Seeking Pleiades

Constellations are fascinating. They even show up in the Bible. Job mentions several in Chapter 9: the Bear (AKA Big Dipper), Orion and Pleiades specifically.

The story of Pleiades is one of my favorite of all the astronomical myths. (I love the way people weave these nighttime stories to make sense of the natural world!) Here is one version of the legend:

The Pleiades were once seven beautiful sisters. They were so beautiful that as one of the earth's greatest hunters stumbled upon them one day, he instantly burned with passion for them. Confident in his own status, he pursued not one, but all seven of the women, which detested the Pleiades. Still, the great hunter pursued the seven sisters relentlessly. Finally, the sisters appealed to the god Zeus for protection.

Zeus agreed. He transformed the sisters into seven doves, who flew away together into the night sky. But the hunter would not give up. He climbed into the sky to chase after the Pleiades. In the northern winter night sky, we can still see the great hunter, Orion, chasing the cluster of seven stars night after night. Constantly pursuing, but never attaining.

When Job talks about these stars, he references them in context of how true powerful God is. He spends much of the chapter building his case of God's grandeur. Then he makes this statement:

[God] is not a man like me that I might answer him,
that we might confront each other in court.
If only there were someone to arbitrate between us,
to lay his hand upon us both,
someone to remove God's rod from me,
so that his terror would frighten me no more.
Then I would speak up without fear of him,
but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

Wow, Job is truly fearful of God? The Bible often speaks of how we are to fear the LORD, but I have never truly understood that. Maybe I am a product of my culture in this area. A.W. Tozer, renown theologian of the early 20th century, might say so. In his profound book The Knowledge of the Holy he writes:

"In olden days men of faith were said to 'walk in the fear of God' and to 'serve the Lord with fear.' However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful.... but this healing fear is today hardly found among Christian men."

Job and Tozer had it right. God says it himself in Jeremiah: "Am I only a God nearby and not a God far away?"

The instant I think I deserve to be near the Lord, I become Orion. Constantly pursuing, I will never attain. Conversely, a "healing fear" will draw me close to God in humble reverence only through my Savior Jesus. I love that.