Hey, we’re back to Virgo – the tail of this lion is swishing her head.
 |
| Align top to north-east |
Yes, this is Leo and if you want to make sure
you’ve found him in the night-sky, that brilliant quadruple star over his heart
is Regulus, virtually in a line with Megrez and Phad down the back of the ‘Big Dipper’. What’s more, of all the brilliant
stars in the night-sky Regulus is the
closest to the ecliptic line which makes it rather special.
So what do Leo’s stars mean?
So what do Leo’s stars mean?
Regulus (heart) : Latin for ‘little king’
Denebola
(tail) : from Arabic ahanab al-asad meaning
‘tail of the lion’
Algiebha (neck) : from Arabic al-Jabhah
meaning ‘forehead’
Zozma
(rear) : Persian for ‘loincloth’
Okay, they fit. A lion is supposed to be ‘king of the jungle’- is that what the Bible says?
Sure! Proverbs tells us it is ‘strongest among
beasts, and turneth not away for any’ – recorded by perhaps the greatest king
ever, Solomon of Israel, who had 2 gold lions beside his throne and 12 more on
the steps, so there would be no mistake as to who was boss!
Even the wicked prophet Balaam had been forced to say this about Israel:
Even the wicked prophet Balaam had been forced to say this about Israel:
“He couched, he lay
down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that
blesses thee and cursed is he that curses thee.” Numbers 24:9
Ah…so all Israel would identify with Leo then - and look out if you don’t
treat them right! What about any
individual son of Jacob?
“Judah is a lion’s
whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as
a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not
depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes;
and unto him shall the gathering of the peoples be.” Genesis 49:9-10
Okay then!....the Lion of the tribe of Judah gets to hold the sceptre!
No-one will be found worthy to open the seals of
God’s judgment, except….
“Behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to
loose the seven seals thereof… a Lamb as it had been slain.” Revelation 5:5
Well that has to be the Lord Jesus Christ. I notice Matthew opens his
account by presenting the royal title of Jesus Christ, worshipped by the magi,
honoured as the Lamb of God by John the Baptist and even recognised by Rome’s Pontius
Pilate. So why the title - Shiloh?
That’s the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9 verse 6,
but first He must judge the nations...
“And he hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:16
I think I can see why Leo is the
climax of the ‘Mazzaroth’. The Lion of the tribe of Judah must finally be
honoured as the King of king and Lord of lords!
Acknowledgements: Stellarium
Wallace K, Dawes G, Northfield P, ‘Astronomy Australia 2013’, Quasar Publishing
Image credit: GM-Holden/flickr.com
Wallace K, Dawes G, Northfield P, ‘Astronomy Australia 2013’, Quasar Publishing
Image credit: GM-Holden/flickr.com
No comments:
Post a Comment