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◄ Righteous: Lights►

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In the biblical context, the concept of "righteous lights" is often associated with the imagery of light as a symbol of righteousness, purity, and divine presence. The Bible frequently uses light to represent the moral and spiritual illumination that comes from God, contrasting it with the darkness of sin and ignorance.

Biblical Imagery of Light

The imagery of light is prevalent throughout the Scriptures, beginning with the creation narrative. InGenesis 1:3-4 , God declares, "Let there be light," and separates the light from the darkness, establishing a foundational metaphor for divine order and goodness. Light, in this sense, is the first act of creation, symbolizing God's sovereign power and the inherent goodness of His creation.

Righteousness and Light

The association between righteousness and light is further developed in the wisdom literature and prophetic writings.Proverbs 4:18 states, "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday." Here, the path of the righteous is likened to the increasing brightness of dawn, suggesting a journey of growing understanding and moral clarity.

In the Psalms, light is often used to describe God's guidance and protection.Psalm 27:1 declares, "The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?" This verse emphasizes the protective and salvific nature of God's light, which dispels fear and provides security to the believer.

Prophetic and Messianic Light

The prophets also speak of light in the context of messianic hope and divine intervention.Isaiah 60:1 proclaims, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you." This passage anticipates a time when God's glory will be fully revealed, bringing light to the nations and establishing His righteous reign.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is identified as the ultimate fulfillment of this prophetic light.John 8:12 records Jesus saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus embodies the divine light, offering spiritual illumination and eternal life to those who follow Him.

The Church as Light

The role of believers as bearers of light is emphasized in the teachings of Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, He instructs His followers, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:14). This metaphor underscores the responsibility of Christians to reflect God's righteousness and truth in a world overshadowed by sin.

The apostle Paul echoes this theme inEphesians 5:8 , urging believers, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." This exhortation calls Christians to live in a manner consistent with their identity as recipients of divine light, manifesting righteousness in their conduct.

Eschatological Light

The culmination of the biblical theme of light is found in the eschatological vision of the New Jerusalem.Revelation 21:23 describes the city as having "no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." In this ultimate expression of divine presence, God's righteousness illuminates the eternal dwelling place of His people, eradicating all darkness and fulfilling the promise of everlasting light.

In summary, the concept of "righteous lights" in the Bible encompasses the divine illumination that characterizes God's nature, the moral clarity imparted to the righteous, and the transformative role of believers as reflectors of God's light in the world.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
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Philippians 2:15
That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world;
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Library

How no one isRighteous or Can Truly be Said to Live in Comparison...
... How No One isRighteous or Can Truly Be Said to Live in Comparison with God... a
commandment impossible of fulfilment, as if he had bidden thoselights which have...

Death of theRighteous.
... 3 Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears, Wherelights and shades alternate dwell;
How... While heaven and earth combine to say, "How blessed therighteous when he...

Oration on the HolyLights.
... For the Holy Day of theLights, to which we have come, and which we... infirmities and
bare our sicknesses; [4000] Who came not to call therighteous but sinners...

The Many-Sided Contrast of Wisdom and Folly
... whole, we have a set of miscellaneous aphorisms turning on the great contrast, and
setting in variouslights the characters and fates of therighteous and the...

Revelation of John.
... 2603] so shall it be with therighteous and the sinners; for therighteous shall
shine aslights and as the sun, but the sinners shall stand in darkness....

In the Work of the Redemption of Man, not Only the Mercy, but Also...
... save me I? And I am not afraid of being rejected by the Father oflights when I... He
who had mercy on the sinner will not condemn therighteous; I mean that I am...

An Exhortation to virtue -- and Particularly Upon the Passage...
... a twofold table, [1367] by spreading out the sea and the land at the same time;
by kindling above the twofoldlights, the sun... But not such is therighteous man...

Assurance of Salvation.
... Now God has given uslights or landmarks to tell us whether we are His... if any man
sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ therighteous." He is...

Psalm CXXIX.
... ought not to make the sun either; for many contend concerning thelights of their...
7. "Therighteous Lord shall hew the necks of the sinners" (ver.4)....Which...

Jacob --Israel --Jeshurun
... the life, and discerning the inmost and true self of His children, and knowing that
it will conquer, calls us 'righteous ones,' even... 'Ye are thelights of the...