Philippians 2:5-11
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
Canis Major is another well-known star sign. Who hasn’t heard of Sirius, the Dog Star? This is the second decan belonging to Gemini and another picture of a figure chasing the Hare. This is not just any dog: This is a sleek racing dog, like a greyhound.
But why a dog?
The Greater Dog.
Keep this one thing in mind: God is writing all about the glory of His Son, Jesus, Who would come to earth and save all of us by His death on the cross. It is a subject that is eternally on His mind and in His heart. He wants us all to understand what Jesus endured and get an inkling of how much it cost them both to redeem us. But while it may be freely offered, it was anything but free to Father and Son.
The first reason for putting a dog in the night sky is because dogs are the natural enemies of rabbits. They love nothing better than to chase and hunt them down at a moments notice. This is a picture of how Jesus fights our enemies for us while we are seated next to Him, as pictured in Gemini. But I see another reasons for painting the picture of a dog.
Jesus Chose To Stay With His People.
Jesus didn’t have to come down here and save us. He could have stayed in heaven and left us all to rot. The Father, Who sent Him, could have just washed His hands of the whole mess we made, wiped out all of creation, and started over again. But He didn’t. HALLELUJAH!
Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Jesus made Himself of no reputation, put on the form of a servant, i.e., was born as a human baby into this world, obeyed His Father in everything, and suffered the most ignominious death possible: The Cross. That’s where the scripture below comes in: Philippians 2:9-11
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
From the Virgin womb to the Virgin tomb, Jesus did it all, paid it all, and finished the work. HALLELUJAH!!!
So where does the “Dog” come in?
Jesus Idenifes With Us.
As you know, most of the Church today is made up of non-Jews. Not exclusively you understand; but by sheer numbers, there are more non-Jews than Jewish people in the Church. Do you know what the Jewish people called Gentiles back in the day? DOGS.
The Law Concerning Hebrew Servants.
In picturing a dog in the heavens, God is showing us that Jesus is identifying with us. He is siding with us. That’s what Moses was talking about in Exodus 21:1-6 in regard to owning a Hebrew servant:
“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall PIERCE HIS EAR with an awl; and he shall SERVE HIM FOREVER.”
Just as a Hebrew servant could choose to stay with his family and serve his master forever, so Jesus chose to side with His human family. Psalm 22:16 says it best:
“16 For dogs have compassed me:
the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
they PIERCED my hands and my feet.”
the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
they PIERCED my hands and my feet.”
Jesus paid a debt He did not owe for us, who owed a debt we could not pay. He stooped down to help us, the helpless ones and calls us to come to Him, Whose burden is light, so He can give us rest:
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Ancient Names For The Sign.
In addition to being known as the the Wolf or the Dog, this constellation was known to the Hebrews by the name of its brightest star, “Sirius,” which means, “Prince.” What is a prince? The son of a king, of course! Another Hebrew name by which this star sign was know: “Abur: The Mighty.”
The Arabs called Sirius, “Al Habor,” which means the same as the Hebrew name. Even the name given to it by the Egyptians, who possess the oldest planisphere, was “Seir,” which also means “Prince.” This word’s Hebrew root is “Sar,” meaning “Prince or Lord,” which is where we get our English words, “Sire and sir.” The Russian word, “Czar,” is also derived from this root word.
Remember Abram’s wife, “Sarai?” It means, “My Lord.” Yep, he went around calling his wife, “My Lord, my lord,” until God changed her name to “Sarah: Princess!” If you’d like to read more about the why’s and wherefore’s of their name changes, you may follow the link below and learn a little Hebrew in the process:
Ancient Names Of The Stars.
The brightest star located in the nose of Canis Major is “Sirius,” which we discussed above. The scripture from Isaiah 9:6 above indicates that Jesus would be called, “Prince of Peace,” or “Sar Shalom.” When “Sar Shalom”returns to earth, there will finally be peace on earth as He reigns from Jerusalem, His beloved city!
One more thing concerning this word, “Sar:” It carries the connotation of “Making oneself a Prince.” In essence, that is just what Jesus did. By humbling Himself more than any man, paying the ultimate price, and buying humanity back, though He was always God’s beloved Son, He showed Himself FAR MORE THAN WORTHY of the title as well. You and I certainly could NOT have done what He did.
Aren’t you glad He came? We would be LOST FOREVER if He chose to stay in heaven.
The Hebrews also called this star “Ascher,” meaning “Who shall come.” The Arabs called it “Al Shira, Al Jemeniya: The Prince or Chief of the right hand.” Who is at the right hand of the Father? JESUS! This truth is reflected in Psalm 21:8 and 98:1 below:
21:8 “Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.”
Your right hand will find those who hate You.”
98:1 “Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.”
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.”
An Arab-named star, “Mirzam,” is next in order of magnitude. It is located in the upraised left paw, which looks as though it was injured. This word means, “Prince.” Once again, our Father is reminding us that Jesus’ “Heel” was bruised in crushing the devil. The Arabs also called this star, “Muliphen: The leader or Chief.”
Third brightest is “Wesen,” also from Arabic, meaning “The Bright, shining, the scarlet.” The Scarlet? Yep! That is a picture of the Bright and Shining Son of God whose scarlet blood was shed for us. It’s interesting to note that the name, “Wesen” shares the same root word translated, “Scarlet,” in Joshua 2:18 & 21, where Rahab hung a scarlet cord form her window. Amazing!
Fourth in order of magnitude is another Arab-named star: “Adhara, Al Adra, or Aludra,” (take your pick) which all mean “The Glorious.” It is located in the thigh of Sirius closest to us.
The Denderah.
Finally, let’s check with the most ancient version of the story in the stars: The Denderah. Time and time again, this most ancient of planispheres clarifies things that would otherwise remain a mystery.
Remember that verse in Matthew 2:23? It says, and I quote, “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Then you look around for a footnote directing you to the prophetic scripture referred to…..BUT THERE ISN’T ONE! It doesn’t make any sense. What gives? That’s why we study. But fear not: Egypt to the rescue!
The Nazarene.
The priests of Denderah saw Sirius as a Hawk, another natural enemy of rabbits. He had on his head a mortar and pestle demonstrating that he is the one who crushed the enemy. They called this star sign, “Apes.” Under the figure in hieroglyphics are words with ancient Hebrew roots meaning, “The Head commanding,” and “Swiftly coming down in victory.”
(Jesus as a boy in Nazareth.)
Here’s where the Nazarene part comes in. Isaiah 11:1 reads, There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” The word, “Branch” comes from Hebrew the root word, “Natsar,” or “Nat-sar.” This very word is also used in Isaiah 26:3 but translated as “Keep:” “Thou wilt KEEP him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.”
We have discussed above the meaning of the word, “Seir,” as meaning “Prince,” same as the Hebrew word, “Sar.” Combine the two Egyptian names “Naz (Hawk, caused to come forth),” and “Seir,” which we have seen mean “Prince,” and you get “Naz-seir-ene.” The suffix, “Ene,” denotes one who is a citizen or resident of a particular place.” Jesus is the “Branch,” the Prince,” Who was a resident or citizen of the town of Nazareth!
So the mystery as to why the scripture in Matthew 2:23 refers to something spoken of by the prophets is found hidden in the meanings of names in the ancient Hebrew and Egyptian Language, which has Hebrew roots! What a God!
In our next decan, we will see more beautiful truths about this wonderful Jesus written long ago in the night sky in Canis Minor: The lesser dog.” Follow the link below to continue this series:
(Link is mis-numbered, please disregard.)
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