NULL and Void

This will add a whole new understanding to the phrase “Null and void.”

I came across an interesting observation at work. I’m working with a database language called SQL: Structured Query Language. It has some interesting nuances that take some time to get your head around. One of them is the concept of NULL.

I have argued for years that you cannot measure the volume of a hole. The reason is a hole does not exist. It is simply the absence of something. You can measure the volume of the area around a hole, but not the hole itself. NULL is a similar concept.

When you create a SQL data structure, called a TABLE, you define the fields that will comprise the records, or a ROW, within the TABLE. The fields are described to let SQL know what kind of data you plan to store so it can process it as quickly as possible. If you do not set the fields to any value SQL assigns the value as NULL. If the field is numeric, NULL is not zero. If the field contains text, NULL is not blanks. It is simply NULL.

The thing that caught my attention today is how NULL values are processed by SQL. One of the fundamental elements of any logical computing language is comparison statements. An example is:

                if x > 5 then set y = 10

Here, if the value of x is greater than 5 then SQL will set the value of y to 10. Pretty simple. 

However, if the current “value” of x is NULL then the statement will still be considered TRUE. As a matter of fact, any comparison using a “value” of NULL is TRUE, even if you test for NOT EQUAL NULL! Here’s another example:

                if x = NULL then set y = 10

Here, the statement will be true for any value of x, including NULL. SQL has a special way of finding out if a variable is NULL. You can state the comparison like this:

                if x is NULL then set y = 10

In this case y is set to 10 only when x is NULL. For those of you that are not techies I hope you’re still reading, because this is where it gets very interesting. If you attempt to add anything to NULL the result is always NULL. Another example:

                y = 999999999999999999 + x

If the “value” of x is NULL, y will be set to NULL. Now for the application to you and me. When you are born naturally your spirit is NULL. It is not non-existent. You have a spirit, but it is not alive to the things of God. You simply exist. Any attempt to make your spirit anything other than NULL is futile. Regardless of how many good things you do, or vile things you avoid, when you sum up your life you still get NULL.

The only way to eliminate the NULL state is to replace it with something that has value. This is such a clear picture of being born again. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “We are made a new creation. Old things pass away, new things come.” God doesn’t just brush the dust off of your spirit, or “old nature” as it’s called, but God re-creates your spirit and then fills you with His Holy Spirit. You are no longer NULL!! You now have value. You are not just existing, becoming conformed to everything around you. God has placed Himself in you. That is really good news.