A Jot From John
Psalm 119:105
The psalmist had little scripture for his guidance and inspiration; yet he says, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Compared with our full-orbed blaze of revelation his was the twinkle of a star. Yet he found his way through life and experienced great joy in his pilgrimage.
In an old exposition it is stated that the figure here refers to a foot-lamp a crude and primitive lamp which was fastened on to the toe of the sandal and served for illumination in the darkness. If this is correct, although modern scholars seems to have no knowledge of the device, it makes our text all the more picturesque. In any case, we have a familiar illustration of our own day which fits into our text and links it with our own experience, the common lantern we swing by our side on a dark night as we walk along a country road. “Thy word is a lantern to our feet.”
Like a lantern, the Word of God reveals the pitfalls and snares that lurk under cover of darkness. On a dark night any obstacle might upset us, the projecting root of a tree, a hole, a protruding rock. We might stumble into a ditch and dislocate a limb, or step into a pool of muddy water and get badly splashed. At best we can only gripe along fearfully. But with a lantern how different! We gripe no longer. With confident step we pursue our way avoiding the menacing obstacles as one by one they appear in our pathway. “Thy word is a lantern.”
The word of God throws its circle of light about our feet. It gives light for our immediate problems. A lantern does not light up the road a mile ahead, it throws a circle of light just about our feet, and that is sufficient, advancing as we advance. By the proper use of that small circle of light we find our way home. So with God’s Word. Its light is for our immediate duties and problems. It does not light up the far-off future. That, sometimes, is our complaint in regard to it: we should like to know more about heaven, more about our departed, more about the nature of God. We often long for an authoritative word on details of future days. But the word is a lamp to our feet. If we use its light in our immediate concerns, we shall find our way, in good time, to other and bigger things, especially when they affect our character and destiny. If we take care of present duty, we can rest assured that we shall arrive in due time at the gate which leads into that city. It must have been this that a poet meant when he sang ---
Keep Thou my feet;
I do not ask to see
The distant scene:
One step enough for me.
Onward Rejoicing,
John B. Daniels, Associate Minister
