Theology of the Moon
Genesis 1:16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
Introduction
This morning I want to do a fun little study on the theology of the moon. And like last week one of our main objectives will be to demonstrate the fruitfulness of thinking through life, this world, and all that we encounter theocentrically.
Now our study this morning comes out of a lifetime of reading- from serious works of literature to those old fairy tales we all grew up with. And as we read, we encounter over and again notions of the moon and the night sky- from stories of witches and the full moon, to the mysterious rhythms of life being marked by the moon, to the trepidation of being in some dark forest at night that fill so many fairy tales.
Regardless, across cultures and time (and even in Scripture) there is embedded in our collective sensibility this notion that the moon, darkness, and night represent evil, foreboding, and death.
However, we need to remember that the night, moon, and darkness all preceded the fall and therefore are a part of God’s original perfect creation. As such, they did not originally suggest death or evilness.
Therefore, this morning I want us to venture behind the current notions of moon and darkness to see if we can recover something of the original message that God was displaying in the night sky prior to the fall- a message, which by the way, the new life of the resurrection has in fact recovered for us and which Scripture still intends to resonate with believers today.
What then was the original theology of Night and Moon?
I. A Sky Before the Fall
A] As we turn to Scripture it is vital to note that prior to the fall, night, darkness, and sleep did not represent death or evil (there was no death and man had not yet fallen). Instead, God assigned the night, moon, and darkness to break up man’s work into days, weeks, months, and seasons.
Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
B] As such, the night and moon signaled to man that his life and work were not defined by an endless, pointless, and unbroken toil. Instead, man’s life and work had order, purpose, and progression. In other words, far from the foreboding of death and decay, the night sky simply marked the end of labor and the beginning of rest. In doing so, it structured man’s existence.
Psalm 104:23 Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening.
C] Not only that, as night and moon signaled the conclusion of man’s workday, they crowned it with rest, refreshment, and dreams of the new day/new dawn to come (think future). Importance: remember, God created man’s work to reflect and share in His own work (Ex 20:9-11) FN#1. Notice then the very pattern of labor, completion, and rest that define man’s work is the same pattern that we see first in God’s work.
Genesis 2:2 And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day FN#2
Notice the point: God intended the blessing, fulfillment, and rest that concluded man’s workday (and man’s workweek) to point ahead to and locate man’s work in the coming fullness of God’s purpose for creation. In other words, the night has always been about the future (even as biblical rest has always signaled completion, blessing, and fulfillment) FN#3.
Bottom line: God gave the night and moon to structure man’s labor after His own. As such, night, moon, and rest point ahead to/anticipate the future and fullness of God’s purpose for man and creation.
II. Creation’s Sky
A] Next, notice that it was into this context of purpose, blessing, and future that God placed the moon and stars into the night sky. Thus, the night sky was not left in empty darkness. Instead, it was adorned with light, beauty, and splendor. As such, man’s work did not end in a vacuous void but in majesty and hope.
Psalm 8:3 When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;
B] However, that said the light of the night sky was not as bright as that of day. Rather, it was the light of promise and future. It was softer, more mysterious, a light not yet seen in full but already crowning man’s deeds and measuring his days and seasons. As such, it filled man’s rest with the wonder and assurance of God’s unfolding purpose for His creation. In other words, it pointed to the dawn to come.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. FN#4
In fact, even after the fall, God did not abandon His purpose for creation; nor has He abandoned the message of the night sky.
Psalm 89:36 “David’s descendants shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me. 37 “It shall be established forever like the moon, Indeed the witness in the sky is faithful.”
Bottom line: the moon, stars, and night sky proclaim the unfolding future of God’s purpose for man and His creation. At the same time, their structure locates man and his labor within that purpose. That is the theology of Night and Moon FN#5.
III. Falling Stars and Fallen Sky- How did we arrive at our current perception
A] It is only after the fall, when sin entered the world, that the end of man’s life and labor were no longer rest and blessing. Instead, man’s end became death and judgment. As such, the image of the night sky came to point to a very different sort of future. Thus, darkness crowned man’s days and came to represent a separation from life, light, and God; while sleep became an omen of death, loss, and judgement FN#6.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men FN#7,
C] However, again, God never abandoned His purpose for creation or the witness of the night sky. Thus with redemption, man’s share in the older, deeper meaning of night, moon, and stars is reclaimed and secured (2 Pet 3:13). As such, Scripture directs the believer over and again to gaze at the night sky and be filled with the wonder, hope, and assurance of God’s plan FN#8.
Genesis 15:5 And YHWH took Abram outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Bottom line: for believers today, looking at the night sky should fill us with awe and wonder at the majesty and goodness of God. In turn, it should remind us of the hope that undergirds God’s entire plan for His people and His creation. God has sent his Son to defeat death and darkness and reclaim the whole of creation as our home. Thus, our future whispers and glimmers across the night sky. In turn, gazing at the night sky reminds us of our allegiance to serve God and His purpose (with our life and work); and of our role as lights and witnesses amid the darkness of the world FN#9.
Footnotes
1] Man’s work is based on and shares in God’s work
Exodus 20:9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “Because in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
2] Notice, the day-night structure of man’s work within creation is based on and established by God’s own work of creation.
Genesis 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Importance: remember the Creation account is fundamentally theocentric (God centered). As such, Creation begins and ends with God (“In the beginning God created” and “The seventh day is Holy unto the Lord”). In other words, from beginning to end everything is from God and everything is for God (it all comes from God and it all tends to God according to God’s purpose).
Thus, as Scripture reminds man that his work is based on and is to reflect God’s work and purpose (Ex 20:9-11), it is not just when we work that is to reflect God (6 days). Rather, by modeling our work week on that of God, we are reminded that our work is to reflect the purpose and objective of God’s work. Thus, our workweek concludes with the Sabbath and the offering of all we have done to God. Simply put, the moon and night measure out the very structure that defines the essence creation (all is from and for God). As such, they serve to locate man and his work in that very structure. Think about it: without night and moon and their division of days there would be no Sabbath (7th day); nor would there be the weekly progression of life to that Sabbath consummation.
3] Importance: from the start God intended the conclusion of man’s daily work in splendor, blessing, and fulfillment, to point ahead to the fullness of God’s purpose for His creation. In fact, God planted this hope/assurance/purpose in the very heart of the garden where He placed man to work.
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…..15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden in order to cultivate it and keep it.
In other words, in the midst of the Garden, God planted the promise of the fullness of His purpose for creation (Tree of life) as well as man’s need to serve/seek that purpose (obey- don’t eat from Tree of Good and Evil).
4] It is no surprise that just as night points to the mystery and hope of what is to come, so the visions which speak of this promise are often given at night. The current day is done and God now points to the new day/dawn that is to come.
Daniel 2:19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; (c.f. Gen 15:12-18)
In fact, notice the reversal of the hope proclaimed by the night to those who because of sin, rebellion, and unbelief have been cut off from that hope/future. It is no surprise then, that those who are cut off from God and His future are said to grope about in darkness and spiritual deception
Mica 3:5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets Who lead my people astray; 6 Therefore it will be night for you– without vision, And darkness for you– without divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, And the day will become dark over them. 7 The seers will be ashamed And the diviners will be embarrassed. Indeed, they will all cover their mouths Because there is no answer from God.
5] It is thus that God refers to the proclamation of the night sky as a covenant, as the assurance/pledge that His plan for creation will be realized
Jeremiah 33:20 “Thus says the LORD, ‘If you can break My covenant for the day, and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, 21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers.
Simply put: the sky proclaims the very message of Scripture
Isaiah 55:10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth 11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
6] Because fallen man is cut off from God and His future for creation, darkness and death became the only message that the night sky offered to them. Subsequently this is the same message that the death of the firstborn during the Passover proclaimed (those separated from God have no heir/inheritance/place in the future of God’s creation). Regardless, fallen night came to represent the dangers and hostilities that sin has brought into the world. Thus, in darkness we find lurking threats and miscreants; with the moon we see witches, demons, and the pallid realm of the dead; while man has looked to the stars to read a future which is hidden and in which he has no part. Notice then, behind each of these is the revelation of God’s wrath as well as man’s impending judgement and death. In turn, all of this stands in stark contrast to the believer, who looks for the day of Resurrection, life eternal, and a new heavens and earth.
7] Even in man’s fallen state, God maintains the older, more ancient message of the night sky as a witness and a call. As such, sleep still retains its original blessing of rest and refreshment; while the moon and stars still proclaim majesty, order, and hope. In addition, God sends His children as lights and witnesses to offer this very salvation, hope, and future to man. In fact, Scripture compares the witness of God’s people today amid a dark world, to the stars that break up the night sky.
Philippians 2:15 prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
In other words, on earth and in sky, God has surrounded man with heralds proclaiming and offering His purpose, salvation, and future.
8] In fact, Jesus (the redeemer who realized God’s plan and redeemed God’s creation) is called the bright morning star, the one who announces/heroalds the new dawn
Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”
9] Bottom line #2: from the start the theology of Night and Moon has:
As such, for believers today, looking at the night sky should fill us with awe and wonder at the majesty and goodness of God. Our future whispers and glimmers across the night sky