The Mazzaroth of Job
Job 9:9; 38:31, 32
Understanding
God’s message of the stars in Job requires a synopsis of Job 38 through 41 and
a brief review of the stellar signs of Libra and Taurus.
Verse
one of Job 38 reads “Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind [and said].” The definition of a whirlwind is a tumultuous
confused rush. Usually, a whirlwind is
spinning air driven by warm air. This
applies to Job’s experience. Job’s world
has been spun around and around by the warm air of the loving chastisement of
God’s mercy. Until Jehovah chastised Job,
he was unaware of his incorrect thinking. He was missing what God was doing.
Because
Job received the sufferings in his life from the hand of God as a loving chastisement,
he was ready to “see” with the eyes of his understanding and partake of the
holiness of God as a son of God (Hebrews 12:10, 11). The holiness of God is the otherness of who He
is. Holiness cannot be explained, but it
can be understood in the spirit being. Jehovah
answered Job’s adversarial thinking in these four chapters by declaring His sovereignty
and authority, influence and supremacy as the Almighty. Almighty is the name of God that Job uses in
his discussion with his friends and defense of himself.
With
each revelation (and there are multiple revelations in four chapters) of the
Almighty (the Creator God), Jehovah (the personal name of the covenant-keeping
God) enlightens Job’s understanding. The
LORD Jehovah reveals to Job the difference between what Job knows, the works of
the Almighty, His acts of power and the ways
of the Almighty (His otherness) in the revelation of His glory, His personal being in the Son of the covenant. Generally, Job speaks of the Almighty God and
not of the personal covenant-keeping Jehovah God. Job knows God’s acts and power but he does
not know God’s ways. When Jehovah speaks
to Job, it is as Jehovah and He reveals His ways.
The works of God are much more
straightforward and familiar to man than God’s ways. Knowing the works of the Almighty in the mind
is not the same as knowing the ways of
the Almighty. Man must be enlightened in
his understanding to the ways of God.
The ways of God are received in the understanding of the spirit.
In Job
9:9, in his discussion with his friend Bildad the Shuhite, Job mentions three
stars by name, Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades. This discussion of the stars reveals that Job
has light of the knowledge of the
glory of God without understanding.
Jehovah
exposes Job’s lack of understanding in chapter 38:31, 32 when He mentions the same
three stars – Pleiades, Orion and Arcturus, but He lists them in their
correct sequence. The only season of the
year that all three stars are in their constellations simultaneously is in the
spring − May.
The
stars mentioned are not stellar sign constellations; rather they are specific
stars in the constellations. Pleiades is the cluster of seven stars
in the shoulder of the stellar sign Taurus; Orion is the first decan
in Taurus.
A decan is a constellation belonging to
a stellar sign, meaning “a part.” To
each of the twelve stellar signs there are three decans either above or below
the zodiac belt area of the ecliptic path of the sun.
Arcturus is a specific star
located in the third decan Bootes in the stellar sign of Virgo. The word Mazzaroth
used only in Job 38:32 is a term that refers to all twelve stellar signs.
God
uses the light holders of the heavens for a prophetic revelation and the signs
are symbols of something other than themselves and are given to mark a way. The figurative pictures portray literal
truths. The message of the luminaires is
the memorial of both the work and person of the Son of the covenant. Using the dominate cluster of stars, Pleiades,
Jehovah enlightens Job’s understanding of the ways of the Almighty.
The dominate sign in
the heavens at a particular time of year is the sign that the Sun, the dominate luminary, tabernacles
(resides) in. (Handout of Star
Magnitude, Color and Position is at the end of the lesson.) The Sun is the brightest of all the light
holders and is in figure a type of the Son (Psalm 19). The power
of the Sun governs which luminaires are declared in the evening sky.
The Sun
must be tabernacle - ing in the constellation of Taurus in order for the constellation
of Virgo
to be viewed. Thus, Jehovah lists the
stars (Job 38:31, 32) in the correct and only order they are seen.
Read Job
9:9.
The
order that Job lists the stars points to the power of God. Arcturus
is recognized as the king and means “He Cometh.” Orion is known as “The
Strong One, the Light of Heaven” and is the most brilliant of all the constellations.
Pleiades means “Congregation of the Judge.”
Light without
understanding is knowledge without glory. What Job said was true, but without wisdom and
understanding; nothing personal is in what was said. Job knows what he knows. How does what Job knows profit Bildad? What glory is there for God in what Job knows?
Without the understanding of the light
of the knowledge, Job is in the “dark” to the reality of that which he has
said. In His answer to Job, Jehovah
gives the understanding of the light
of the knowledge that Job might “see” the glory that he has missed.
Jehovah
is personal with Job. In listing the
stars in their proper sequence, Jehovah declares the glory of the power of the
Almighty, the Servant of Jehovah, the
covenant Son. Job does not “see” in his
understanding that the power of God
is His Love. Without understanding the glory of Love, the knowledge of the works
of God is spoiled. Without Love, the influence of power as a force of sovereignty and
authority and supremacy is brutal and ruthless in its pursuit of control.
The power of God’s Love – the sovereignty and
authority, the influence and the supremacy is the servant of God’s Love, the
Servant of Jehovah. The message of the
glory of the power of the Almighty, the unmovable force of Love, the Servant of Jehovah is in the sign Taurus.
The Servant of Jehovah is the power
reigning over the kingdom.
The
message of the stellar sign Taurus institutes that which was ordained
in eternity within the counsel of the eternal God (Libra) − a kingdom of sons
of God, a kingdom of priests in hope of everlasting life according to God’s own
purpose and grace given in Christ Jesus.
In the stellar sign Leo is
the institution of the kingdom; Cancer is the calling home of the
Jews to Jerusalem; Gemini is the marriage between the Beloved and His betrothed
nation; and the message of Taurus is
the establishment of the kingdom – everything is in order. All enemies have been subdued.
The
sign of Taurus takes the seer of the stars back to before the beginning, back to the sign of Libra. Back to eternity before the beginning, when in
the counsel of the true God, Eternal Life – propitiation is made for a kingdom
of sons of God. Back to the price of conflict where God, Spirit Being of Deity, offered
Himself. In the one Offering of Himself, ransom and redemption were
offered to mankind.
In the
offering of Himself was the ransom of the soul and the redemption of the body. His soul was poured out and His life offered. In the one offering of Himself, righteousness was
given, thereby providing man with the ransom of his soul and redemption of the mortal body in the seed – the
righteousness of God in Christ. In the
offering of Himself, Spirit Being of Deity offered His person, the very being of who He is − His righteousness and a fashioned
body that He retains forever in the Son.
He retains and “shares” the seed
body – life everlasting for all to receive their bodies raised up.
The
Spirit Being of Deity chose to cover His essence of deity and willingly stepped
out of eternity and into time. He took
upon Himself the likeness of man, a mortal
body of flesh and blood to be laid
down in death that He might take it up again.
Raised up out from the dead, a body of flesh and bone is the meeting
place for mankind; the body offered as the “House of Propitiation” is the Seed. The life of that body is Eternal Life, spirit.
God has
a redemption price necessary for the redeeming of man’s body; the death of the mortal body of the Son is
the price necessary to redeem the mortal body of man to be raised a body of Eternal Life, spirit. Without the propitiation, there is no kingdom
of sons of God, no royal priesthood.
Without
the offering of Himself, there is no
ransom, no righteousness to take care of the lawlessness of man’s self-will. Without the body laid down in death, there is
no seed of life everlasting. All was the
offering of a voluntary service of supreme love.
Taurus takes the seer back
to the act of Love beyond reason. This
act of Love, God’s greatest power, must be seen in the eyes of the understanding.
Let’s consider Jehovah’s answer to Job
in the three inquiries He requests of Job concerning the stars, Pleiades,
Orion
and Arcturus
and bringing forth the Mazzaroth in his season.
Read Job
38:31, 32.
Verse 31:
“Canst thou bind the sweet influence of
Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?”
Pleiades is located in the
shoulder of the bull; the shoulder is in figure a source of strength. Burdens are borne and heavy loads are carried
on the shoulders. Orion the strong man is
the strongest of men. Both stars convey
the idea of strength; uniting the two stars conveys double strength. Figuratively the message is strength upon
strength.
The
double strength of the two sources of strength, Pleiades and Orion,
are set in contrast with the two verbs bind and loose. The binding refers to chains or fetters and describes
the chains or bands used in tethering
the Pleiades
constellation. The binding has the sense of constraining, to conspire or plot
to bind. The loosing of the bands means
to open.
The
Hebrew word for bands, a cord, is used figuratively of the “cords” that
bind the constellation Orion in place, keeping it in its
created fixed order. The language articulated in expressing the power of the strength is feminine, speaking
of a sweet influence. When one thinks of
the strength of power in the feminine gender, the power of Love comes to mind. In the symbolism of the sign, the power of a
brute force becomes strength whose way is Love.
Considering
that Pleiades
is in a constellation of power, what would be the feeling created by viewing that “power”? The answer depends upon a right understanding
of the source of that power. What holds
a creation in a fixed position? What is
the tie that binds all things together? The
powerful authority of the cords of Love binds all!
Can Job
bind that which cannot be bound? Is he
able to bind the sweet influence of Love? Or can he loose the bands of the power of Love? Without understanding in the spirit of Job’s
being of the glory declared in the
heavens, the reality of that which is unseen
– the memorial of the Son of the covenant in the viewing of the Pleiades
and the feeling created is missed. It is
as though Pleiades is staring Job in the face. Without understanding of what he is viewing,
he does not see.
Verse 32:
“Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his
season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?”
As
previously stated, the word Mazzaroth
is used only in Job 38:32 and is a term that refers to all twelve stellar signs
and is a feminine plural noun. The signs of the Mazzaroth are symbols of
something other than themselves given to mark a way. The Mazzaroth was ordained of God as a
prophetic calendar to indicate the events of “His season” − the life of the
coming Son of the covenant. These three
events, He comes, He goes (ascends), and He comes again were celebrated by the
nation Israel (yet future in Job’s day) as the seven feasts of Jehovah.
Job
celebrated these events (Job 1:5) yet missed the power of Love behind his
offerings? Can the practice of bringing
forth the Mazzaroth in “His season” without understanding have any true
influence? It would be like partaking of
communion without understanding that the celebration is a remembrance – a
memorial of the union of the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus for the purpose of communion – for the purpose of the partaking of and entering into His holiness.
The
last star mentioned is Arcturus and is seen in the decan Bootes
in Virgo. Bootes is the resurrected Shepherd King Priest, the guardian of the flock of the
household of God, His sons. Here again
is the message of strength.
Does Job have what it takes − the strength to
guide the Guider and his sons? Can Job
lead or guide in the right direction without understanding of the proper path. “He [that] Cometh” is the Leader. “He [that] Cometh” is the blessing; “He
[that] Cometh” is the protection and wisdom.
Obviously
if Jehovah is asking Job if he can bind and loose and call and lead, did Job
think he could? He did until he had his
understanding enlightened. Jehovah is
not making idle conversation; this is not a frivolous point that Jehovah is
making; Jehovah is enlightening Job to the enmity of his thinking. The lusts of deceits of the pride of self-will
are very deceitful. Some of the things
that Job thought concerning himself were these (Job 31).
As a
man thinks, so is he. Job was doing
everything in his own power for God
and he must not think he has a part in God’s doing. That thinking defiles the ways of God. Once the enmity is exposed, which is the
result of the pride of self-will, Job is free of himself to follow God’s
leading and learn of Him. Job 40:4 says
“Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer Thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.”
I heard
of thee by the ear; faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. But now, my eye sees – my understanding sees
you. Light without understanding is knowledge without glory. The glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus
Christ, the Son of the covenant, the power of God unto salvation. Laid out in Jehovah’s answer to Job is the
power of the strength of the whole Eternal Covenant, Love.
In the very being of his being, Job saw the
ways of God. The fulfillment of God’s
requirements for His sons can come only from a heart set free from the values
of this world − a heart dramatically changed by God to place first importance
upon the qualities of God’s eternal kingdom of righteousness, justice, of love,
light and life, of humility and closeness to God.
A heart
set free from the values of this world comes from first being broken. God cannot use us where we are not. God placed us where we are to shed abroad His Love.
But we have no part but to “shine” as we receive the light of the glory of God
in the understanding of our being.
The Son
of the covenant was held on His course, fixed by Love for Love’s sake. Thus, Job with his understanding enlightened to
the ways of the Almighty, enlightened to the Love of God, willingly entered
into the iron of this new experience, a partaker of His holiness, fettered by
the Love that will not let go!
Glossary for Mazzaroth of Job
Arcturus – is a specific star located in Bootes, which is the third decan in the
stellar sign Virgo.
Cancer’s Message – is the calling home of the Jews to
Jerusalem.
Ecliptic
Orbit –
is the sun’s path as the earth’s rotates around the sun.
Gemini’s Message – is the marriage between the Beloved and His
betrothed nation.
Jehovah – is the personal name of the covenant-keeping
God.
Leo’s Message – is the institution of the kingdom.
Libra’s Message – is the propitiation ordained in eternity
within the counsel of the eternal God – the overview of the Eternal
Covenant.
Mazzaroth – is the prophetic calendar in the stars that
reveals the entire life of the Son of the covenant.
Orion –
is
the strong man and the first decan in Taurus.
Pleiades
– is
a cluster of seven stars in the shoulder of the stellar sign Taurus.
Ransom – is the offering of righteousness in the
pouring out of His soul.
Redemption – is the life of the covenant Son - the Seed
Body.
Redemption Price – is the death of the mortal body of the Son
of the covenant.
Servant of Jehovah – is the covenant Son, the power of
love reigning over the kingdom – the message of Taurus.
Stellar Signs – are the twelve primary constellations that
have three decans (constellations) each.
The forty-eight constellations make up the Mazzaroth or the Zodiac.
Taurus’ Message – is the establishment of the kingdom of God on
earth – all enemies have been subdued.
Ways of God - are the many revelations of His glory, the
Son of the covenant.
Works of God - are His acts of power.
Star Magnitude, Color and Position
Stars that the
unaided eye can see vary in magnitude from principal stars of -1 down to 6th
magnitude, the colors of the star flash are white, red, blue, green and
yellow.
Star positions depend
upon the direction of the sun according to the earth’s orbit.
Winter Stars
January − the sun is in the
direction of Capricorn; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Leo, Cancer, Gemini and Taurus.
February − the sun is in the
direction of Aquarius; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Virgo, Leo, Cancer and Gemini.
March − the sun is in the
direction of Pisces; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Libra, Virgo, Leo and Cancer.
Spring Stars
April − the sun is in the
direction of Aries; the stellar constellations with their decans in the evening
sky are Scorpio, Libra Virgo and Leo.
May − the sun is in the
direction of Taurus; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra and Virgo.
June − the sun is in the
direction of Gemini; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio and Libra.
Summer Stars
July − the sun is in the
direction of Cancer; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius and Scorpio.
August − the sun is in the
direction of Leo; the stellar constellations with their decans in the evening
sky are Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Sagittarius.
September − the sun is in the
direction of Virgo; the stellar constellations with their decans in the evening
sky are Aries, Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn.
Autumn Stars
October − the sun is in the
direction of Libra; the stellar constellations with their decans in the evening
sky are Taurus, Aries, Pisces and Aquarius.
November − the sun is in the
direction of Scorpio; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Gemini, Taurus, Aries and Pisces.
December − the sun is in the
direction of Sagittarius; the stellar constellations with their decans in the
evening sky are Cancer, Gemini, Taurus and Aries.
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