When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

The Moon And The Fireworks

Every Fourth of July, the sky in America lights up with brilliant displays of fireworks screaming across the night sky. It is breathtaking to behold the beauty of an ancient Chinese invention that generations have thrilled to watch in great anticipation. There will be a lot of noise, lights, smoke, and often an abundance of confetti with each explosion. Dogs will howl, children scream, and couples embrace under the warm sky of color, bursting on a dark canvas. The sadness of a fireworks display is the length of its pyrotechnic demonstration, which is limited to only a few seconds or minutes. In 2014, New Year was announced in Norway with a fireworks display lasting one hour, one minute, and 32.35 seconds. A total of 810,904 individual fireworks were used for the record-breaking event.

When peering into the night sky, watching the splendor of colors exploding across the darkened sky, one solitary element continues to keep watch. Couched in a fog of cloud is the soft glowing circle of the moon. Its muted color of radiant glow from the sun creates an eerie world of shadows and mystery. The fireworks scream across the heavens and explode, leaving a path of smoke and dust. All of the energy of the firework is immediately dissipated, and it falls back to earth. Crowds are thrilled for the temporary pleasure of a moment’s glimpse, but it does not last. When the smoke clears, the resilient moon continues to watch over the night as it has done since the beginning of time.

The image of the moon becomes more incredible when the mind realizes what the eyes behold is the same orbiting celestial rock that Adam and Eve first beheld on the sixth night of creation. On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars and set them in the heavens. The moon would be the lesser light and would rule the night. It has steadfastly guided the history of humanity through every generation remaining resilient and trustworthy every night. Abraham used the moon to guide his journeys. David spent many nights peering into the depths of the heavens created by the hand of God. Jesus ventured out of his home in Nazareth, looking up into the starlit sky guarded by the moon. The moon will remain in its place until the end of time, as the promise given to Noah that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night, shall not cease. And the moon still hangs in the night sky as it has for thousands of years.

Fireworks are the invention of man, and they are, in their own right, an amazing creation of the human genius. But like everything created by man, it never lasts. There is a momentary enjoyment. The sound and visage of colors exploding in the night are exhilarating. And then comes the quick demise and silence. In the morning, the show will be over, and the confetti remnants of the night’s pleasure are strewn across acres of the landscape. The sun rules the day and the moon rules the night, remaining vigilant and constant every day and every night. They never fail, and they never diminish. God created them, placed them in the heavens four days into creation, and they have never changed.

The contrast between fireworks and the heavenly beings is a testimony to the failure of human wisdom and the greatness of God’s word. Fireworks are a work of beauty. The moon is a work of eternal glory. Everything the human mind imagines pales in comparison to the incredible works of creation ordained by the divine Creator in six days of creation. Everything remains in its constant place because God determined the habitation of all life. Man is the highest of God’s creative work and struggles with seeing God in creation. The tragedy of the fireworks display is the glory fades so quickly. So the wisdom, desires, and pleasure of life – only for a moment. When the fireworks settle down, spend some time with your family with the moon. You will be amazed at what you learn from that very ancient sphere that hands so beautifully in the sky. Thank you God for the moon. It is constant and true – like You.