Ancient & Insignificant

One of the first stars to appear in the evening sky is Altair in the constellation of Aquila, the eagle. It is bright, and easy to pick out. Nearby is Sagitta, the arrow which slew the eagle.

Richard Hinckley Allen in Star Names: Their Lore and Meanings wrote this about Sagitta:

“Sagitta lies in the Milky Way, directly north of Aquila and south of Cygnus, pointing eastward; and, although ancient, is insignificant, for it has no star larger than the 4th magnitude, and none that is named.”

Notice his words “ancient” and “insignificant.” Can you pick out Sagitta in the photo here? (Squint your eyes.) I’ve come across a number of barely noticeable constellations which nevertheless were named by ancient astronomers. If you or I made up our own constellations, we would probably use only the bright stars and asterisms that easily catch the eye.

It seems to me that small, dim constellations which have survived thousands of years are evidence of an underlying story which is more important than the stars themselves. In other words, I believe there first was a story to be told—a message to be shared—and to illustrate this story the constellation figures were imaginatively drawn on the night sky, using even dim stars.

Sagitta is prophetic, I believe, of the suffering Messiah.

For look! The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the strong,
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
      —Psalm 11:2

He has bent His bow
And set me up as a target for the arrow.
He has caused the arrows of His quiver
To pierce my loins.
I have become the ridicule of all my people—
Their taunting song all the day.
He has filled me with bitterness,
He has made me drink wormwood." —Lamentations 3:12-15

The difference between these two passages is that in the first the enemy is human. In the second, the enemy is God Himself.

While men did the act, it was God who designed it. God's wrath against sin fell on Messiah in order that we might go free.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities. —Isaiah 53:10-11