Tampering With the Order of God

The Sun, Moon and the stars all rested in their usual arrangement in space. Every morning, the Sun began the day with the beautiful brightness of his orange-yellow rays. He spread life and warmth to the sleeping grass, trees, and insects below. The grass and plants stretched forth their arms to the sun and shed last night’s dew. Sunbeams trickled onto sleeping faces inside their homes. When man felt the warmth of the sun, he knew a new day had begun. That was good. At night, the Sun gave way to his little brother, the Moon, which guided the stars and decorated the night. Though the moon was a lesser light, he lavished the heavens with just enough light to make the nighttime beautiful. The lesser light lulled the occupants below to sleep and dropped fresh dew upon a thirsty ground. The stars leaped and danced gaily at night to the light of the moon; they even formed pictures in the sky. Everything had its place. It was peaceful. All were happy. And that was good. But one day, a thought approached the Moon. Just a little thought. “Oh, I am so small; my job is not that important. Why do I have to be the lesser light anyway?” A curious Moon pondered. “Hmmmm…” The thought grew stronger. “Why can’t I shine as bright as my big brother Sun?” The Moon paced the sky, giving place to thoughts, and thoughts, and more thoughts. In time, his thinking conceived bitterness, and his heart hardened to stone. Anger arose, burning the irate Moon to a shade of pink. “I can, and I will! Yes, I, even I, will shine brighter than Sun!” Angry rebellion plotted, and craters boiled upon the face of a furious Moon. He schemed a takeover, and waited for just the right day.... One day, as the Sun adorned the Earth with its glorious yellow-gold radiance, the Moon approached silently. “Sun, why are you always the greater light, and I always the lesser?” the Moon asked. “Who told you that you were always to be? The Creator never really said we could not switch. In fact, I could probably shine just as illustrious as you. Give me your place.” “No. It is God’s arrangement—It is His order. Move aside.” The Sun continued to shine on the Earth, ignoring the Moon’s madness. But the defiant Moon stood directly in front of the Sun, blocking his rays. “I said, give me your place!” Suddenly, the whole Earth faded black at noonday. Once again, “darkness covered the face of the deep.” Earth’s inhabitants came out f their abodes. They stood in wonderment. The cheerful birds stopped singing; the grass aged to brown; and the trees sagged low in despair. The arrangement had been misaligned-- the order, breached. That day, the Earth stood still. The Moon glanced down and saw a darkened Earth and all its tormented members below. Immediately, his heart sank, and his countenance fell. Anger melted away. Sorrow softly rained upon the face of the Moon, and he cried, for he loved the Earth, too. And as the penitent Moon embraced God’s compassion for creation, that age-old, deceptive desire for power began to wither away… “Oh, Sun, you were right,” cried the Moon. “It is the Creator’s arrangement to make me the lesser light. For any other way destroys the life and light of the Earth. Darkness prevails, and that is not good. Forgive me, Sun. I will never again tamper with the order of God, our Creator.” The Moon retreated in submission, returning to his position of ruler of the night. The Earth returned to its natural vigor. Light shined as brightly as a new day. Birds began to sing a joyous song, and all the trees of the field raised their arms to receive the glory rays. Light and life were abundant in the world. Everything was in place. And that was good.