You know those kinds of “God-moments” when you’re just going through life or pushing through to the end of the week and God shows you something that brings you to an abrupt halt? You’re walking and walking and suddenly bam, there it is; the cloudy, orange-reddish sky, alive and radiating the sun as it’s pulled behind the clouds towards the sunset sky. Or at least, that’s what inspired me to write this as my first blog. What better way to begin this blog than the picture God paints to illustrate His glory and power and the ultimate sacrifice his son made on the cross for us. Oftentimes in Scripture, God paints beautiful pictures, also known as similitudes, to help us better understand Biblical concepts. (Hosea 12:10).
God’s Gallery
The sun is mentioned 154x in 36 different books in Scripture. If 154 mentions in God’s preserved word isn’t enough to warrant attention, King Solomon, the wisest man in the Bible, stated that “there is profit to them that see the sun” (Ecclesiastes 7:11). According to Solomon it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to behold the sun (Ecclesiastes 11:7). It’s almost as if you’re walking through God’s art gallery and you see one of those leather sofas sitting in front of one of the biggest, gold frames in the gallery.
Museum Tip: Curators place those little sofas in strategic spots throughout the gallery; they’re not just spots to rest! They’re the museum’s way of saying, “Stop! Sit here a while and really appreciate the art!”
God’s saying, ” I want you to stop, sit, be still, don’t worry about what comes next; look at this one, it’s light and it’s pleasant, it’s not concerned with all the baggage you may have brought trying to find it, it’s not concerned with who else is in the room; it wants your attention. In essence, let your eyes behold the sun!
The Sofa: Establishing Connections
Once an observer finds themselves sitting peacefully, they should let their minds wander, trying to discover what message the artist was trying to convey in the piece. Usually the artist wants to establish a connection between the observer and the piece; something they can hold onto, or take with them; despite not being able to take the piece itself. In the same way, as we gaze our eyes upon the sun, the Lord has a message he wants to convey to us! He wants to establish a connection. He’s offering something we can hold onto and keep in remembrance (1 Corinthians 15:2) as we move on to the next room, or what’s next in our life.
Observations of the Sun on the Canvas
Imagine the most beautiful sunset or sunrise you have ever seen painted on a canvas in front of you. Have you ever considered a sunset/sunrise painting can have a dual nature and portray either morning or evening depending on how the eye beholds it? Your eyes look upon every square inch of detail: the clouds scattered hazily about, the streaks of red, orange and yellow brushed together, and the bright and beaming sun offset in the frame.
Artist tip: An artist’ chooses specific colors to create a specific mood and specific strokes to convey direction/movement. Likewise, the Lord designed the colors and movements of the sun and moon to portray a specific picture.
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 1:5 says, “The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.” Use the chart below to help your mind start making connections!
| Sunset | Night (moon) | Sunrise |
| Blood-Red | Darkness | Light |
| Sun sinks below horizon | No sun | Sun comes up from below |
| Death | Burial | Resurrection |
The Message of the Sun
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the picture God wants to display to the lost, cursed world is found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and it’s in every brushstroke of his artwork.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Romans 1:20 declares that creation testifies of God. None other than the greater light, the sun, could picture our LORD, in all his glory and power. Philippians 3:10 says, “That I may know him (God), and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” It’s through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that we come to know him! “Nothing is hid from the heat thereof” (Psalm 19:6), “day unto day uttereth speech, night unto night sheweth knowledge” (19:2), “there is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (19:3). The masterful picture of each sunrise and sunset, “enlightens eyes” and causes “rejoicing in a heart” (19:7-8). Remember at the beginning, Solomon told us to behold our eyes on the sun? Remember gazing upon the sunrise/sunset painting from our leather sofa? The message the Lord wants you to receive when you look at a sun rising or setting, is to see the Lord on the cross (in your place), dying the death (you deserved), being buried, and rising again, giving us the opportunity to know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. Because the sun does not simply just set… it will rise! Picturing Jesus’ triumph over the grave, carrying the keys to Hell and death with him (sunset), offering to us the same power, the same resurrection, the same new life (sunrise).
Research Note: Key observation about the sun’s rays Interesting to notice, the sun has three rays; visible light that you can see (Jesus), infrared radiation that you feel as heat (the Holy Ghost), and UV radiation that you can’t see or feel (God the Father). Through this picture, God magnifies the triune God, the trinity, three-in-one GOD! Romans 1:20, says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” God’s creation is always going to be in systems of three because the triune God used the pattern of Himself to create it!
Creation is often coupled into groups of three!
- Man: body, Soul, Spirit
- Environment: land, sea, air
- Kingdoms: animal, vegetable, mineral
- Matter: solid, liquid, gas
- Galaxies: spiral, irregular, elliptical
- Flowers: annual, biennial, perennial
- Time: past, present, future
Remember the Message: The Moon
I entitled this blog, “If You are the Sun, then I want to be the Moon” because if you allow the Sun of righteousness to arise with healing in YOUR heart, you now have access to the light of the Sun (Malachi 4:2)! In that, you reflect His light into the world! Which would make you a picture of the moon! Recall Genesis 1:16, “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.” God made the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. That is, he made the Sun to rule the day, and the moon to rule the night. Jesus, the Light of the world was taken up and received in a cloud out of sight. Before doing so, he told his disciples that they would receive power, and that they would be witnesses unto him When Jesus ascended to the Father, we became the “lesser”, little lights in the world (Acts 1:8-9). Isaiah 30:26 says, “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun! We know that one day we will be like Him (1 John 3:2-3), but until that day, God has called us to reflect his light to the world!
Research Note: Solar Eclipse
During a solar eclipse, the moon, as it orbits the Earth, comes in between the sun and the Earth, thereby blocking the sun and preventing any sunlight from reaching us. In the same way, we can often find ourselves or the world in the way of Jesus’ light.
Who’s traveling to see the solar eclipse in April 2024? My husband and I are going to be taking a trip up to White Face mountain in New York to see it with a friend! I will most definitely be writing a blog on it. Comment down below if you’re in a place it’s going through or if you’ll be traveling to see it, if so where?!
Verses to Consider
Matthew 5:14-16 – “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.“
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see…”
“… to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:6 – “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.“
Acts 26:18 – “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light.”
Closing Remarks: The Light will Return
Just as the Lord (the Light) ascended back up into Heaven he will once again descend back to this earth. 2 Samuel 23:4 says, “And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.” He will be transfigured before us, his face shining as the sun, his raiment white as the light (Matthew 17:2), because HE is light! Revelation 10:1, “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:” The LORD will meet his bride (the church, Ephesians 4) in the air and we will be with Him for all of eternity, never to fear the darkness of this world again. When the LORD returns and steps foot on this earth again, in all the fullness of his power and glory, we will be behind him (Matthew 24:30), and he will cast death and hell into the Lake of Fire for all eternity (Matthew 20:14). The Lord will make all things new (Revelation 21:1). He will create a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:23-25 says, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Finally, there will be no need of the sun, nor the moon; for the glory of God will be the everlasting light! He’s offering you that everlasting light, every day the sun rises and every night the sun sets.
If you are the Sun, then I want to be the moon
If you are the Sun,
Then I want to be the moon,
I want to reflect the light that shines from you,
Take my heart, make it glow,
Shine your light from the inside out,
I want to be more like You,
If you are the sun, then I want to be the moon.
I hope you remember this similitude the next time you see the sun or the moon praising their Creator in the sky and most importantly, I hope you believe it.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).
R.C
Heather Lockwood 
A Closser Look 
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