Light vs Darkness: The True Meaning of God’s Instruction

When you think about the passage where it says, “Good will be called evil and evil good,” what comes to mind? The verse found in Isaiah has been used often to describe our culture, and rightfully so. However, I wonder if we aren’t missing the actual meaning of the verse. Let’s take a look at the verse in question.

Isaiah 5:20
“Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who change darkness into light
and light into darkness,
who change bitter into sweet
and sweet into bitter!”

Woe, profound grief or distress, woe to those who call evil good and good evil. What is evil? Is sin evil? And what is sin? 1 John 3:4 gives us the best definition, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” The word lawlessness means outside the Torah. The Torah is the instruction of God to man on how to live, love, worship and be. You may have heard the acronym given to the BIBLE, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Well, that is the Torah by its very definition, only it describes inheriting the earth; not leaving it.

Anything, outside of God’s instruction therefore can be considered evil or rebellious. The Psalmist writes, “Righteous indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked who reject Your Torah.” (Psalm 119:53). Yet, today, within the majority of the church, “christians” forsake, even reject the Torah.” They call it obsolete, done away with, complete. They claim Paul teaches this as fact when in reality he upheld Torah, taught Torah, and instructed Timothy to hold fast to the Torah. Peter, writes a warning about Paul being taken out of context. The church ignores Peter too. “. . . as also in all his (Paul) letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16).

Isaiah gives us a few comparisons to drive home his point, which also gives us a clearer understanding of his point. “Who change darkness for light and light for darkness, who change bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter!” The Word of Elohim is a light to our path. Often the idea is presented that coming into the Word is stepping out of darkness. Darkness is being outside of God’s Word. The same is true for sweet. The Word is described as tasting good. These present a clear understanding, that it isn’t only what the world once called evil becoming good, but what God has declared evil. And where do we find good and evil? Scripture.

Psalm 119:105
“Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”
Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
John 8:12
“Then Yahoshua spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 12:46
“I have come as a light into the world, that whosoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”
Ephesians 5:8
“for at one time you were in darkness, but now you are in the light of Messiah. Walk as children of light“
John 1:5
“And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness could not understand.”
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should be the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

In each of these passages replace light with instruction or Torah and reread those passages. This is the very idea that is being presented. For example, ‘Then Yahoshua spoke to them, saying, I am the Torah in the world: he that follows me shall not walk outside of instruction, but shall have the instruction of life.’ It isn’t always clean but the idea is always there as Yahoshua is the Word made flesh. The use of light and darkness is symbolic and poetic language to drive home a point. ‘And the Torah shines in darkness, and the darkness could not understand.’ Now here in 1 Peter 2:9 we are called chosen, royal, priests, why? Because we hold the Torah, the instruction of the Father for His people. ‘But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should be the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness (without instruction) into His marvelous Torah!.’ And it is sweet.

Psalm 119:103
“How sweet are Your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!“
Psalm 34:8
“Taste and see that Yahweh is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
1 Peter 2:2-3
“as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that Yahweh is gracious.”
Hebrews 6:5
“who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age—“

I have asked this before and I will ask it again; Did God change so we wouldn’t have to? The God who declares, “I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Has He redefined sin? Or does He call us out of sin and into righteousness (the things commanded by God to be obeyed by man)? These are the questions that demand an answer. These are the questions one should wrestle with for relationship is found in love, love is based on action and expression. For even the demons believe and tremble. How many say they follow Jesus with their lips but their hearts are far from Him?

Isaiah 29:13
“And the Adonai said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men.”
Ezekiel 33:31
“And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.”
Matthew 15:7-9
“You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Are you following the instruction of the Father or are you following the commandments of men?

You are loved,
cj