A few weeks back I consulted a thesaurus for some content writing I was doing. On the page was a block that said, “Word of the day: Tenebrific.” I thought, what a lovely word! I must know what it means.”
Tenebrific means “producing darkness” and is based on Latin tenebrae “darkness.” For example, you could say, “The man was hiding in the tenebrific shadows of the cave.” The shadows produced a darkness in which the man could remain unseen.
In my late teens, three friends and I embarked on a survival trip. We constructed a shelter, and as night fell built a fire. When it was time to sleep, we all staked a spot around the fire to lay: no tent, sleeping bag, no pillow. Just bare ground. It was very light sleep. At intervals we would wake up to witness the fire had gotten low. There was little moonlight that night and the lack of firelight cast an eerie darkness. We could hear coyote activity which seemed too close for comfort. We would jump up and grab some wood, stoke the fire until that sucker was roaring! Then settle back down for a few more winks. This went on all night long. In theory, the fire and the light would keep the predators away, and I guess it worked as we survived the night.
I thought of this story when I was introduced to the word tenebrific. It occurred to me that we live in a tenebrific society. As a believer in the Gospel of Jesus, I try to live as best I can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to live a life pleasing to God. This light I carry is wondering through a world of increasing darkness. I see some who once carried the light allow it to be snuffed out. I witness church denominations lower their light to please the tenebrific shadows of culture. Our own government seems to be marching in lock step with the coyotes in an attempt to devour the moral fabric of our nation.
Our children are under attack by those who would have them believe they can, and should, be “gender fluid.” Darkness! When a glimmer of light tries to be introduced to protect pre-born babies from being killed, the coyotes howl and threaten. No longer is the argument whether the unborn is a baby or not. The argument has become, “It doesn’t matter even if it is a human child, it doesn’t have a right to be there without my expressed permission. Therefore, I have the right to kill it.” Darkness! Young men are so disturbed and tormented that they will purchase a weapon and shoot innocent kids for no reason. Darkness! Anyone can think anything they want with no regard to truth and it must be tolerated, and even celebrated, unless, of course, you are a Christian. Then you must be censored and hated. Darkness! But is it hopeless?
In 1 Samuel chapter four, the sons of Eli the priest, Hophni and Phinihas, were killed in battle. The Ark of the Covenant (which represented God’s presence) was captured. The Israelite army was defeated. When the news reached Eli, he fell over and died. When Eli’s pregnant daughter-in-law heard her husband, Phinehas, and father-in-law had died and the other calamitous news, she went into labor and died giving birth. The child was saved, a son, who they named Ichabod, which means, “the glory has departed.” The story doesn’t end with this tenebrific narrative. Soon the Ark was returned and we see in chapter 14 Ichabod has carried on in the tradition of the priesthood.
Here is an encouraging word in the middle of the ten plagues of Egypt:
“So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.”
Exodus 10:22-23
Did you catch that? When the tenebrific plague encompassed all of Egypt, God’s chosen people still had light!
It may feel like the world is getting darker, but you, child of God, still walk in light. You may be walking through the night, but you belong to the day. Don’t let your lamp grow dim out of discouragement. Don’t put your light under a basket out of fear of the tenebrific ilks of society. Stoke the fire and keep the coyotes at bay. Shine your light brightly with abandon!
“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8 NIV
Shine brother! Shine sister! The glory has not departed.
