Monday, August 19, 2019

Great Darkness, Great Fear

And the sun is about to go in, and deep sleep hath fallen upon Abram, and lo, a terror of great darkness is falling upon him. Genesis 15:12 YLT

This is that time of the year when the sun seems to fall out of the sky in the evening and has trouble getting up in the morning. Actually, we know it is just that seasonal change as autumn approaches about a month out and the long days of summer are passing in anticipation of school beginning once more. As for me, this is that time when I am once again getting up and going to bed at or near the hours of darkness. I'm avoiding the issue. Yes, it's true. Me and Abraham are scared of the dark!

I chose the Young's Literal Translation because it states that Abraham had a terror OF great darkness falling on him, while the NKJV, the usual version I use, states that horror AND great darkness fell upon him. Perhaps the translators of the latter one could not believe that Abraham might be scared of the dark! Actually, Abraham had good reason to be afraid as a prophecy of four hundred (400!) years of affliction for his descendants came to him from the Lord that very night. 'Horror and' or 'terror of' are both right it would seem.

As for me, my fears are not so much fun anymore. The boogies and bogeys of my youthful darkness fears have given way to the more mundane, such as running into a partly closed door edge in my skivvies or maybe cracking a shin on something I would have cleared easily in the daylight. Middle-aged fears of the dark just aren't quite so much fun as dreaming an alligator will snap at you from under a dresser in the basement. It's too bad too, those youthful bogeys had a way of waking a person right up!

Have a great new week in Christ!

Bucky

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