The Day Star and the Moon

UV 2125/10000 The Morning Star
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised
Psalm 113 v 3

The clock-work precision with which the sun rises in the morning even as the moon sets reveals the truth of the verse in the book of Genesis which says that the Lord has set the sun to rule over the day and the moon over the night. The sun is a symbol of Jesus, the Son of Righteousness who rose like the sun on the earth at the time of His birth, His birthplace marked by a remarkable star. Jesus is also called the Day Star or the Morning Star. Each of us is like the moon which shines in the reflected glory of the sun. Like the moon, we have no light of our own but we shine with the reflected righteousness of Jesus. Left to ourselves, like the moon, our lives are ugly and full of craters or faults and failures but we are glorious and beautiful as we reflect the light of Jesus.

Like the moon which is just a satellite of the earth, yet it shines brighter than all the planets and all the infinite number of stars in the heavens, we too outshine in the Lord’s perspective the great number of stars of this world in different realms and spheres. Our lives on earth are like the night, the time spent for the Daystar to rise in all His glory again. Meanwhile, we are to rule the world like the moon does the night in spiritual terms in shedding light of the truth for others to see, taste and experience. Every moment the moon, though it seems to be at rest, is in motion and is moving degree by degree around the earth. Similarly, our lives are dynamic even when we appear to be still in prayer and meditation.

Every day is an opportunity to acknowledge and know better the light of Jesus. During the day, the moon moves into the background and remains invisible and unseen. We too need to wax like the moon for the glory of God every month and wane or fade into the background in the presence of His ineffable glory. In everything we think, speak and do we need to adore, admire, emulate and worship the Lord from the time we wake up till we go to bed at night. At different times of the day, we need to meditate, think and thank the Lord for the different gracious dimensions of His many titles of grace towards us – Jireh when our needs are being met during the day, Nisi as we experience victory in circumstances and against foes, El Shaddai as we experience His power and sovereignty, Rapha as we experience health and healing, Shalom as He gives us wholesome success, prosperity and peace. Like the moon, we are held in place by the gravitational pull of the sun and the earth. Similarly, the pull or attraction of the Lord towards Him against the attraction and temptations of the world is what keeps us in a constant orbit.

Prateep V Philip