The Face of the Moon

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Psalm 19:8  (Hebrew World translation)

Pure – The Hebrew adjective bar is rare indeed.  Occurring only in poetic works, it is found in only seven verses in Scripture.  Most of these are in Psalms where the word usually is translated “pure” or “clean.”  But there are two occurrences in Song of Songs (6:9 and 10) that demonstrate once again the tangible, physical orientation of Hebrew.  In these two verses in Song of Songs, bar is translated “perfect” as a description of the lover and immediately following, “beautiful” in comparison to the moon.  In other words, when the man looks upon his beloved, he can only compare her to the beauty of the light of the moon.  She is radiant without being blinding.  She glows without being too harsh to observe.  Her light is the mellow light of reflected glory.  When he sees her, he looks upon the face of the sun diminished so that he does not have to turn away. If we spiritualized this tangible reality, we could say that a man in love looks at a glimmer of the face of God when he sees the face of his ‘ezer kenegdo.  Would it be too much to suggest that the woman must be a reflection of the greater Glory if she is to be an analogy with the sun and the moon?

Notice the psalmist’s choice of verb following this moon-struck description.  The commandment of the Lord is as beautiful as the face of the moon, enlightening the eyes.  The verb is ‘or.  It is an active verb.  The commandment of the Lord gives light to the eyes.  In other words, its beauty, its purity enables us to see.  By the light of the moon, by the reflection of God’s glory found in His commandment, we are able to see in the dark.

Just a month ago I witnessed a full lunar eclipse.  It was the first full lunar eclipse on the day of the Winter equinox in 400 years.  I don’t think I will see that again!  As my son and I watched the shadow of the earth creep across the face of the moon, we saw the bright light of the full moon diminish until it was no longer possible to walk without a flashlight.  Only a few minutes before, we could easily see the surrounding landscape, but now that radiance was veiled.  The reflection of the sun’s light was hidden behind the earth’s shadow.  Had I considered this verse on that night, I might have meditated on the diminished light of God’s commandments when we cast our shadows across His creation.  The beauty and purity of His word is still there, but now it is reduced to the faintest glow by the interference of men.  Let us move out of the way so that His glory may once again be fully apprehended in the pure reflection of His command.  Let us look into the “face of the moon,” the reflection found in His instructions, and be enlightened.

Topical Index:  pure, bar, perfect, moon, command, Song of Songs 6:10, Psalm 19:8