The Light Of Your Fire

Isaiah 50:11 says, “Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.”

As I watched the fireworks again this year on the 4th of July, I was amazed at how spectacular they were. Seven thousand dollars of extreme brightness lit the black sky in about fifteen minutes. The grand finale lasted about a minute. A nonstop display of beauty took my breath away. All of a sudden there was blackness. Then I could make out smoke that filled the air where once there was beauty.

Isaiah 50:11 paints a picture of our own fire, our own light. The picture is of a kindled fire. The fire is burning in the darkness of night. This is not a glowing fire of coals—the fire is blazing. The sparks are rising. If you were to stand by this fire you could look out into the night for a short distance. If you were to walk into the night, you would not go far before the light from the fire would be of no help. The sparks that drifted from the flame would not help much.

God says to go ahead and walk in the light of your own fire and see how far it gets you. You will lie down in sorrow. I believe this is referring to walking in our own understanding. Solomon tried everything he could think of to find meaning and happiness in life, only to conclude that all was vanity. This walk can happen to Christian people.

The verse just before, Isaiah 50:10, is talking about the person who fears the Lord. This person is also obedient when he hears the truth. Still, he is walking in darkness. He does not have light. He thinks he understands. He might read a book and buy into that. Perhaps he listens to the news and believes what it says. He might have a friend or a preacher whom he truly trusts. His feelings may dictate his beliefs.

There are all kinds of ways the devil can keep us in the dark. His is a kingdom of darkness. Men with evil deeds love the darkness, but we are talking about a man who fears the Lord and is obedient to truth.

The issue is a matter of trust; “…let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.” In the dark storms of life, feelings can become overwhelming. The truth in God’s Word, the Bible, is right there before us, yet we are tempted to trust in our own understanding, our own light.

R.G. LeTourneau, the great inventor of earthmoving machinery, was also a Sunday School teacher. One day he was riding in his private airplane. He had hired a good pilot to fly it. They entered into a massive lightning storm. The sky grew black. They were crossing a mountain range. Visibility was zero. They knew the mountain was close below them. The fierce black clouds were threatening overhead. All at once, the plane felt like it was dropping. The pilot wanted to pull back on the stick and gain altitude. LeTourneau, himself a good pilot, looked at the altimeter. It showed they were not dropping. The pilot argued that the altimeter was being thrown off by the lightning. LeTourneau said that the altimeter was made to not be affected by outside electrical force. They trusted the altimeter and made it through the storm. LeTourneau used this as an illustration of how the Word of God is like that altimeter. 

Trust in the Lord, friend. If you want to lie down in sorrow, walk in the light of your fire!