Ed, my neighbour next door, is still harping on about the fact that I'm working the night shift in December. Ed admits that a few people - like hospital staff and police officers - need to work nights, but he insists that an old geezer like me should be at home sleeping.
"Just name me somebody famous that is known for working overnight," Ed demanded.
"That's easy. The most famous of all is Santa Claus," I answered. "Why, his hours are pretty much like mine - from eleven p.m. until seven a.m." I added. Why Ed was certain Santa doesn't count is beyond me, but it did cause him to move on to another topic of conversation.
One reference in the Bible to night workers was the watchman on guard at the city gate. An enemy from beyond the city might come to attack the city during the night. Even within the city, the thief came in the night to steal. While people were asleep, those up to no good did their evil under the cover of darkness and the advantage of surprise. Shepherds are also referred to in the Bible as watching their sheep during the night. Natural predators of the sheep tended to attack under the cloak of darkness. A good shepherd needed to keep awake and on guard, so that a wolf or other enemy did not slip in and kill any sheep.
Most understand that night and its darkness give an opportunity to rest and sleep. It is easier to work in daylight. Here on earth, we need a balance of light and darkness, sleep and work.
The Bible speaks of heaven as 小蓝视频 without any darkness - a place of light from the glory of God. Heaven is pictured as beautiful, for there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain, or what we call the dark side of life.
The Bible speaks of turning our darkness into light. This refers to God causing His life and understanding to flourish within us. God promises to lead the blind by ways they have not known, and guide them along unfamiliar paths. He will turn the darkness into light before them.
Perhaps this is best seen in the experience of the Magi. They were probably Gentile astrologers who observed a new or distinct star in the sky. They seemed to have linked this star with the Jewish prophecy of a Messiah to be given by God to the Jews. They travelled from Persia or southern Arabia to find and honour the one born King of the Jews. Their travels took them by ways unknown to them, so they stopped at Jerusalem and inquired of King Herod where they could find the one born King of the Jews. According to the old prophecy of the prophet Micah, the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. So they travelled there to find the promised Messiah from God.
On their way to Bethlehem, the star they had seen in the sky at home went ahead of them until it stopped over the place the child was. On coming into the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and bowed down and worshipped him. God lead them by unfamiliar paths to His son Jesus Christ. God lead them by a star in the darkness to where they needed to be. God was at work in the darkness. In fact, He works the night shift too.
