The dense darkness of financial, family, relationship and other issues can often envelop us. At such times we are haunted by thoughts that God has forsaken us. We think in this manner probably because we have always comprehended God as the God of dazzling light (Revelation 21:11; Hebrews 12:29) and God of good times.
Nevertheless, such understanding is challenged when one reads Exodus 20:21: “The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was” (NIV). If God is light, as He is depicted in Psalms 104:2 and 1 Timothy 6:16, then how come in this verse Moses approached Him in the thick darkness? Why is God enveloped by darkness in this text? Let’s examine Exodus 20:21 and look for some answers.
Hebrew and Greek terminologies for “darkness”
The term hõšek (darkness) has 81 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible. It refers to darkness in a literal and figurative sense. Literally it may refer to darkness of creation and night and figuratively it may refer to death (1 Samuel 2:9; Job 3:5) and time of pain and suffering (Job 17:12). Another Hebrew term for darkness is 'arãpel. We will explore it further when we turn our attention to Exodus 20:21. There are several Greek terms that refer to darkness in the New Testament (NT) as well. The word skotos occurs about 22 times in the NT and can refer to physical darkness, spiritual darkness, implying ignorance or error, eternal misery etc.1
The context of Exodus 20:21
Forty-five days after the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, on the first day of the third month (Sivan, late May or early June), they arrived at the Sinai desert and camped there. Moses went up on Mount Sinai to meet with God and on the morning of the third day, God descended upon Mount Sinai with a thick cloud, thunder and lightning, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled (Exodus 19:16). People resolved to remain at a distance from God because they could not withstand His magnificent emergence (Exodus 20:19). They requested Moses to talk with God on their behalf. Here we see the difference between Moses and the Israelites. The Israelites were fearful of God but Moses was fearless. They walked away from God while Moses walked to God. They could not handle God’s magnificent presence while Moses could not live without God’s presence. Hence, people remained at a distance while Moses closed the distance between himself and God and approached the thick darkness where God abided (Exodus 20:21).
Approaching God in the thick darkness
The Hebrew word used for darkness in Exodus 20:21 is 'arãpel. It occurs about 15 times2 in the Hebrew text and is mainly associated with the divine revelation. Ronald B Allen states that the term 'arãpel is used to express the veiled glory of God. It refers to the darkness that envelops God’s appearance.3 The darkness mentioned in verse 21 blocks God’s glorious appearance from Moses. God is surrounded by the darkness not because He is not glorious, but His act of enveloping Himself in thick darkness reveals His caring towards Moses. In fact, no-one would have lived if God utterly disclosed Himself. Exodus 33:20 states that no sinful man living on earth can see God’s face and live. Thus, the majestic God used the veil of darkness so He could communicate with Moses.
Linguistically, as the time passed, 'arãpel took a different meaning and was later used to describe the day of the Lord (Jeremiah 13:16; Joel 2:2; Zephaniah 1:15) and deep gloom brought on people through God’s judgement (Isaiah 60:2). Theologically, what is intriguing is that the same Hebrew term which referred to God’s abode also pointed to people’s difficult circumstances, a time of gloom and darkness. The word 'arãpel exchanged its meaning from its literal sense to the figurative sense. Ezekiel 34:12 reads: “As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness ['arãpel].” Prophet Ezekiel understood that in the darkest moments of life God will not leave but like a shepherd He will rescue His sheep.
Hence, what is the answer to the question we asked in the beginning: “If God is light, as He claims to be, why does Moses find Him in the thick darkness?” Firstly, God used darkness to veil His glory so He could communicate with His people. Secondly, the darkness that surrounded God reiterates that He is a perfect and glorious God and we are sinful beings. Thirdly, it reminds us that although the wall of darkness separates us from God, He still finds a way to reach out to us. He loves us. The study of 'arãpel also underlines that God abides with His people even in the darkest moments of their life. No matter how thick the darkness is, like Moses, we will always find God waiting for us.
Regardless of how burdened with trouble we may be, God abides with us in all circumstances. Our circumstances don’t bind God and neither can they separate us from Him.
The gospel of Matthew records (27:45) that during the crucifixion of Christ, darkness came over all the land, perhaps in Judea, from the sixth hour until the ninth hour. According to the Roman clock the darkness probably lasted almost three hours. Both Mark (15:33) and Luke (23:44-45) agree with Matthew regarding this period. Adventist commentary suggests that this darkness “was a supernatural darkness. In no case could it have been caused by an eclipse of the sun, because the moon was already past full.”4 Most commentators perceive that the darkness during the crucifixion was supernatural darkness, but was God present in that darkness or not?
Note what Ellen White states: “In that thick darkness God’s presence was hidden . . . God veiled the last human agony of His Son. All who had seen Christ in His suffering had been convicted of His divinity. That face, once beheld by humanity, was never forgotten. As the face of Cain expressed his guilt as a murderer, so the face of Christ revealed innocence, serenity, benevolence—the image of God. But His accusers would not give heed to the signet of heaven. Through long hours of agony Christ had been gazed upon by the jeering multitude. Now He was mercifully hidden by the mantle of God.”5
Profound love compelled God the Father to come as close as He could to His Son in the most agonising moment of His life. Many times when we pass through the darkest moments of our life we question God’s presence and like Jesus cry out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”, which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Our cry was hidden in the cry of Christ on the cross. Surely, even today, the temple’s torn curtain (Luke 23:46) echoes to us that there is no more separation, no more distance, but rather God is with His people in the darkest moments of their lives.
- Spiros Zodhiates, Warren Baker and George Hadjiantoniou, eds., The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1993), 4655. Book in the Libronix Digital Library System, 2000-2006 [CD-ROM], August, 2012.
- Ex 20:21; Deut 4:11; 5:22; 2 Sam 22:10; 1 Kings 8:12; Isa 60:2; Jer 13:16; Ezek 34:12; Joel 2:2; Zeph 1:15; Ps 18:10; 97:2; Job 22:13; 38:9; 2 Chron 6:1.
- Ronald B. Allen, “‘arapel,” Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laired Harris (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 698.
- “Darkness” (Matt 27:45), The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, rev. ed., ed. Francis D. Nichol (Washington, DC: Review & Herald, 1976-1980), 5:549.
- Ellen White, Desire of Ages, The Pocket Library, vol. 3 (Harrah, Okla: Mission Publishing Inc., 2002; printed in Korea), 954-955.
Pastor Younis Masih ministers at the Invercargill, Wicklow Street, Queenstown group and Clinton house churches, NZ.
