you remember in the New Testament, how in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 16, the people are described in this way, the people which sat in darkness and they that sat in the region of the shadow of death. what it is to sit in darkness, to be without God, not bearing the lamp, not having the lamp. In that state, we are poor and needy. Secondly, to be without the lamp is to have no sense of Direction. Israel without the pillar of fire which went before them. Another confirming symbol of God. They wouldn't have known the way to go. They could easily have become totally lost in the wilderness, but God appeared and he gave them direction. For us to be without the lamp is to wander in the darkness, not knowing why we're here, not knowing where we're going, not knowing the right path to take without the lamp. To be without the lamp is not to know the things that really matter because we can't discern them. We can't perceive them. Scripture speaks, whatsoever makes manifest is light. And the light of God's presence, when it comes into our lives, it shows us where we are to go, how we are to follow him. The lamp goes before us. To be without the lamp is not to have any comfort in life. It's to be in this world without hope. And to be without the lamp is to have no cheer in this world or the next. It's to be in darkness. But, says David, thou art my lamp, That's what the lost must do, they must thank God. It's a bit like when you're in your house and suddenly there's a power cut and all the lights go off and then there's reasonable panic and you say, where did I put the torch? Or perhaps even, where did I put the candles? And we're looking about furiously, the darkness impresses upon us, the need for light, the plight of man in this world, in the dark, without guidance, not knowing the things of God, without comfort, without joy. That darkness impresses upon us that we must find the lamp. We must look for it, we must seek for it, we must search for God in the way of his word. If ye seek me with all your heart, ye shall surely find me. Find the lamp! When you seek after God in his appointed way, when you turn to him in prayer, when you begin to read his word, when he is the one thing needful to you, then before long you will find him. and he will be to you a light. And in that light of life, you'll walk till traveling days are done. Oh, my friend, is this God yours? Have you sought him truly as a sinner in need of him? and of his blessing. Have you sought him and can you say to me, this morning I found him. He is the light of my life. All my glory. The Lord is my lamp. Thou art my lamp, O Lord. And poor lost sinners, who are in darkness can find the light because he's not far from any one of us. The lamp is at hand. Therefore seek him in his own appointed way. Take him as your God. Take him as the one who loves you, the one who died for you, the son, and the one who can be your everlasting comfort, the spirit. And do not rest until you can say, the Lord is my lamp. Thou art my lamp, O Lord. So what, thirdly and finally, about the saved? David goes on, and the Lord will lighten my darkness. But I thought he had the lamp. Yes he did, but that's not to say that times of darkness will not come over him. Days of darkness still come o'er me. Sorrow's paths I often tread. But the Savior still is with me. By his light I'm safely led. The Lord will lighten my darkness. Maybe we fall into a state of sin. Maybe we are overtaken with doubt. Maybe there's great trouble in our hearts and in our lives. Darkness encroaches upon us. But David says here, the Lord will lighten my darkness. If I have the lamp, however near and dense is the darkness, Before long, he will effect a change. He will make the darkness light before him. He will bring comfort to my troubled soul. He will soon make himself known and felt. And grant me such grace that it will be as if a new day has begun. And it's God who will do that. It's God that makes the difference. Darkness covers me, but thou art my lamp, O Lord. I'm not like I was before I was converted. When the thick darkness prevailed against me then, I had no lamp. So what an awful state to be without God and without hope in this world. It's not like that now. Yes, the darkness deepens, and the shadows lengthen, but I have the lamp. And at such times, the lamp shines the brighter, so that even in the darkness, in the evening time, it shall be light. And God makes himself known, and God undertakes for us, and God helps us. And the lamp burns so brightly. He makes the difference. God always makes the difference. And he changes my darkness into light. It's always been that way, and I think it'll be that way in the end. When I draw near to the end of life, something will radiate the dark valley. It is God. Someone after darkness will bring light. It's God. And God stays with me as my lamp, the final stage of life's journey. And the valley of the shadow of death is no shadow if God be with me. He will be my guide even unto death. And in fact, at the end, the lamp will shine brighter than ever. Because sometime at the end, time gives way to eternity. And God is all the glory in the kingdom of heaven. And we shall dwell in his presence. We shall be forever with him, so long as life and immortality shall last. And we shall join the saints of God in light. and we shall have the inheritance of the saints in life, and God will be all in all to us in glory. It's God who makes it glory. Happy that man then, who in the midst of earth's darkness can say, but thou art my lamp, O Lord. And then as the darkness of death approaches, who can say, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thou art my lamp, O Lord. And then in eternity, to gaze upon the glory of God, the wonder of his being, and to say with tremendous joy and peace, in the presence of this God, thou art my lamp. And thou wilt keep me in the light forever. And thou wilt never allow my life to go out in dark. Lay hold of the lamp. Hold fast to the lamp. Carry the lamp wherever you go. And you will never fail. Amen.