Celestial Order and Divine Worship
The Bible interprets the role of the Sun and Moon as God-established luminaries that primarily serve a practical function – they separate day from night, serve as signs for times, dates, and seasons, and help determine sacred periods designated for worship. For example, in the creation text it is stated: "And God said: let there be luminaries in the firmament of the heavens [to give light upon the earth and] to separate the day from the night, and for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so. And God made two great luminaries: the greater luminary to rule the day, and the lesser luminary to rule the night; and the stars..." (source: link txt).Thus, in the biblical narrative, the solar and lunar luminaries are not objects of worship in themselves; instead, they serve as indicators of the order of creation that point to the grandeur of the One Creator. They are used as a sort of “cheat sheet” for people to know when to praise God, not to endow them with independent divinity: "This is not myth, but a polemic against myth. In Egypt and Babylon, Phoenicia and Canaan, the Sun and Moon are the greatest gods. From the perspective of the biblical author, their religious status is so insignificant that even their names need not be mentioned. Thus – 'two luminaries.' Two cheat sheets for people so that they know when to go out to work and when to praise the One God who created these little lamps." (source: link txt).As for the heavenly host, the Bible repeatedly warns against worshiping anything that is created and against attempts to exalt spiritual forces, especially when it comes to the angelic host or the celestial pantheon. The prophets condemn idolatry and warn that turning to the "heavenly host" might lead to forgetting man's true purpose – turning to God Himself. For instance, one Old Testament prophet states: "Heavens hide God from man – and this blockade must be broken. Oh, if only You would tear open the heavens and come down!" – exclaims the Old Testament prophet Isaiah... (source: link txt).It is also clear that the worship of the entire heavenly host is regarded as a deviation from true worship of the One God, as evidenced by the sharp criticism of those Jews who abandoned the commandments and worshiped the entire heavenly host: "Another ancient biblical book reproaches the Jews for having abandoned all the commandments of the Lord and worshiped the entire heavenly host..." (source: link txt).Thus, in the biblical worldview, the Sun and Moon appear as creations of God intended to establish order in time and nature, serving both a utilitarian and symbolic role rather than being objects of an independent cult. Similarly, the heavenly host is presented either as part of the cosmic order or as an object of warning against idolatry – true worship should be directed solely to God, not to His created powers or the angelic host.In summary, biblical teaching emphasizes that all luminaries and celestial powers have their place in the Creator’s design. They are means by which man can recognize cycles of time and the cosmic order; however, the true connection with the Divine lies not in worshiping these creations but in turning directly to God, who established the entire order.