The Bible as Literature - God is the Light

God is the Light

01/30/25 • 36 min

Evil always dresses in a garment of light. It hides in plain sight. It smiles. It’s friendly. It’s comforting. It’s dishonest. It appears as something it’s not.

Take, for example, that seemingly innocuous campfire song all your children have been taught to sing at your silly church camps: “This Little Light of Mine.” Like a mother who possesses children; like a tribe that possesses land; like those who refuse to let go of what God destroys—or worse, those who wickedly imagine they can compensate for God’s will by loving their neighbor—like a spoiled child clamoring for a toy.

Yes, this little hymn of the Antichrist twists the teaching of the Gospel of Luke into a fascist anthem that leads, at worst, to genocide—and at best, to a mind-numbing theology of the cult of self: the worship of money, human reason, community, and ultimately, state power.

“This little light of mine?”

Are you kidding me? Do you really think the place men dared not tread is now yours to share? Do you know what you’re talking about? Do you really believe the light upon which Moses dared not gaze is yours to adorn with coverings, like a pet?

Think. No—do not think. Hear.

To what did Luke refer in chapter 8 when he said lampstand? Container? Cover? What do any of these things have to do with you and your church camps?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:16.

Show Notes

ἅπτω / נ-ג-ע (nun-gimel-ʿayin ) / ن-ج-ع (nūn-jīm-ʿayn )

Greek: to set on fire. Hebrew: to touch, strike violently, reach, or afflict. The Arabic cognate نَجَعٌ (najaʿ) refers to 1. the effect of the action, 2. being effective, or 3. having an impact or benefit—for example, a statement or teaching; in modern usage, a medicine. In a nomadic context, it signifies the departure or migration of people or animals in search of pasture or sustenance.

λύχνος / נ-ר (nun-resh ) / ن-و-ر (nūn-wāw-rāʾ )

Light, lamp. The Arabic cognate نُور (nūr) functions as “light” or “illumination.”

καλύπτω / כ-ס-ה (kaf-samek-he ) / ك-س-ى (kāf-sīn-yāʾ )

Cover, conceal, clothe, drape, forgive. The Arabic verb كَسَا (kasā) means “to clothe” or “to cover.” Its triliteral root is ك-س-و (kāf-sīn-wāw). كسوة الكعبة (kiswat al-ka'bah) denotes the cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca.

σκεῦος / כ-ל-י (kaf-lamed-yod ) / ك-ي-ل (kāf-yāʾ-lām )

Vessel, implement, tool. The Arabic word كيل (kayl) refers to a measure of grain. It denotes measuring, weighing, or apportioning something in quantities. The root is also related to the Hebrew function כול (kul), which can function as comprehending, containing, or measuring. In Arabic كُلّ (kulu) indicates all.

κλίνη / מ-ט-ה (mem-ṭet-he ) / م-ط-ط (mīm-ṭāʾ-ṭāʾ )

Couch, bed, to incline, stretch downward, extend. The Arabic مَطَّ (maṭṭa) "to stretch" or "extend" shares a common Proto-Semitic root (m-ṭ-) with Hebrew:

Hebrew מ-ט-ה (m-ṭ-h);Arabic م-ط-ط (m-ṭ-ṭ); Aramaic מטא (mṭʾ); Akkadian (maṭû)

λυχνία / מ-נ-ר (mem-nun-resh ) / ن-و-ر (nūn-wāw-rāʾ )

Lampstand, light, menorah. The Arabic cognate of מְנוֹרָה (menorah) is منارة (manārah), which means candlestick, lighthouse, or minaret (the tower of a mosque), the lighthouse from which the call to hear scripture is announced to all. The triliteral root in Arabic pertains to light, illumination, or shining.

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
(allāhu nūru as-samāwāti wa-al-arḍi)
”"God is the light of the heavens and the earth.”
(Surah An-Nur 24:35) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Evil always dresses in a garment of light. It hides in plain sight. It smiles. It’s friendly. It’s comforting. It’s dishonest. It appears as something it’s not.

“This little light of mine?”

Think. No—do not think. Hear.

To what did Luke refer in chapter 8 when he said lampstand? Container? Cover? What do any of these things have to do with you and your church camps?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:16.

Show Notes

ἅπτω / נ-ג-ע (nun-gimel-ʿayin ) / ن-ج-ع (nūn-jīm-ʿayn )

λύχνος / נ-ר (nun-resh ) / ن-و-ر (nūn-wāw-rāʾ )

Light, lamp. The Arabic cognate نُور (nūr) functions as “light” or “illumination.”

καλύπτω / כ-ס-ה (kaf-samek-he ) / ك-س-ى (kāf-sīn-yāʾ )

σκεῦος / כ-ל-י (kaf-lamed-yod ) / ك-ي-ل (kāf-yāʾ-lām )

κλίνη / מ-ט-ה (mem-ṭet-he ) / م-ط-ط (mīm-ṭāʾ-ṭāʾ )

Couch, bed, to incline, stretch downward, extend. The Arabic مَطَّ (maṭṭa) "to stretch" or "extend" shares a common Proto-Semitic root (m-ṭ-) with Hebrew:

Hebrew מ-ט-ה (m-ṭ-h);Arabic م-ط-ط (m-ṭ-ṭ); Aramaic מטא (mṭʾ); Akkadian (maṭû)

λυχνία / מ-נ-ר (mem-nun-resh ) / ن-و-ر (nūn-wāw-rāʾ )

Previous Episode

God Is Not Shy

It has taken some time to understand what the Parable of the Sower meant when it introduced the function “soil” in its critique of human beings’ betrayal of God’s covenant with Abraham. Still, by the time the New Testament was written, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all found it necessary to clarify that the position of the one being judged was separate from the station of the one Judge.

In the end, the nuance of “seed” as covenant unto instruction vs. seed as offspring and the distinction between “holy seed” and “rebellious seed” were not clear enough for those who, like the Caesars, sought to enthrone themselves as gods by making the Bible a historical narrative about their community.

Long before the Qur’an split the function zera’ into two distinct Semitic roots, the New Testament introduced the function “soil” opposite the covenantal seed of Abraham to demonstrate how God’s instruction operates as the sole Judge of his offspring, who, like Job, are found wallowing in the dark midnight of their self-righteous fate, powerless before him, left only with only “with ears to hear” his voice and the opportunity to submit to him, or not.

That is why Jesus is explicit and open. There are no secrets or mysteries. The seed is the word of God, and the mystery is his judgment, which, the prophet Daniel taught us, is beyond man’s grasp.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:9-15.

Show Notes

μυστήριον (mystērion ) / ר-ז-ז (resh-zayin-zayin )

The term רָז (raz) is an Aramaic word that means “mystery” or “secret.”

“The king answered unto Daniel, and said, of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.” (Daniel 2:47)

The name “Daniel' comes from דָּן (dan), meaning 'judge,” and אֵל (el), which refers to “God.”

קוֹדֶר (qoder ) / قَدْر (qadr )

In biblical Hebrew, קוֹדֶר (qoder) can mean “dark” or “gloomy.” (Job 30:28) In Arabic, the phrase ليلة القدر (laylat al-qadr) refers to “The Night of Decree,” “The Night of Power,” or " The Night of Fate,” during which the prophet received the Word of God.

As an extension of judgment, qadr can also refer to value, worth, extent, amount, volume, or rank:

له قدر كبير (lahu qadr kabīr) “he is highly esteemed.”
قدر الماء (qadr al-māʼ ) “amount of water”

παραβολή (parabolē ) / מ-ש-ל (mem-shin-lamed) / م-ث-ل (meem-tha-lam )

In Arabic, the word مَثَل (mathal, plural: أمثال amthāl) is equivalent to the Hebrew מַשָּׁל (mashal).

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَا
(inna allāha lā yastaḥyī an yaḍriba mathalan mā)
”Indeed, God is not shy to present a parable (mashal)”
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:26) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Next Episode

May God Cover Us

Most people, when they hear the story of Josiah and his priest rummaging through the rubble of the temple in Jerusalem and stumbling upon a scroll, fall prey to the hope that Josiah was a reformer. That he picked up the scroll, looked upon those who came before him, and thought: I can do it better. I can get it right this time.

But that's the trap. That's the mistake. That's the arrogance--not just of Josiah, but of the one hearing the story.

Had he only watched Star Trek.

Had he seen what happens, over and over again, to the guy in the red shirt--the one who beams down to the planet with Kirk and Spock. The one standing there, amid ruins, staring at some mysterious artifact.

Why is the planet in ruins? Where have all the people gone?

What is this strange artifact?

And just before the guy in the red shirt meets his inevitable doom, the real question emerges:

Why did they keep it buried?

Why were they afraid of it?

More importantly, why am I holding this thing in my hands?

Perhaps instead of uncovering it, Josiah should be praying for cover--in the wilderness.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:17.

Show Notes

κρυπτός / א-ט-ם (aleph-tet-mem ) / أ-ط-م (ʾalif-ṭāʾ-mīm )

“To seal,” “to block,” or “to close securely.” In Arabic, أَطْمَ (ʾaṭma) can indicate “a strong building” or “fortification,” although this root is not as commonly used in contemporary Arabic.

"And there were shuttered windows (אֲטֻמוֹת, ʾăṭumōt) looking toward the guardrooms, and toward their side pillars within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. And there were windows all around inside; and on each side pillar were palm tree decorations." (Ezekiel 40:16)"There were latticed windows (אֲטֻמוֹת, ʾăṭumōt) and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the porch; thus were the side chambers of the house and the thresholds." (Ezekiel 41:26)

φανερός / ב-ח-ן (bet-ḥet-nun ) / م-ح-ن (mīm-ḥāʾ-nūn )

“Examining,” “testing,” or “distinguishing.” This root appears in various Semitic languages with similar meanings:

Aramaic: בְּחַן (bǝḥan) – to test, try.
Syriac: ܒܚܢ (bḥan) – to test, examine.
Arabic: مَحَنَ (maḥana) – to probe, examine, or test a student.

“Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, so that your words may be tested (יִבָּחֵנוּ, yibbāḥēnû) whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, you are certainly spies!” (Genesis 42:16)

The name of the surah, al-Mumtaḥanah, sometimes rendered “She who is to be tested,” refers to the believing women tested in 60:10, the only occurrence of م-ح-ن in the Qur’an, as the term اِمْتَحَنَ (imtaḥana) as the imperative فَامْتَحِنُوهُنَّ ( fa-imtaḥinūhunna“test them!”). In Classical Arabic, م‐ح‐ن conveys “to test,” “to try,” “to examine,” or “to subject someone to a trial or hardship.” The noun مِحْنَة (miḥnah) means “trial,” “ordeal,” or “affliction.”

ἀπόκρυφος / ס-ת-ר (samek-taw-resh) / س-ت-ر (sīn-tāʾ-rāʾ )

Hiding, concealing, covering, or sheltering. The Arabic noun سِتْرًا (sitran) means a covering, a veil, or protection.

لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًا
(lam najʿal lahum min dūnihā sitran)
“...We had not provided for them any cover (سِتْرًا) from it (the sun).”
Sūrat al-Kahf (18:90) الله يستر (allāhu yastur) literally means “God conceals” or “God covers.” In everyday usage, Arabic speakers often say it as an exclamation along the lines of “May God protect us!” or “God help us!” A prayer for protection or guidance in hardship, asking that God will hide something undesirable from public view, such as a fault or mistake, and that he will cover sins. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★