Topical Bible: Months: Sun and Moon Designed to Mark Out

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In the biblical narrative, the concept of months is intricately tied to the celestial bodies, specifically the sun and the moon, which were divinely appointed to mark time. This understanding is rooted in the creation account found in Genesis, where God establishes the sun and moon as timekeepers for humanity.

Creation and Purpose

The Book of Genesis provides the foundational text for understanding the role of the sun and moon in marking time. Genesis 1:14-18 states: "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good."

This passage highlights the divine intention behind the creation of the sun and moon: to serve as markers for time, including the delineation of months. The greater light, the sun, governs the day, while the lesser light, the moon, governs the night, together orchestrating the rhythm of time.

Lunar Calendar and Biblical Months

The Hebrew calendar, which is primarily lunar, reflects this divine design. The phases of the moon determine the months, beginning with the new moon. This is evident in various biblical texts where the new moon is a significant marker for the start of months and religious observances. For instance, Numbers 10:10 instructs: "Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God."

The new moon was not only a time marker but also a sacred occasion, as seen in passages like 1 Samuel 20:5 , where David speaks of the New Moon festival: "So David said to Jonathan, 'Behold, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third evening.'"

Religious Significance

The marking of months by the moon held significant religious importance in Israelite worship and community life. The observance of the new moon was a time for offerings and celebrations, as prescribed in the Mosaic Law. This is further emphasized in passages such as Psalm 81:3 : "Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and at the full moon on the day of our Feast."

The alignment of religious festivals with lunar months underscores the integration of celestial cycles into the spiritual life of the Israelites. The Passover, for example, is celebrated in the month of Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, as outlined in Exodus 12:2 : "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year."

Prophetic and Eschatological Implications

The prophetic literature also reflects on the role of the sun and moon in marking time, often using them as symbols of divine intervention and eschatological events. Joel 2:31 prophesies: "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD."

In the New Testament, the Book of Revelation continues this theme, where celestial phenomena are linked to the unfolding of God's plan for the end times. Revelation 6:12 describes: "And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red."

Thus, the sun and moon, as designed by God, not only serve to mark the passage of time through months but also play a crucial role in the unfolding of divine history and prophecy.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

"The Light of Life"
... As the moon and the stars of the solar system shine ... beauty, so will the soul turn
to the Sun of Righteousness ... them to take His life, and a few months later they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 51 the light of.htm

Letter Lv. Replies to Questions of Januarius.
... do not forecast the issues of our enterprises by studying the sun and moon, and
the ... We do not now observe years, and months, and seasons, lest the words of ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter lv replies to questions.htm

The Book of Enoch
... are Semitic; so are those of the conductors of the months, Melkeel, Helemmelek ... The
third section reverts to the subject of the sun and moon, and gives the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of enoch.htm

Natural Science and Theological Science.
... for marking time,"the succession of months and years ... and then a thousand years of
sun, moon, and stars. ... "Sun, stand thou still upon Glibeon [307] :"""The ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/sermon ii natural science and.htm

The Second vision "On Earth"
... Ask a little child what are the sun, moon and stars? ... there went up smoke out of the
abyss, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the ... 5 months.") n ix ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the second vision on earth.htm

What Messiah did the Jews Expect?
... righteous, or all wicked; or else nine months after the ... was regarded as premundane
(before the moon, [840] before ... Whom God will send from the sun.' [850] [851 ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v what messiah did.htm

The Temples and the Gods of Chaldaea
... or supposed province which could be more easily realized, such as the sun, the moon ...
The moon is the measure of time; it determines the months, leads the ...
/.../chapter iithe temples and the.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... The sun, moon, and stars cannot here, any more than under ... In a few months, however,
a firman issued from the ... heaven, the cloud, the rainbow, the sun-like face ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

Scenes in the Lives of the Patriarchs.
... with its stars, and its rising moon, flooding with ... Months stepped away, rapidly as
silently, old associations wore off ... way, when with the ascending sun he went ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/scenes in the lives of.htm

The Mystery
... like manner according to the motion of the moon, by months ... and years with reference
to the motion of the sun. ... marked, not by hours, but rather by months, or at ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the mystery.htm