are my lamp
The metaphor "are my lamp" signifies guidance, clarity, and hope. In ancient times, lamps were essential for navigating the darkness, symbolizing God's role in providing direction and understanding. The Hebrew word for lamp, "נֵר" (ner), often represents God's word and presence as a source of illumination in the believer's life. This imagery is consistent with other scriptural references, such as Psalm 119:105, where God's word is described as a lamp to the feet. It underscores the belief that God dispels confusion and provides wisdom.

the LORD lights up
The phrase "the LORD lights up" conveys an active, ongoing action of God bringing light into one's life. The Hebrew verb "יָגִיהַּ" (yagiah) implies causing to shine or illuminate. This action is not passive; it is God actively intervening to bring enlightenment and understanding. Historically, this reflects the divine intervention experienced by David throughout his life, where God consistently provided deliverance and insight.

my darkness
"my darkness" refers to the personal struggles, uncertainties, and adversities faced by the believer. In Hebrew, "חֹשֶׁךְ" (choshech) denotes obscurity, distress, or ignorance. This darkness can be both external, such as enemies or trials, and internal, such as fear or doubt. Theologically, it represents the fallen state of the world and the human condition without God's presence. David's acknowledgment of his darkness highlights the universal need for divine light and the transformative power of God's presence to overcome spiritual and moral darkness.

"For thou, Jehovah, art my Lamp;
And Jehovah will make my darkness light.
For by thee do I run upon a troop;
In my God I leap over a wall.
God - his way is perfect;
The word of Jehovah is purified.
He is a Shield to all that trust in him." Lamp. The lamp burning in the house is the proof of life and activity present there; and thus the extinguishing of the lamp means ruin and desolation (Job 21:17). So David is called "the lamp of Israel" (2 Samuel 21:17), because the active life of the nation centred in him. In a still higher sense the life and being of his people centres in God, and without him the soul is waste and void, like the universe before God said, "Let there be light." I run. To the warrior in old time speed was as important as strength, and thus Homer constantly calls Achilles "fleet of foot." It was his fleetness which gave Asahel a high place among the mighties (2 Samuel 2:18), and to this quality David now refers. The troop signifies a light armed band of marauders, whom with God's aid David could overtake, and stop in their course of rapine. The wall means fortifications like those of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7). Sieges were tedious affairs in old time, but David had captured that city with a rapidity so great that the metaphor in the text is most appropriate. Purified; or, refined. This does not mean that it is proved by experience and found true, but that it is absolutely good and perfect like refined gold (see Psalm 12:6).

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