A couple of days ago I went outside my office to experience the solar eclipse. Only a partial eclipse here in Colorado, but the low light was cool, along with the crescent-shaped shadows under the trees. People from the neighboring bank and physical therapy office milled around, and one lady brought a pair of solar glasses. We all took turns viewing the sun and moon greeting in the sky.
A well-meaning viewer warned me not to stare at the sun. Which is a good tip, until you actually try to look at the sun. A bit of a second and you turn away—it’s just too bright. Unless you’re high on peyote you don’t want to linger.
I thought of the eclipse while reading the story of Samson’s parents. A childless couple, an angel visited and announced the coming birth of their son. Overjoyed, Samson’s father (Manoah) asked of the angel, What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?
The angel replied, Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.
Like a glimpse at an eclipse occurring only once in a lifetime, Manoah and his wife peeked into the reality of the heavenly realms.
The angel’s reply can also be translated, My name is too wonderful for you to comprehend. Not too difficult, or too long, or too powerful, but too wonderful. So amazing that mere humans cannot fathom it’s depth, cannot even stand to hear it spoken out loud. And that’s just one name of one angel of the myriads inhabiting heaven.
Heaven consists of more than clouds and harps. How much more we only get in bits and pieces. If you’re interested, Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven, is a great place to learn more. I love that fact that heaven booms beyond our understanding, too sensational to wrap our infinitesimal minds around.
Like the sun, the heavenly lands are overly glorious for our bounded state—too bright for us to view. But hints found in the Bible create a tantalizing hope.
One day soon we will step out of this body, gain new eyes, and stare all day long.
Judges 13 in Through the Bible in 2024
Photo by Jongsun Lee
I highly recommend Alcorn’s book Heaven, it really does give us chance to dream and let our imagination go.