Mondays

Monday is from Old English Monandaeg meaning "Moon's Day".  It follows Sunday which came from Sunnandæg meaning "Sun's Day".  Following Monday comes Tuesday or in Old English Tiwesdæg "Tiw's Day". This day comes from a Norse God and ultimately means "day to shine" and represents deity. (Wikipedia). All names of all the days of the week come from pagan origins, but what pagans named came from God who is the Creator of the sun, moon, planets and stars.

While we don't worship the moon, planets or stars, God put them there for a reason! One reason they are not there, is to worship, but that's what most people did in times past and some still do.

Deuteronomy 4:19a  "And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them...", (warning from God).

No spiritual significance should be given to the stars. They are bodies God created for various purposes, but being the primary influence in our daily living is not one of them!

The moon has phases. As we revolve around the sin the moon revolves around the earth. The backside is always away from the viewer, but the backside changes. The moon is inert whereas the sun is gaseous and radioactive. What we see from the sun is dynamic. Light is emitted from the intense heat from that source. As such, the sun represents life. Many have worshiped it for that reason!

The moon is merely a big mirror. The light we see emitted from the moon is only a reflection of the light from the sun. We can't look directly at the sun because its light is so intense and what we behold is so magnificent. However, we can see the light emitted from the sun by it's reflection off the surface of the moon. The moon makes the light from the sun more palatable to our eyes!

Exodus 33:17 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

God's "glory" is his magnificence! It's his beauty too awe inspiring to describe. We can describe God as a "radiance", but that term is still less than awe-inspiring! Therefore, let's just symbolize God's glory as the radiance of the sun! Hebrews call this light "Shekinah", which is God's glory or beauty represented by light! His glory, as can be seen from the passages above, is in his face. Moses was allowed to see God's back, but viewing God's divine face would kill him!

We've learned from our youth: "Don't look directly at the sun. It's rays will blind you!" The light is so intense that the retinas in our eyes would be permanently damaged by the light. Our vision would die. This is symbolic of the death Moses would have experienced if he had looked at God's glory face on!

However, we all know that people can look at the moon and not be harmed. The only time that might happen would be during a solar eclipse when the sun peaks around the moon and we see the sun's light diffused a little, but directly facing it. Therefore, the moon is God's way of allowing mankind to see the sun! It provides a guiding light for nocturnal travels.

The "back of God" which we can see is Jesus who is God revealed. The backside of God is similar to the concept of the moon which is a reflection of the sun. Let's look further!

Moses cant' look on the glory of God and neither can we! However, Moses saw "the angel of the Lord" in the burning bush:

Exodus 3:2 "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he (Moses) looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."

"The Angel of the Lord" was in the burning bush and because he was there Moses turned his gaze away. However, "The Angel" said "Here am I" beckoning Moses to look at him!  This "Angel" is described as God. Hence, Moses was called to look upon God! How can that be for later on it was stated that if Moses looked upon the face of God he would die? What Moses was seeing in the burning bush was the back of God or God revealed!

In the first case (God's face) that was symbolized by the sun at which Moses could not look. In the case of the burning bush, that was symbolic of the moon on which Moses could look. In that bush was the Shekinah of God, but it was tempered by who was in the bush. The face on which Moses gazed was the pre-incarnate Emmanuel, God with Us! It was he that was to be Jesus Christ! It was God revealed.

Jesus is to the "moon" as the Father's is to the "sun". Jesus IS so that we can see God. Later, he was seen in the flesh, but before he was incarnate, Moses saw him as "the angel of God", a fitting title, because he is THE ONE angel, or messenger, of God called "The Word" in John Chapter 1 and "the voice" in Genesis!

Moses could see Christ in the bush although he could not look on God directly. This is exactly the reason that Jesus was born, so that mankind could witness God first hand! It was the only way that we could see God face-to-face! Yes, we can look on the "man in the moon", but the face of God in the sun cannot be beheld!

On Sundays is when we praise God. That's his day. However, Monday's aren't as bleak as they seem to be. It's on "Moon Day" that we can walk with Jesus face on during our daily activity. Yes, Sunday is bright because we worship God, but on Monday God reflects his light so that we can look upon it! That light is Jesus!

John 8:12 "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Still not believe "Moon Day" represents Jesus? He speaks of darkness in the passage above. During part of the month the moon cannot be seen, even in darkness. The sky without the moon is a  dark place. However, during a large part of the month the sun is reflected off the moon onto the earth. This is the "light of the world" which appears to us even when its dark! That's symbolic of Jesus. The moon is that "light of the world in darkness" and Monday is "Moon's Day".

On Monday it is fitting to think on Jesus. He is lighting our world as we start the work week. Working is not as bleak if we think, "Jesus is here right now; even on Monday!" Sunday is "The Lord's Day" but Monday is the start of "The Lord's Week"! It's the day of the Deity. It's Jesus' Day!