Critics point out a supposed contradiction regarding God's dwelling place. Verses like 1 Timothy 6:15-16 state that God dwells "in the light which no man can approach," and James 1:17 calls Him the "Father of lights." In contrast, verses like 1 Kings 8:12, 2 Samuel 22:12, and Psalm 18:11 say that God makes darkness His secret place and dwells in "thick darkness."

Consider a practical analogy: If a light is too bright to withstand, what can be done to remain in its presence? The light is lessened by obscuring it somehow.

The references to darkness are all to the temporary "pillar of cloud" formation that God appeared in to the Israelites - a divine courtesy extended so that God's overwhelming Shekinah glory wouldn't blind or destroy them.

Indeed, isn't that obvious from the 1 Timothy verse? No man can approach that light, so God must shroud it in "darkness" - the pillar of cloud - for us to get anywhere near it. This perceived contradiction arises when one assumes (without justification or attention to context) that the latter set of verses indicates a permanent dwelling condition.