Proverbs 20:27
The Candle of the Lord
1. The spirit of man.
a. nesh·aw·maw – This term is usually translated “breath.”
b. It is used in Genesis 2:7 – God breathed into Adam the “breath” of life… and thus speaks of life itself.
c. But the term is also used in another sense: the inner-most part of a person that can respond to God… the God-conscious part of man.
d. Solomon does NOT seem to be using the term here as a synonym for “life” or “breath.”
e. It is clearly speaking of the INNERMOST part of man, i.e., the human spirit.
• The body makes us conscious of the physical world.
• The soul makes us conscious of the inner self life.
• The spirit makes us conscious of God (when regenerated).
f. Man was created in the “image of God.”
• Man was created with intellect, emotions, and a will so that he might commune with God… and with other human beings.
• The human spirit is related to the “image of God.”
• Man’s intellect, emotions, and will (when regenerated), are alive unto God… conscious of God.
• Even though the image of God was marred by sin (our intellect, emotions, and will are all affected by the sin nature)… yet the image of God remains in us all.
• When a person is regenerated, he is able to THINK on things above because he has a new mind; he is able to LOVE God with a new heart; and he is able to CHOOSE to obey God because he has a new will.
• Through the human soul man is able to relate to other human beings and to earthly things… the natural realm.
• Through the human spirit, (when regenerated) man is able to relate to God and spiritual things.
2. The candle of the Lord.
a. Candle = candle; lamp; (most often translated “lamp”).
b. It is used of the lamp in the Tabernacle and in the Temple.
c. Note here that it is the candle or lamp and NOT the light itself.
d. A lamp is a light receptor. It serves to hold or contain the light, but does not produce the light. It is a vehicle for light.
e. Man’s spirit is a “light receiver” or a “light container,” or vehicle for light.
f. Man’s inner spirit is that vehicle through which God’s light shines.
3. Man’s spirit is a lamp (light receiver; container) of the LORD (Jehovah).
a. This lamp is lit by God. It is HIS light…
b. In other words, it is through the human spirit that the Spirit of God illuminates… shines… enlightens… and thus, leads… guides… teaches.
4. A lamp is used for illumination and (fig.) for guidance.
a. God uses the light of His Word to enlighten the spirit of man.
• Prov. 6:23 – For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light.
• Ps. 119:105 – the Word of God is a LAMP… to guide our feet.
b. God Himself IS the light.
• Ps. 27:1 – The Lord IS my light.
• God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
• Ps. 18:28 – For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
» God Himself “lights” man’s candle… to enlighten the darkness around him… and provide illumination for guidance.
» A candle or lamp emits no light whatsoever UNLESS it is lit.
» Here the psalmist says that it is GOD who lights that inner candle.
» II Sam. 22:29 – For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
c. II Cor. 4:6 – God shines in the hearts of men to illuminate the gospel message to their understanding… that they might be saved.
• It is likened to the miracle of creation: God spoke in the midst of darkness and said, “Let there be light.” And there was light.
• God shines in the hearts of unbelievers that they might be saved.
• God lights the lamp of the believer that He might direct His steps.
5. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.
a. Man’s innermost being—the human spirit—is the receptacle for the LIGHT that God gives… to enlighten… expose… make clear…
1. Psalm 7:9 – The righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
a. Trieth: To test by means of examination.
b. Reins: The kidney – the innermost part of man.
c. God examines our innermost being.
d. He does so via the spirit… that is His “candle to our soul.”
2. Ps. 77:6 – Sometimes the Bible speaks of GOD searching our hearts. Sometimes it speaks of the human spirit searching our hearts.
a. The two thoughts are not contradictory; they are complementary.
b. The Spirit of God searches our hearts via the human spirit.
c. God illuminates our human spirit so that we might KNOW the condition of our hearts.
d. Apart from that divine light, we would never know our hearts. (It is desperately wicked; who can know it?)
e. Apart from divine light illuminating our inner spirit, we would constantly imagine self to be in much better condition than he really is.
f. Apart from God’s light, darkness prevails.
3. God uses the human spirit to SEARCH inwardly.
a. I Cor. 2:11 – Only God’s Spirit knows all about God. And only man’s spirit knows all about the inner man.
• God uses the human spirit as a lamp to search out all that is hidden.
• My human spirit knows ME… I know me better than any other human being knows me.
• But God knows me better than I know me. (And of course, the same is true of you too.)
• But even I don’t know myself perfectly. My thoughts of self are affected by my sin nature: pride; rebellious; and tends to cover up failures.
• But God searches my innermost being… and He shines a light in my spirit that I might become aware of what is REALLY going on inside me.
4. God, through the human spirit shines deep into inward parts of the belly.
a. That is a way of saying deep into the nooks and crannies of our very being…
b. This speaks of the inner motives, intentions of the heart, the “hidden things of darkness.”
c. God already KNOWS what is there.
d. But He shines or illuminates those things to our spirit – the God-conscious part of our inner man.
e. God seeks to make US aware of various areas of sin deep within.
f. God, like a candle shining in the darkest recesses of our heart, brings SIN to our attention… into view.
g. Heb. 4:12 – Light from God’s word digs deeply into the most hidden parts, feelings, and thoughts.
• The light of His Word is able to separate (distinguish) that which is spiritual from that which is carnal.
• These are distinctions that we are unable to make apart from the light of His Word.
• As the knife of the Levitical priest (separating the parts of a sacrifice to offer unto God) had to cut deeply into the animal to divide parts… making fine distinctions between the joints and marrow, etc.
• So too the word of God divides the parts of man’s immaterial being, soul and spirit, and penetrates into man’s innermost being… to make distinctions that we would otherwise not be able to make.
• The light of God’s Word shines into our hearts to reveal what is really there… from God’s perspective.
• We are often fooled by our emotions, feelings, circumstances, etc. As a result, we fool ourselves into thinking that things are much better than they really are.
• We often mistake the soulish (natural) for that which is spiritual. And thus, we often offer to God the wrong part of the sacrifice… and it is unacceptable to Him.
• Therefore, God shines LIGHT into our innermost being.
• The God-conscious part of man (the human spirit) is that vehicle through which God illuminates our minds to areas of our lives that need correction… alteration… improvement… etc.
• He searches the inward parts of the belly… so that our human spirit becomes CONSCIOUS of changes God seeks to make in us… exposing areas of darkness…
5. There are a couple of variations of the interpretation of this passage that are quite similar but differ on the meaning of “spirit” and “candle.”
a. Many believe that this refers to the conscience.
• They say that the (spirit) conscience is the candle of the Lord which man is given by God. (of the Lord)
• The conscience directs us in the process of self–examination.
• The conscience functions as an internal control over wrong thoughts, words, and deeds… just as God uses chastening as external controls (Prov. 20:30).
b. The rabbis understood this expression to mean that the image of God implanted in every human being shines through our human spirit.
• It is that which sets man apart from the animals.
• It’s this ability to inwardly reflect on God, moral issues, or spiritual things which separates us from beasts.
c. This interpretation makes this proverb applicable to ALL human beings—saved or not… because the conscience is operative in all men, whereas the human spirit must be regenerated to be operative in spiritual things.
d. These two interpretations are not contradictory. In fact, they are quite similar.
• They both speak of the inner part of man becoming aware of sin or immorality… the difference between right and wrong.
• They both speak of light being shined in the heart of man from God—either directly or indirectly.
• Both are true as well.
• It is possible that Solomon intended for the term “spirit” to include but not limited to what we today would call “conscience.”
e. The question for the interpreter is: “Did Solomon use these expressions in a broad sense (human spirit and conscience) to include all humanity or in a narrower sense (just human spirit) to include only those whose spirits had been made alive unto God?”
f. Either way, it is true that God has provided ALL of humanity with an inner capacity to discern good and evil… and man is accountable to God for that knowledge… for that light.
6. The question we should take from this is: how do I RESPOND to the light of God’s candle shinning deep within my inner man?
a. Do we ignore the light and what it exposes?
b. Do we value what God is doing in bringing things to light?
c. Are we willing to let God shine in every corner of our heart?
d. Do we run away from the light… and like the man who sees his face in the mirror, walks away and forgets?
e. Or do we respond in faith and obedience and DO something about it?
f. Is our prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”?