Enduring Lessons from the Eclipse

This photo of the eclipsed sun, taken by my daughter,
Amy, shows the corona in its radiant glory.

A few weeks ago, millions across the U.S.A. were enthralled by a total solar eclipse. It was the first to cross the entire nation in 99 years, making it a rarity. Other total eclipses will be seen in parts of the country, we’re told, in 2024, 2045, 2053, 2076 and 2099, so if you missed this one, you’ve still got a shot at seeing one of those. I hear the one in 2099 is going to be a doozie – I can hardly wait!

Some of the eclipse observers arrived to worship Mother Nature, Gaia, or get their crystals recharged. But for some of us, it was a truly spiritual event, a dramatic display of the wonder and majesty of God and His creative powers.

One of those was my friend, Dave in Ellijay, Ga., who drew some interesting parallels between what we could see in nature and biblical truth. Here’s what he wrote:

“As it approached and passed, I saw no one drawing any analogies between the event and the work of the Maker of the event. So, I offer this:

The sun may be likened to God, and the moon to man, whose prime duty is to reflect God in all His affairs; for the moon has no light in itself. But because of sin, the very face of God is obscured by darkness, that existing both in a man and, in a wider sense, the world of men. Yet, even in the deepest darkness of an eclipse, the evidence of the sun is still there, seen in the corona; and the evidence of God exists and is seen by the creature through the witness of the Son of God and the Spirit of Him. And even as the eclipse has its moment and then passes, the moon to once again reflect its sun and not obscure it, so also shall mankind come to reflect God on a coming Day.

And there is yet another analogy to be drawn, that of death itself; for death is but a transitory thing, a cloaking mist, even an illusion – much as our senses would seek to convince us that the sun has actually been darkened, when in reality the masking moon has no effect upon it. Neither eclipse nor death shall last; in Christ alone, Death itself has died and Life now reigns, even if by our eyes it is not yet evident, except the eyes of faith. Those with such eyes see it already and know it is true, awaiting only the passing of the darkness for the full revelation of the light.”

I don’t know about you, but I like Dave’s metaphors. Daniel 12:3 and Philippians 2:15 both talk about God’s people “shining like stars,” being “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” But the key to the comparison – grammarians would state it’s a simile – is that we’re not stars but like stars. Much like the moon, which shines before us each night not with light of its own, but by reflecting the light of the sun.

Just as 1 John 2:8 declares, “…I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.”

Anticipation for the eclipse was building for months, coming to a climax the day of the event. As spectacular as it was, it came and then went in a matter of minutes, our brilliant sun briefly obscured by the moon in a blazing corona of glory, but quickly reappearing in all of its splendor.

As we survey the world around us, darkness seems to be gathering, leading some of us to confusion, fear, even discouragement and despair. But in terms of eternity, this present darkness will dissipate in a comparative “blink of an eye,” as 1 Corinthians 15:52 describes it. Then, as the sun reappeared a few weeks ago, the Son of God also will reappear and the darkness will disperse. “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5). Worth pondering!