Creation - Day Four - Lights in the Sky

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.

The last part of the third day and the beginning of the fourth day, God begins to fill His creation. (The first three days basically reveal how He forms various aspects of creation.) On the fourth day God creates lights for the sky, somehow separate from the light He created on day one, or perhaps God is taking the light from day one and giving more order to it. Once more God speaks to make it so, and this part of creation is every bit as good and perfect as everything else He's created up to this point. He inspects His work, declares it perfect, pleasing, and ready for use.



I must confess that this study has produced amazement within me as I consider the order in which God puts creation together. So far in our study, God has created: 1) light, 2) sky/atmosphere, 3) land, bodies of water, and vegetation, 4) the sun, moon, and stars. A divine universal order is unfolding, one part necessary for the next, each part distinct but also connected to the whole.



I also thinks it's important in this study to keep our focus on who. As Creator, God owns His creation. He made it from nothing (Hebrews 11:3), and it belongs to Him (Psalm 74:16-17).



Lights in the Expanse I find it interesting that the Bible doesn't specifically name the greater and lesser lights in the sky. One study tool mentioned that when Genesis was put into written word, the sun and moon had become worshiped in several cultures (forbidden in Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:2-7), so that the writer of Genesis was perhaps hesitant to mention their names. We have no way of knowing if this is true or not, but we can tell by the description in the Bible that the greater light is the sun and the lesser light is the moon. 



For some reason, the writer chose not only to give God's words, but then to explain the process again, sometimes using the very same words. As a teacher, I quickly learned that repetition is key to students retaining information, and the result is the same here.



Notice that there are three purposes for these lights listed in the scripture:

To separate  day and night, light and darkness
To serve as signs to mark (and "for" ESV) the seasons, days and years and to govern (rule, preside over, to be in charge of) day and night (Psalm 104:20)
To give light on the earth
Stop and think about the implications of this part of creation. For further study: Psalm 136:7-9 (God's motivation), Jeremiah 31:35a (God's power), Gen. 8:22 (God's promise)

Signs The word "signs" really stood out for me as I read this passage. I understand the reference to seasons, days and years, but "sign" didn't seem to fit in the list. As I studied I found several references to signs in the skies, all of which have to do with the end times and the day of the Lord. Here are a few references for further study if you so choose: Isaiah 34:4; Revelation 6:12-14; Joel 2:30-31; Matthew 24:29-30; Joel 3:15; and Luke 21:25. Jeremiah 10:2 mentions that we're not to conform to the ways of those who are terrified by signs in the sky, which seems to be a reference to astrology.

The Amplified Bible says: "...signs and tokens (of God's provident care), and (to mark) seasons, days and years." Who can look at the sun, moon and stars and not know that God loves us and cares for us? Like David, my heart cries out: "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for (bless) him?" (Psalm 8:3-4)

Application/Questions 1. What are the three purposes of the sun and moon as explained in the scripture?

2. How is this part of creation important from a human standpoint?

3. What do you think is God's motivation in creation? (Psalm 136:7-9)

4. How does creation testify to God's power?

5. What promises does God later give Noah in relation to the fourth day of creation? (Genesis 8:22)

Closing Thoughts First, another great quote from Matthew Henry:

"The lights of heaven are made to serve Him; they do it faithfully and shine in their season without fail. We are set as lights in this world to serve God; but do we in like manner answer the end of our creation? We do not; our light does not shine before God, as His lights shine before us. We burn our Master's candles, but we do not attend to our Master's work."

Second, a couple of verses for contemplation: Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. (Philippians 2:14-16)



Heavenly Father and Creator-Sustainer of the universe,

How blessed and privileged we are to have a place in the wonder of Your creation. And to think that You did it out of love to create a place for mankind is beyond our ability to understand. Then to think that, even now, You are preparing a place for us in heaven that far surpasses what we know of the Earth, leaves us speechless and scratching our heads in wonder. I can only speak for myself, Lord, but I feel so undeserving. From the very beginning of creation, You demonstrate grace. Help us to remember that You created us for a purpose and part of that purpose is to hold out the word of life, and in so doing, to lead many to righteousness--to lead them to You.

In the name of the powerful Word, Amen