Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #47 In the Spotlight

Okay, who voted for this one?! (Just kidding, Mary.) Now that I’ve spent time with this week’s verse, I’m glad it made our top 50. Still, it is a little unsettling to think about God shining a bright spotlight into the darkest corner of our hearts.

What happens if he finds something embarrassing? something ugly? something we don’t want anyone to know about, let alone the Lord?

Keep reading. The news is good, I promise.

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord
    that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27

The human spirit…

So, is this the Holy Spirit? No, but if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, this is where he dwells inside you.

The Hebrew word, neshamah, means “breath,” the very essence of human life. When God first made man from the dust of the ground, he “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7).

But it’s not oxygen we’re talking about here—aardvarks and zebras breathe too. Rather, it’s the unique quality which makes us human. Our “soul” (GW), our “conscience” (TLB), or if you want to get really specific, “that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God” (AMP).

Right.

It’s the part that makes you you, and not someone else. The part that’s made in God’s image, shining inside us.

…is the lamp of the Lord…

Yes, a real lamp, burning bright, like a “fire” (JUB) or a “searchlight” (TLB). This “candle of the Lord” (KJV), Matthew Henry tells us, is “not only lighted by him, but lighted for him,” so he can look around.

Is it just me, or is this idea really scary?

…that sheds light…

His beacon inside us “penetrates” (NLT) and “illuminates” (VOICE), relentlessly “searching” (AMP) and “exposing” (NLT), so the Lord “is able to see” (ERV) everything.

I know in my heart I can’t hide things from God.

But in my foolish flesh, I tell myself he can’t possibly look at all of us at the same time, right? Surely he didn’t see me do that, or hear me mutter that, or watch me when I behaved like that?

Oh yes, he did. Yes, he does. And yes, he will.

Make no mistake, “the Lord looks deep inside people” (NCV). He sees it all.

Why is this a good thing? Because through our God-given conscience, he can show us who we truly are—the good, the bad, and the desperately ugly—lest we think for a moment we can manage without him. “It is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding” (Job 32:8).

When God sees us, we see more clearly too.

…on one’s inmost being.

Now, there’s a phrase that would stop a conversation in its tracks: “one’s inmost being”? Wow. Heavy, as we said in the ‘70s.

“Our hearts” (CEV)? We get that. “Our most intimate thoughts” (VOICE)? Sure. “All the hidden things of the bowels” (DRA) sounds like a topic best saved for your next doctor’s appointment. And “into your deepest parts” (ERV) makes me downright uncomfortable.

It’s meant to. In Hebrew, these two words, cheder and beten, are often translated “bedroom” and “womb.”

Okay, then.

God shines his light of truth into the very core of who we are, the deepest center of our personality, our sexuality, our physicality, our spirituality, revealing “every hidden motive” (NLT) and ”all our innermost secrets” (WYC).

The fact is, “we cannot hide from ourselves” (GNT), and we cannot hide from God. He sees everything, whether we want him to or not. Yes, that. And that. And (sorry) that.

Even so, he loves us. Even so, he forgives us. Even so, he will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Because of the sacrifice Christ made on the cross, the penalty for our sins has been paid in full. When God shines his light inside us, it’s not so he can punish us; it’s so he can purify us.

Good news, as promised. Very good news.

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord
    that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27

Now it’s your turn

One question for you:

• How might this verse change your view of God?
  And your view of yourself?

Share your thoughts via Post a Comment below. Your honesty will help us all be more honest with ourselves and with the Lord.

And here’s your Printable of Proverbs 20:27, with four copies of this week’s verse on a single page. I hope you’re finding them helpful.

I’ve also added a new pin illustrating Proverbs 20:27 on Pinterest.

Next Wednesday, it’s another “but” verse, showing us how to become wiser. Until then, God bless you for writing his Word across the tablet of your heart!

Your sister, Liz
@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

P.S. How are you doing on memorizing? (I know, I know. It’s harder than I expected too!) Here’s one way to practice:

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    ___________________________
    ___________________________. Proverbs 3:3

For the Lord gives wisdom;
    ___________________________. Proverbs 2:6

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
    ___________________________! Proverbs 15:23

The way of fools seems right to them,
    ___________________________. Proverbs 12:15

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord
    ___________________________. Proverbs 20:27

Don’t lose heart. We can do this!