The Sun—a Humble Servant—Shemesh

August 5, 2008

by: Teri Riddering, Coordinator, BFP Spanish Resource Center

It is possible that the Hebrew word for sun, shemesh, may have originally derived from the Sumerian sun god Shamash. It was believed that the sun was the greatest of all gods, but God warned the Jewish people to be very careful not to worship the hosts of heaven (Deut. 4:19). Shemesh, however, takes on a totally different position when seen in the perspective of shamash. The sun’s elevated position of a pagan god takes on the humble position of a servant. Interestingly, the ninth and extra candle on the Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) candelabra is called the shamash, and it is used only for lighting the other candles. Its only purpose is to serve. As Joseph Lowin explains in his book Hebrewspeak—An Insider’s Guide to the Way Jews Think, the shamash “is an instrument that takes its importance from its very instrumentality, like a servant.”;’

Servant of God and Man

Scripture reminds us that God is greater than the sun. Because He made it, it submits to Him. “Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun” (Ps. 74:16 NASB). The sun has to obey God, “which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not” (Job 9:7a, KJV). Also, the sun, moon, and stars are told to praise God.“Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all stars of light!” (Ps. 148:3). We have to admit that without the sun, we could not exist (Deut. 33:14), but in no way can it take the position of God in our lives. This is probably what the Psalmist was thinking when he declared, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield…” (Ps. 84:11), meaning that God is our real source of nourishment and life, and He also shields us from its potentially harmful effects.

The sun also has to serve all humankind and nature in general. Along with the moon, it has a central function to play in the separation of night and day, in the measurement of time by months and years (Ps. 136:8), and in the control of our seasons (Gen.1:14–16; Jer. 31:35).

Thus, the sun is a blessing to us, as declared by King Solomon, “The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun” (Eccles. 11:7 NASB). But, it can also be an insufferable curse, as experienced by Jonah: “…the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, ‘Death is better to me than life’” (Jonah 4:8 NASB).

The Blessing of the Sun

Birchat HaChama is a Hebrew phrase that means the “blessing of the sun,” using chama (hot) as a synonym for sun. It is a special ceremony done once every 28 years, in which the Jewish people thank God for the sun. They understand that the sun was created on the first Wednesday of Nisan (Hebrew month in April–May), and it returns to its original position every 28 years during the vernal equinox. It will be recited again next Passover on April 8, 2009.

This prayer also makes reference to the future days of the Messiah and the fulfillment of all prophecy, when “the light of the sun will be seven times brighter…on the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted” (Isa. 30:26 NASB). In the last days, when the “sun of righteousness” (Mal. 4:2), or Messiah, will sit on His throne in Jerusalem, He will heal the fractures and bruises of His people. His light will outshine the sun (Isa. 24:23), and Yeshua (Jesus), the Lamb of God, will be the city’s light (Rev. 21:23).

Thus, in seeing this interesting similarity between shemesh and shamash, we are given a proper perspective of the sun’s role. It is not a god to be worshipped but is a servant that we can thank God for. And, one day, we will bask in the light of God’s Son, the “Sun of Righteousness.”