Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105 NIV
A Lamp
During the first period of Canadian history, which ended in about 1780, fats and oils from animal and vegetable sources were used with various types of wicking to provide light. In some cases, dried whole animals or fish fastened to a stick served as torches; for example, in BC, oily smelts, popularly known as candlefish, were used in this manner. The earliest lamps were simple covered or uncovered saucers with a wick lying along the bottom and extending to the rim.
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I was speaking with a Kenyan friend of mine a while back and asking him what they used in his village before electricity arrived. He showed me online the paraffin lamp that was used. He told me that they actually gave off quite a bit of light. Light has always been important to human beings. We prefer to live in the light, and at night, when there is light there is safety. Whoever decided to put a flashlight on every cell phone did everyone a great service! If this is the case in a physical sense, it is even more so when it comes to the spiritual. King David lived in a world where light at night came from lamps often fueled by olive oil. At night people would carry the lamps with them so they could see where they were going. In Psalm 119:105 he writes, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” David used this analogy to speak about God’s word, which guided him through the spiritual darkness of his day. It will lead us in our day, too. Allow God’s word to light your way today.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley