Shine as the stars

My sister alerted me to it, and a quick Google search confirmed it: 

“Charlie Kirk, 31, shot dead”.

There has been so much speculation, smearing and scandal since that dark day. None of that is my focus for this article.

The shock, anger, loss, and despair I felt after what happened to Charlie has brought certain thoughts to mind and led me to have several conversations about him with others. While not everyone agreed on his packaging, his closeness to politics, or some of his controversial takes, it would be a fool who denies the fact that Charlie was a man who cared deeply for the defence of truth.

Oftentimes, this ‘truth’ was very explicitly scriptural. Charlie would never shy away from telling others about his personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike many prominent and influential people, who use ‘faith’ and religion shallowly as a tool to sway opinion, Charlie was different, it was the most real and important part of his mission.

Shortly after Charlie’s death, one of my brothers shared with me a portrait sketch of Charlie with the very appropriate words of Daniel 12:3 next to it “they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever”. Even as I think about it now, I almost shed a tear. What a star he was.

When I thought about great men and women like Charlie, stars who light up the dark sky and make such a difference, it caused me to consider something of the value the Word of God places on stars.

Very early in Scripture, we’re hit with an incredible ‘by-the-way’ detail: “He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). The Almighty Creator saw fit that the night sky would be illuminated by glowing speckles. Stars that would make men wonder. Stars that would make men stare and study for hours. I learn the simple lesson about stars that are created. They declare and direct attention to the handiwork of God. They display something of His glory. When civilisations were impressed at and even came to worship the very stars, they should have traced it all back to the finger of God and given Him His due. Even so with men and women we view as stars-it is God who formed them, placed them, and caused them to shine. Be impressed by their glow, absolutely, but ultimately praise God for His Work.

Secondly, in the same book, God brings out a childless Abram and points him towards the heavens, “Look now toward heaven, and tell (count) the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5). What a bright promise to one who is doubting! God used His stars as an object lesson before giving the solemn oath and passing through the unbreakable covenant that one day, His Word will come to pass. I’m glad it says, “And he believed in the LORD” (v6). The context is Abram’s seed, but if I apply it to us, what is the answer to our doubt? Oh, that we would we lift our eyes towards the stars (literal, or symbolic) and trust not only that stars are created, but learn something about stars that are counted? God has numbered His promises and will come through. The number of shining stars go far beyond our comprehension or calculation – but not His! He is keeping track. Even in tragedy, we may not understand His Ways, but we can always trust His Word. Or to stick with the topic, we may not understand His methods, but we can trust His mathematics!

Thirdly, The Psalmist reminds me of the precious fact about stars that are called by name! “He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names” (Psalm 147:4). Wonderful to know that despite the trillions of stars, our God has taken the care to give each and every one a name and an identity. Be assured, God knows and loves His own as individuals. Nobody is too insignificant for His interest. Nobody simply blends into the background unloved … God has us all in mind by very name. My thoughts again go to stars like Charlie. I’m comforted to know that he was precious to the Loving Saviour, and that God had him in His Hand. One day, God called Charlie’s name and beckoned him Home.

I’ve already mentioned the verse that put these thoughts in motion, “they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). God honours those that have honoured Him in one of the greatest ways He can- by likening them to stars. For men and women like Charlie, who spend their lives here on earth proclaiming the truth and standing on virtue despite hostility, God will grant a special reward. I find it poignant that stars actually shine the absolute brightest when they die – it’s called a supernova, and that even after death, the star keeps on shining. How true this is of Charlie and many others whose death sent a wake-up call across the globe and was the catalyst for a deep search for meaning. Consider the many bright souls who have a lasting legacy beyond the close of their life, that still speak to generations. The Lord likened John the Baptist to “a burning and shining light” (John 5:35). He would be a passing light yes, exhausted and quenched, but he would certainly be a powerful one! Ultimately, when time and earth are passed away, consider such a shine in eternity from these stars that are commended by God.

Finally, my mind settles on the very last mention of a star in Scripture. “I Jesus … the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). There are many godly men and women we hold in high esteem, and thank God for the example and the light He has shined to us through them. But primarily, there is only One True Light that our eyes will be fixed on. When all other stars have faded away into the night, the star that is Christ will shine on, heralding the dawn, and will usher us into the new and everlasting day. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

‍I am looking at the brightness,
See, it shineth from afar,
Of the clear and joyous beaming
Of the Bright and Morning Star!
Through the dark grey mist of morning
I behold its glorious light;
Then away with every shadow
Of this sad and weary night!
(Hymn by Samuel Trevor Francis)

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