What Does the Bible Say about Darkness?
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I once stood on the balcony of an ocean-view hotel room, looking out at the vast darkness of a moonless night. The blackness of it frightened me. And then I gazed down at the resort’s environment—paths lit by small beacons of light—and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was safe on the land, in the light. Some of us peer forward to nighttime, yet it’s not the darkness that holds our interest. Instead, the interplay of the light within the darkness captures us. For Christians, especially those who are creatives, the scenes that emerge spark our imagination and praise of the One who brought light. For unbelievers and those of ungodly pursuits, the darkness hides their actions. Or does it? What does the Bible say about darkness?
Where Does the Bible Talk about Darkness?
The word darkness appears early in the Scriptures—Genesis 1:2, “…darkness was over the face of the deep.” That darkness was absolute in its lack of light. The meaning rarely varies through the Old Testament [Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Job (30 times in Job), Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, Micah, Nahum, and Zephaniah - 18 of the 39 books].
The New Testament writers used the word darkness within the Gospels, the Epistles, and the book of Revelation (17 of the 27 New Testament books). The Lord must have much to say about darkness to include it in so much of His Word (174 uses in 153 verses). It’s not an exercise in numbers; it’s a reminder of the importance of the words the Lord uses in the Bible.
What Kinds of Darkness Are in the Bible?
As we will see, in most instances where God chooses to utilize the word darkness in the Bible, He creates a contrast so we may realize the great chasm between darkness and light. As many times as the word darkness and night are written, light and day are penned even more (light–246 times, and day -1603 times). Throughout the Old and New Testaments, darkness is literal or figurative.
The Bible presents darkness with the following biblical meanings. We will use one or two verses as representative of each usage:
1. Genesis 1:2 shows us literal blackness and chaos before God’s ordered creation.
2. In Genesis 1:4 and Matthew 27:45, darkness means the absence of light—physical darkness.
3. Darkness often represents judgment (Exodus 10:21), the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 13:9-10), and the dark day of Jesus’ Crucifixion and death (Matthew 27:45).
4. The darkness of Job 34:22 is a figurative place where evildoers try to hide.
5. Also found in the Old Testament book of Job, death is manifested as a land of darkness (Job 17:13).
6. Intellectual darkness is portrayed in Romans 2:19.
7. The Apostle Paul undergoes blindness in Acts 13:11, described as darkness falling upon him.
8. Matthew 8:12 gives us Jesus’ harrowing report of the place of “outer darkness, where there will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” Metaphorically used here, darkness is the abode of the unsaved, where punishment prevails.
9. Jesus describes darkness as the world’s dominant evil powers in Luke 22:53.
10. Ephesians 5:8 describes darkness as a state of being, that of the unsaved.
11. Romans 13:12 gives us an explanation of darkness as evil works.
12. The New Testament often portrays darkness in a moral sense. Therefore, those who do not walk according to the Spirit, abiding in the light of Christ, walk in darkness. They are ignorant of God and His ways.
Darkness had the burden of being a curse, and rightly so, for the vast majority of its use in the Bible is bad.
Is Darkness as Powerful as Light?
The Bible tells us the Lord Himself created darkness and light (Isaiah 45:7) and that God is light with no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). Therefore, as the Creator, He holds sovereignty over His creation. As Isaiah 29:16 says, “Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, ‘He did not make me; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding?’”
A key verse to determine the power of darkness is John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” This is the best news: we need not fear the darkness. Darkness will never eclipse light, nor will the dark devil overcome the Light of the world—Jesus Christ.
On that crucial day at Calvary, when on the cross Jesus bought the salvation of His believers, God brought a three-hour darkness over the land, darkness miraculous in its manifestation. Satan thought he had the victory when Jesus gave up His spirit and died on the cross, but instead, the evil one experienced what was and is his greatest defeat—wrought by the Sovereign One. Jesus is alive forevermore.
Therefore, Satan’s power is limited, for he only has what God allows. Some, in these days of natural and man-made calamities, might guess the devil is winning. But he is not, nor can he ever be. Evil is revealed in Satan, and the contrast is stark because of God’s goodness. We can liken his role to a lion on a very short chain. He wants humans to be constrained to sin (1 Peter 5:8).
Del Tackett shares an interesting take on this in his Truth Project series. He envisions Lucifer watching the Lord God create Adam and Eve. Satan then asks God, “Are they mine?” He’d like us to be, but we are all in God’s will, whether or not we believe. God knows even the people who do not love the Lord Jesus. He knows who will and who will not be in heaven with Him.
If darkness (spiritual evil) were as powerful as light (the Lord Jesus and His righteous saints), “then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Jesus Christ is the Light of the world (John 8:12) and, as Revelation 22:5 tells us, “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”
How Can We Be Lights in the Darkness?
Ephesians 5:8 is a real eye-opener. Here we find we were not only in darkness; we were darkness. But God came to earth and put on flesh so we might no longer be darkness.
The light of the Gospel exposes everyone (Ephesians 5:13), and once called by God, we “are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
We Christians are God’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) to a lost and dying world. We cannot do anything “light” without Him, and we shouldn’t want to. Jesus, in Matthew 5:14, describes us as the light of the world. We imitate our Savior. How?
Not only do we need to read God’s Word, but we must study it, meditate upon it, and memorize it. His Word has everything we need to live a life of godliness (2 Peter 1:3, 2 Peter 1:6-7; 2 Peter 3:11).
The devil can masquerade as an angel of light, so we must know the truth so well he can’t fool us. Look at Jesus’ life and those of His Apostles. What are His direct commands and those through the Apostles? Let’s learn them, live them. Abide in Christ.
We must be fervent prayer warriors, not alone but with our Bible study groups and church, family, and friends.
It may take getting out of our comfort zone; we are to engage with people outside our Christian family and friends. The evil ones would like nothing better than to keep us at home in a bubble of coziness. We all need to put on our spiritual sandals and walk the dusty trails in our communities.
It’s all hard work, but heavenly rewards await as we bring glory to the Lord.
A Prayer to be a Light in the Darkness
Father God, sometimes the darkness of this world overwhelms me, but I realize that’s only when I try to battle it by myself. Your Word tells me to be strong in You and the strength of Your might. Not my might, Father, because I am feeble. You are my strength because I trust in You and Your energy that You powerfully work within me. Help me surrender everything to You because, in Your hands, all is well. Use me, Lord, as Your ambassador, to be salt and light in this dark world. I need You. In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Scriptures to meditate upon when praying: Colossians 1:29 and Ephesians 6:10-20.
Further Reading:
What to Do When You're Engulfed by Darkness
9 Bible Verses for Depression to Shine Light Into Darkness
When the Darkness of the World Is Overwhelming, Lean on the Lord
Photo Credit: Getty Images/RomoloTavani
