Write2Ignite

Recently, I’ve been rereading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. While revisiting the story, I was struck by the tale of the lamplighter and the lesson his faithfulness teaches.

In this lovely book, the little prince explores several planets before he ends up on Earth. As the prince encounters a variety of grown-ups in different places, we see a series of distractions that often bind people. The characters focus so much on holding power, counting possessions, feeding pride, or drowning shame that they lose sight of what truly matters. The prince leaves each one feeling less and less sure of finding a friend.

When he comes to the planet of the lamplighter, though, he finds someone that he admires.

The Lamplighter and the Little Prince

“It may well be that this man is absurd. But he is not so absurd as the king, the conceited man, the businessman, and the tippler. For at least his work has some meaning. When he lights his street lamp, it is as if he brought one more star to life, or one flower. When he puts out his lamp, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful.” The Little Prince, Ch 14

When the little prince sees the lamplighter’s planet, he can’t understand why a place so small would need a streetlight. Even so, he admires the lamplighter’s occupation because the lamp adds beauty.

Then he speaks with the lamplighter. He soon discovers that the man lights the lamp and puts it out over and over. When he asks why the lamp must be lighted and put out so often, the lamplighter replies sadly,

“The orders have not been changed,” said the lamplighter. “That is the tragedy! From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed!”

“Then what?” asked the little prince.

“Then–the planet now makes a complete turn every minute, and I no longer have a single second for repose. Once every minute I have to light my lamp and put it out!”

The little prince feels sorry for the man and his inability to rest. Yet, the prince admires the lamplighter’s faithfulness and the fact that he cares about something other than himself. Both qualities seem rare after encountering so many grown-ups who care only for themselves.

The Lesson of The Lamplighter

While the little prince admired the lamplighter, I read his plight with sadness.

Surely when the lamplighter first began, his work held beauty and value. He lit up the night and allowed his star to sleep during the day, as the prince said. However, the meaning of his task vanished with the speeding up of his planet. When night only lasts a minute, why should he need a lamp? When the day slips by 60 seconds later, why not leave the light on? As the days became minutes, the lamplighter was trapped with no rest, stuck in an endless cycle. Even the virtues of his faithfulness and selflessness couldn’t give him a life of joy or peace. He was as bound as any of the other grown-ups.

The problem, I would contend, is that the lamplighter is faithful to the wrong task. He gave his loyalty to a job that didn’t actually matter.

The Lamplighter and the Christian Walk

As Christians, we are called to live faithfully and selflessly. Our focus should be on obedience, walking each day in the word of God. In that sense, the lamplighter seems like he should be a good example, following orders without ceasing, even when all he wants to do is sleep. He perseveres and presses forward, just as we are called to do. The difference is that the orders we follow, the words of the Lord, are never empty, and our obedience should always be fueled by love for the Father.

The lamplighter reminds me of two lessons, along with two examples in Scripture.

First, he shows the emptiness of committing ourselves to the wrong orders.

In Galatians, we see Paul writing to a group of believers who have been thrown into confusion over the issue of circumcision. Jewish Christians were trying to teach Gentiles to follow the rules of the old covenant, which Jesus made unnecessary when He ushered in a new and better covenant. Certain leaders were still trying to enforce these old customs, and in doing so, were leading others astray. (See Gal 2:11-14). These leaders submitted to the expectations of other Jews, instead of following the truth of the Gospel. Paul therefore scolded them as hypocrites.

To believers following the wrong teaching, Paul said, “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:2-3, NIV). When we follow the wrong orders, focusing on teachings apart from the Word of God, our actions as worthless and exhausting as the endless lighting and putting out of a lamp.

Second, the lamplighter shows the futility of obedience without love.

In Revelation 2, John writes the letter to the church of Ephesus.

“These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” -Rev 2:1-5, NIV

Along with the mention of lampstands, the church of Ephesus and the lamplighter have much in common. Both have admirable qualities of perseverance and hard work, even in the face of hardship. I would contend, too, that both have lost their first love.

The lamplighter is all alone on his planet. There is no one for him to share his light with, and no mention of who gave the orders in the first place. The lamplighter focuses solely on his task and his lament that he can never rest. No love, no friendship, and no human connection offers him joy or purpose in his task.

In Revelation, the Lord reprimands the church because despite their faithfulness to doing the work of the Lord, they have forgotten their love. No amount of dedication to good deeds, not even a commitment to learning Scripture and calling out falsehoods, can replace the love of God and love of others.

In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus tells His disciples, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Final Thoughts:

The lamplighter in The Little Prince was more admirable than the other grown-ups that the little prince found. Even so, he was still missing the the most essential things, and the little prince had to leave him. In the same way, we risk missing the most essential truth if we focus our attention on working in our own power or following the wrong voices.

We must be faithful to the tasks the Lord gives us. We need to persevere in obedience to the Word of God. But first and foremost, we must be faithful in loving God and loving the people He puts in our path. When we start from a place of glorifying the Father and delighting in His word, our obedience will be a source of joy even in hardship. We’ll find rest even in times of trials. The love of the Lord gives meaning to every action we are called to and strengthens us in the ability to be faithful.

Karley Conklin

Karley Conklin is a librarian by day, a writer by night, and a bookworm 24/7.

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