“He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows it’s time for setting.” (Psalm 104:19).
“He appointed the moon for seasons.” (Genesis 1:14-18).
God appointed the moon and the sun to divide time, determine its progress, observe appointed times in any manner necessary, or indicate the return of festival occasions. In fact, the moon is the very foundation of the division of the year into months and, subsequently, the sign of everything that is to be observed during these months. For this, though, there will be no natural divisions of time except night and day.
God has been delighted to augment the natural partitions of time into days, years, and months. It is an “artificial” partition—the fourth portion of the moon’s course—a week, shown by the Sabbath. This significantly eased the burden of keeping up with routines, particularly with respect to religious observances.
The sun knows its time for setting, as if conscious of what it is doing. It knows the precise time and never deviates, always conforming to the divine command. It never sets before its time, unpredictably shortening the day, leaving man in abrupt darkness in the middle of his work. In the same token, never does it ever loiter above the horizon after the instance has come for its setting. It withdraws at the particular time it is supposed to, providing a chance for another class of creatures to rise for their designated hours. Their good is observed as well as that of man, and the processes of nature are so decided as to endorse the well-being of all.
The idea is, the entire arrangement is one of generosity, endorsing the ease of man and bringing the notions of sequence, diversity, and exquisiteness into the arrangement. Giving us humans an indicator for the passage of life gives our lives uniformity. This, in turn, helps us manage our earthly and religiously inclined tasks according to the allotted time while giving us ample time to rest. Then, there’s the fact that there are nocturnal creatures as well, who only come out at night and leave with the rising of the sun, so that is their time to work and live. This way, God gives all his creations an equal opportunity to work and rest, providing a perfect balance.
To have time broken up into brief intervals or periods which can be marked and reminisced, both in our personal life and history, is a great advantage for the sake of our life’s purpose. Thus, to follow the patterns of the sun and the moon, is to abide by the natural balance of life God has set for us.