Layil (lah'-yil): Night
Night isn't just a time of day. Biblically, it's where things happen. This week's Hebrew word is layil, and it seems to be where a ton of important things happen.
Jacob wrestles with God at night and comes out with a new name, Israel walks out of Egypt for good at night, Solomon gets handed wisdom in a dream at night, and Daniel sees the future unfold at night. Even back in Genesis, God doesn't treat night like an accident or an empty stretch of time, He names it Himself and gives it a purpose right alongside the day. I'm personally not a big fan of the night or even the winter. I want sunny happy days all the time! But God's been teaching me an appreciation for the restful, focused time of night.
You see, the darkness pattern keeps holding up all through Scripture! Night isn't where God steps out and rests, it's sometimes where He shows up to do His most important work, right in the middle of the dark instead of waiting for morning. Pay attention to the Biblical narratives that mention something happened at night- they want you to see how something is being hidden, concealed, revealed, planned, even unpacked. Nicodemus speaks to Jesus in the dark of night, because he is embarrassed and ashamed but Jesus tells him the light of life! Ruth and Boaz meet in the dark of night and make a private plan that's executed publicly in the light of day, the next day. You get the idea. Scripture often is showing us something when it tells us the events happened at night.
Scriptures where we find "layil":
Genesis 19:33 — what isn't known is concealed in the night
Genesis 20:3 — what isn't known is revealed in the night
