Introduction:
In the earlier editions of Cruden’s Concordance he prefaces some of the entries with a small commentary. When one looks up the word walk the comment he makes is as follows:
To walk is one of the actions of the body that denotes motion from one place to another, and is often used in Scripture, for the conversation or manner of life; (Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life). (Ephesians 4:1. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called).
Of the various lifestyle ways of walking mentioned in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, Alexander Cruden has a small comment to make on each one of them. These we shall be looking at in due course, but before that, it will be necessary to remind ourselves of the fact that new born babies are not able to even crawl, never mind run in a marathon, yet somehow in Christian life we seem to expect new converts to be able to keep pace with those who have been ‘in training’ for years.
The just born baby only wants to sleep and feed, and don’t they let you know when feeding time is. Even ear-plugs will not stop the incessant crying getting through to you; no, you have to yield to those demands. However, it is not long before the crawling stage begins and the energy the child shows is amazing, you will be the one who tires first. From here come the first steps with the support of parents, friends, relatives and probably the child’s favourite, -- grandma.
As time goes by the development of the child should show strong growth, stamina, power, a desire to learn, an ambition to ‘get on’ in life, yet throughout all of this is the support of those people we have already mentioned. Maybe now he/she can run a marathon, whereas you may be looking for your Zimmer frame, but what a joy there is when the right path the youngster was shown, and their feet set on it, continue to ‘run’ successfully in that path which is their lifestyle. When this is the Christian path then the joy should be even more thrilling.
Let us now look at some of the other comments Cruden makes regarding our walk with God. The first two could be said to be negative, yet the writers of Scripture were addressing their words to fellow Christians
To walk in darkness, is to live in a course of ignorance, error, and sin; and to walk in the light is to live in the ways of truth and holiness. (1John 1:6&7 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7but if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin),
When I was a youngster and growing up, going out at night was quite a frightening experience. The darkness was so intense, or so it seemed, that your mind started to imagine all sorts of things. The streets were lit by gas lamps and the shadows appeared menacing, so it was vital that you carried your own source of illumination - a torch (always make sure you had some spare batteries).
When someone passed you, the instinctive action was to move further to the nearside of the pavement to avoid them, but if they did the same manoeuvre, fear and a quick prayer rose in the heart. It was all probably very innocent, but you didn’t know that, because sometimes people with evil intent used to hide in the shadows hopeful that any crime they committed would go unnoticed. If you were carrying your torch they would then think twice about any action because you would be able to see them and identify them, but it was even better when dad was with you.
In our Christian life we will have to walk through some dark experiences, but we have the Light of God with us and within us, Psalm 119 states, 105Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.
Now walking through the darkness is not the same as walking in darkness. To walk in darkness is a choice that you make by ignoring the truth that has been made available through God’s word. There are many people in this world who are walking in darkness through ignorance but not of their own choosing, it is because they have never been told what the real truth is, and because of the darkness they are unable to find their way to the light. The Bible tells us that, ‘....19men loved darkness rather than light; for their deeds were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
Since light has come to the world there is no reason to walk in darkness. Coming to the light does involve a change in lifestyle but it is not a restrictive lifestyle, in fact it is liberating. It is much better to be able to walk in the Light and see than stumble around in the darkness and fall into a life of something that is not wholesome.
So, as a Christian, is my walk in the Light or is it in darkness? The answer, as we all know, is that I should be walking in the Light. Remember, to walk in darkness is to live in a course of ignorance, error, and sin; and to walk in the light is to live in the ways of truth and holiness.
Colin.
