Moon

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At the creation the “lesser light” was to rule the night. Its brilliancy is seen much more in the east than in the west, and its light is more appreciated in the former, especially when the heat of the day necessitates traveling by night. The NEW MOON among the Israelites was a festival: it was watched for on the hills, and as soon as it was seen, it was ushered in by sound of trumpet (Num. 10:1010Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God. (Numbers 10:10); 1 Chron. 23:3131And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord: (1 Chronicles 23:31); Psa. 81:33Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. (Psalm 81:3); Ezek. 45:1717And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. (Ezekiel 45:17); Col. 2:1616Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: (Colossians 2:16); compare 1 Sam. 20:5,18,245And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. (1 Samuel 20:5)
18Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. (1 Samuel 20:18)
24So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. (1 Samuel 20:24)).
The Israelites were warned against worshipping the moon as well as the sun and stars (Deut. 4:1919And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. (Deuteronomy 4:19); Deut. 17:33And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; (Deuteronomy 17:3); compare Job 31:26-2826If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; 27And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: 28This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above. (Job 31:26‑28)). Of Israel, in the time of Hoshea and of Manasseh it is said they worshipped “all the host of heaven” (2 Kings 17:1616And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. (2 Kings 17:16); 2 Kings 21:3,53For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. (2 Kings 21:3)
5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. (2 Kings 21:5)). Jeremiah also states that in Judah and Jerusalem cakes were made to the QUEEN OF HEAVEN, which is commonly supposed to refer to the moon, worshipped as Astarte. Then when the residue of the people had gone into Egypt, they declared that in spite of the prophet’s warning they would burn incense to the Queen of Heaven, and pour out drink offerings unto her (Jer. 7:1818The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. (Jeremiah 7:18); Jer. 44: 17-19,25).