Welcome to the MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 213th episode. In this episode I’m bringing you another edition of Bible study content I’m creating for my church. This content is every bit as professionally produced as my normal episodes on MHB — and my intent is to continue cross-publishing them for your benefit. So without further delay I bring you: Summit Bible Study.
Hello friends and thank you for listening to another Bible study. Today we’re continuing our study in Genesis — we are in chapter one. This chapter has emphasized the importance of God being our Creator. We’re given this truth as a starting point by which we may build the rest of our faith. Understanding who God is as our Creator allows us to maintain proper perspective as we develop our relationship with Him as our Master and as our Savior. We know seeing God as our Creator is important because those who reject God nearly always reject Him as their Creator as well. This is because whoever created the universe is almost certainly the authority over its nature and its purpose — including the nature and purpose of ourselves.
We reviewed how pagan philosophers throughout history have asserted an eternally existing universe or a universe which spontaneously generated itself from nothing in order to avoid positing a Creator God. Scripture says, “The world by wisdom knew not God.” and this means humanity has forever used their intellectual faculty to deceive themselves into believing there is no creator. None of these atheistic origin stories are without fatal flaws, but the flaws are explained away with recourse to our own limited understanding. They say things like, “We don’t know how the Big Bang could spontaneously erupt a universe from nothing, we just know that it did.” This is the case with all unbiblical creation myths — they present a raft of fallacies and make little effort to resolve them.
Scripture on the other hand, provides a much more epistemically satisfying answer all in the very first verse: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The first verse of God’s word gives a better and more useful knowledge of the origin of the universe than all the volumes of the philosophers combined. The Creation is just one example of an entire corpus of God’s words which give simple, truthful answers to our most puzzling questions. Answers which stand the test of time and transcend the boundaries of culture. Psalm 119:130 says, “The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” And so we can put to rest the question of where our universe came from if we simply have the faith to do so. Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
In the previous Bible study we explored a general account of the work of creation with a specific focus on the first day. It was on the first day that God created light. We discussed how the creation of light has a textual parallel to the conversion of a lost soul — a parallel which Paul himself explicates in 2 Corinthians 4. In this study we’ll read about the creation of the firmament on the second day. The firmament is essentially the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s sometimes the “expanse” which indicates the cosmos itself wherein God will create the rest of the stars and planets. We’ll witness God establish the oceans, form the dry land, and generate vegetation as well as trees on the third day. As we progress through the chapter we’ll see God create the Sun, the moon, and the countless stars — every one of which scripture says God knows by name. In the final days of creation God populates the Earth with fish, birds, all kinds of land animals, and finally He creates human beings. So let’s begin by reading verses 6-8:
Gen 1:6-8
6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
An important part of the firmament is the Earth’s atmosphere — without which the planet would not be able to sustain life. The atmosphere protects us from radiation, regulates the water cycle, covers us in livable temperatures, and provides breathable air. Our atmosphere is finely tuned to support life. It’s one of the best examples of God’s common grace, as He has given it to protect both the righteous and the wicked and neither have earned it. Although the atmosphere is an important part, when the Bible uses the term “firmament” it’s also referring to the expanse of the cosmos itself. The firmament is everything you see when you look up. It includes outer space which is occupied by stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. It also includes the sky which is underneath the Earth’s atmosphere — the place where the clouds form and the birds fly.
For as long as humanity has walked the Earth we’ve been fascinated by the cosmos. It presents a frontier of untrodden expedition underneath which human beings have aligned their ambitions for millennia. We’ve spent huge sums of money and assembled the most brilliant minds in our efforts to reach the stars. Of all the majestic things God has created, perhaps none of them so magnificently reflect His grandeur like the vast expanse of the cosmos. In this way, the firmament has always functioned as something of a communication medium between the physical realm and the spiritual realm. When we talk to God and when we muse on the mysteries of eternity, we have a tendency to look up. Although the atmosphere functions as a shield or barrier against harsh physical forces, the firmament was never a partition between ourselves and God — rather it is more like an intermediate structure. We are not prohibited from traversing it as technology affords us the opportunity.
Notice how the scripture is careful to specifically point out God is the One who created the firmament. Since the cosmos is so grand and — depending on who you ask — so old, it’s easy for us to mistake it as being eternal. But even something as incomprehensible as the universe was spoken into existence by the power of God’s word. The scripture is careful to point this out as a reminder that anything God requires of us — be it works, faith, love, or holiness — He Himself creates in us. God works it within us or else it is not done. These things are created for us and enabled within us by the power of God’s grace so that He alone may be praised because of them. Your faith and your love is no more the consequence of your own creative efforts than is the cosmos itself. The best parts of you are not self-generated, they are given to you by God. Remembering this truth is indispensable for promoting one’s humility and gratitude.
Scripture says the cosmos (including the moon, the stars, and the planets) is the work of God’s fingers. The expression of God’s omnipotent power is revealed in the vastness of the universe. The expression of God’s omniscient wisdom is revealed in the fine tuning of the bodies which occupy it — most notably our own planet Earth. Our solar system is constructed with such mathematical precision that even singular miscalculations in the physical constant would topple the entire enterprise. It is a work of art of the highest order.
But like we said, the part of the firmament which bears the most immediate importance for ourselves is the Earth’s atmosphere. The water cycle is presented in these verses where it reads, “God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.” Well-watered, fertile land was considered a grace of God during these times. It still is a grace of God, but we’re just protected against droughts and desolation by the workings of our technological infrastructure. If God ceased His providence of rain across the entire planet, even our advanced networks of food growth and distribution would not be able to sustain themselves.
One of the primary reasons Canaan was considered the Promised Land and more desirable than Egypt was because Canaan received regular rain whereas Egypt needed irrigation for crop development. An ecosystem supported by a climate with sufficient rain was better than systems of irrigation because you didn’t have to work as hard for it and it couldn’t be as easily destroyed by your enemies. Also the regularity of rain isn’t dependent on the behavior of men — God is going to provide rain whether men are behaving properly or not. Unlike God’s providence of rain, man-made irrigation systems might start to deteriorate under corrupt leadership who abuse resources rather than maintaining the infrastructure.
You might remember hurricane Katrina. The reason Katrina was so devastating wasn’t because of the power of the hurricane. It was a category 3 storm when it made landfall. The reason it killed nearly 1,400 people and cost $125 billion in damage is because the levees broke. State and local leadership had misappropriated funds meant to maintain New Orleans’ system of levees. This financial corruption resulted in deferred maintenance and ultimately a failure which caused 80% of the city to be submerged in floodwaters. So even with natural disasters which are commonly considered beyond our control, it’s hard to separate the influence of human corruption and its impact on making outcomes worse than they need to be. This is why a water-system based entirely on human endeavor was less desirable than one based on the providence of God.
Scripture says the dew and the showers of the Lord do not delay for the sons of men. God upholds the physical constant and ecological systems like the water cycle with exclusive, direct sovereignty. Psalm 104:13 says, “He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.” All of humanity could be gone tomorrow and these systems would continue uninterrupted for as long as God sees fit.
In addition to these God-maintained systems being beyond our control, they also make up the foundation upon which our own systems depend. The crops we plant cannot grow without photosynthesis, and we have no control over the sun. The irrigation systems we dig cannot provide water unless somewhere else God is giving the rain to replenish the ground. Psalm 65:9 says, “You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.” In virtually every dimension of your experience, you can trace the causal chain back to God who is the giver and sustainer of all life.
God not only uses the weather for acts of providence, but He also uses it as He shapes the course of history. When Job questions the sovereignty of God, part of God’s response is to challenge him: “”Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of distress, For the day of war and battle?” God uses His control over the universe for the comfort of those who serve Him, and for the destruction of those who defy Him. God’s omnipotence should bring peace into the minds of those who love Him and fear into the hearts of those who hate Him.
In this passage we read God name the firmament “heaven.” Remember we said the firmament is like an intersection between the spiritual realm and the physical realm. It’s like the only part of heaven we can see at this moment. Scripture says God’s throne is located above the firmament. So that intuition you feel to look up at the night sky when praying or communing with God is not by accident. God actually is in the height of heaven, which is not to say He’s in outer space, rather that outer space gives us a kind of refraction of the heaven He occupies.
One of God’s titles in scripture is “Most High” and this title represents both God’s unreachable location as well as is comprehensive sovereignty over all things. There is a figure in Isaiah chapter 14, who is traditionally understood to be Lucifer before his fall from heaven, who specifically uses this title “Most High” when he aspires to put himself on God’s throne. The passage opens with a reflection on Satan’s fall: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
God’s title Most High is meant to remind us that despite how powerful human governments and human leaders can seem — none of them escape the sovereignty of God. Another notable instance in scripture where we see the title Most High used is when Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had become one of the most powerful kings on the planet. He was given a dream in which a great tree grew to the heights of the sky and could be seen all over the Earth. Then an angel of Heaven descended and called for the tree to be chopped down.
Daniel explained how the great tree represented Nebuchadnezzar and his power. In regard to the dream Daniel tells him, “This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will remain as yours after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules.
The unreachable heights of heaven, as represented in the heights of the firmament itself, should remind us of God’s supremacy and the impassable divide between us and the Father without Jesus Christ. The clean, bright shining of the stars on a clear night reminds us of God’s glory, majesty, and perfect holiness. The incomprehensible, expansive vastness of the universe reminds us of God’s unlimited power and reach. The fact that the firmament encompasses the Earth calls us to remembrance of God’s universal providence in all things. He is everywhere and He is in control of everything. Let’s continue our study of Genesis by reading verses 9-13:
Gen 1:9-13
9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.
12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
Up to this point we’ve watched God’s creative work be focused on the space above the Earth. With a word He spoke light itself into the creation. Then He established the firmament of Heaven which we understand to include the Earth’s atmosphere as well as the vacuum of space itself. Moving into the third day of creation, God forms the oceans and the dry lands. He also brings forth and sustains the fruit of the earth by the power of His command.
The astute reader will notice, while God created the firmament on the second day, He has not yet created the sun, moon, or stars. So He actually formed the oceans, dry land, and the Earth’s vegetation before there was even sunlight to sustain it. Critics of the faith have pointed to this as a flagrant example of iron-age ignorance concerning photosynthesis and the need for sunlight in order to grow crops. But I actually think God did it this way on purpose to show us how the power of His word is the ultimate sustainer of all life. While it’s true that God makes normal use of second and third-order causes such as photosynthesis, it’s also true that He is not dependent on any of them. He can create and sustain everything out of nothing. Even today, the sun itself is only able to give energy because God commands it. God is so much the divine Source of life that by His speech He’s able to grow all the world’s vegetation, trees, and fruits before the sun even existed.
God created the Earth with the intent of building a habitation for humanity. This seems obvious but much of the secular narrative holds that life sprang forward from a primordial soup and by sheer happenstance unicellular organisms, through process of time, evolved into human beings. The first step in preparing the Earth for life was to separate the waters and form the dry land. We discussed the precosmogonic chaos in verse 2 and how in the beginning the waters and land were mixed into a disordered mass. Separating them marked the first act of order God introduced on the Earth itself. Separating the land from the oceans made both of them more useful.
There are five great oceans on Earth and more than 50 seas. These are fed by networks of rivers and tributaries all across the dry land. The land itself has water all through it with underground reservoirs and rivers. There are even some underground lakes like the Lost Sea in Sweetwater, Tennessee. This placement of the waters in all their respective locations happened by the spoken word of God.
We read a little bit about this process in Psalm 104:6-9: “You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth.” Scripture indicates that God holds the waters within the boundaries He set for them by His almighty, unceasing power. In Job this power is described as God setting a bolt and doors on the oceans, commanding that thus far they shall come but no farther, and here their proud waves shall stop.
Floodwaters and deep mires are often used in scripture to represent chaos and trouble. Indeed God used a flood to purge the Earth of the reprobate generation from which He chose Noah as a righteous remnant. Even with the worst of floods, the waters always settle and return to a state of confined order just how God established them. This should encourage us because the same is true concerning troubles and tribulation. Even when chaos rushes into our lives like a flood, God remains in control and in the final analysis the troubles will recede just like the floodwaters and order will be restored.
When we see the oceans and the rivers obeying God’s command to remain in their ordered locations, this should give us reason to praise Him. It’s a reminder of His daily wisdom, power, and goodness. The restraint of the waters is what allows us to use them for things like travel and commerce. Access to dependably dry land allows us to build permanent residential neighborhoods and cities. It’s easy to take this basic, omnipresent act of providence for granted — but the truth always comes rushing to the fore the moment water gets out of control and a major flood happens. Scripture says the sea belongs to God for He is the one who made it. It also says God formed the dry land with His hands.
The description in the creation account appears to show the dry land having been formed while it was still under water. As the oceans and seas are divided into their permanent holding patterns, the land just begins to appear as if it emerged from the receding waters. The spiritual lesson to draw from this is that the dry land is a gift from God and it doesn’t become useful until it appears. If we allow the gifts God has given us to remain submerged and buried in our own lives, these gifts aren’t useful to us or to anyone else. To walk through life without revealing what God has given you is to receive His gifts in vain.
Once the dry land appears we see God populate it with all sorts of vegetation and trees. This was the first bit of food provision for the animals and human beings He planned to create. Varieties of fruits and vegetables, each bearing seeds after their own kind, sprang forth from nothing at the command of God’s speech. The seeding system He created would ensure the planetary food source would replenish itself in perpetuity. It’s a wonderful thing to reflect on — how richly God provides for the sustenance of humanity — despite the numerous times we’ve forfeited our lives to stupidity and sin.
It’s easy for us to remember the Earth belongs to God, but sometimes we forget He also owns the fullness of the Earth. All animals, crops, and products made from natural resources were ultimately started by Him and continually belong to Him. When God speaks an allegory through the prophet Hosea to illustrate Israel’s unfaithfulness He says this, ““Yet she does not know that it was I myself who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which they used for Baal.Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time And My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax That I gave to cover her nakedness.”
We spoke in the previous study about how atheists, pagan philosophers, and other secular types draft complex narratives about how the universe began in order to disavow God as their Creator. We see a similar behavior happening here. One trait common among the wicked and the unrepentant is that they reject God as their provider. They deceive themselves into believing they have what they have because of their own merits. This self-deception causes them to forget the basic truth that all of what they have was ultimately sourced in God. Their absolute dependence on God is masked by their own pride. To avoid this trap we must remain humble. When we remember that all of what we have is sourced in God, we also remember the reason why we should use it in service to His honor and glory.
It’s also helpful to note that the fruit of the Earth, even as we see it thousands of years later, grows forth from an unbroken chain of divine providence tracing all the way back to this first creative act. God only created the vegetation ex nihilo one time — since that moment it has passed itself down through the generations in a miraculous conservation of unbroken replenishment. Anytime you eat any kind of food, you are participating in and benefiting from this very first creative miracle. Thus you live your life embedded in a standing instance of God’s unwearied power and perpetual goodness.
Another lesson we can learn from this creative passage is to see how God supplies the habitation before creating the inhabitants. There is great wisdom in supplying provision before you have occasion to need it. If due diligence in preparation is the right move for God then it’s definitely the right move for us. Failing to prepare, in some instances, is certainly a sin of omission.
The common grace of God’s provision mandates that the faithful give God their praise and thankfulness as a response to receiving the things we need. This is why it’s common practice in Christian homes to pray a prayer of thanksgiving before eating meals. Remembering that the fruit of the Earth originates in God also gives us security during times of famine or drought. God is the fountain, so when the streams dry up we can still rejoice in Him and trust that He will bring us what we need. Let’s finish our study with verses 14-19:
Gen 1:14-19
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;
15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.
17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.
19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
In this passage we see God creating the sun, the moon, and the stars. In popular culture when the creation of the universe is portrayed you often see these elements coming at the very beginning. I think is portrayal is a combination of secular influence concerning the Big Bang as well as a misplaced sense of importance among Christians. There is no doubt the grandeur of the stars inspires us to worship. The stars and the solar system testify of the glory of God — so this is a proper response.
But in the sight of God as revealed in scripture, the most important activity is actually happening on Earth. The creation of humanity and Christ’s gospel of redemption is the central narrative of scripture — the stars and outer space itself work to serve this narrative. That’s why when God creates these heavenly bodies He describes their purpose in reference to the Earth. God says, “Let there be lights in the expanse of heaven to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.”
Scripture revealing the God-ordained purpose of the sun, moon, and stars and showing that God gave these immense, beautiful pieces of the creation for us is a testament of His love for us. Their creation is also a testament of God’s magnificent power. Job 26:13 says, “By His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens.” Another way of thinking about this is the breath of His word. God breathes and galaxies form. The stars adorn the firmament to reveal the beauty of the highest heavens but also to bless the lower world of the Earth. We’ve come to depend on this blessing for all sorts of things like navigating the oceans, cartography, and inspiring all forms of planetary science including space exploration. And that’s just the stars. Billions upon billions of stars all of which — according to scripture — God calls by name.
This passage tells us God created the great lights to be for signs and seasons as well. We know one of the principal benefits of the moon is to stabilize the Earth’s axial tilt and provide for consistent, predictable seasons of weather. The sun itself is the driver of virtually all energy necessary for life on Earth. If the sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day, then what was the light God created in the very beginning? I think it’s possible “let there be light” refers to the creation of the phenomenon of light itself. So it would have been a disordered, unformed light with no obvious source. On the fourth day when God says, “let there be lights in the firmament” He’s talking about establishing natural sources of light — the stars, the sun, etc. The creation of these heavenly bodies represents entry into an increased level of order. Such is the pattern with God’s creative works: He begins by creating unformed material out of nothing, then He imposes structure and order to this material, changing it into what we recognize today.
Increased levels of order and structure are what make this material useful. Unformed potential is useless — it’s not until you apply restrictions and limitations that unformed potential gains definition and becomes useful. Babies are born with the phonetic ability to speak any language on Earth. As they begin to learn their native language, they lose the ability to shape the phonetics of foreign languages. The more limited they become in phonetic ability, the more refined their native language becomes and eventually they’re capable of intelligible speech. So it’s as if they die into their native language. The unformed potential in the beginning, while theoretically capable of developing into any language, is unintelligible baby-babble. As the phonetic potential becomes more restricted, so the sharpness of their articulation in their native language increases. Restriction implies definition and definition implies usefulness. Of course people can re-learn the phonetics of foreign dialects and become multilingual — but this is not something that comes natural to us.
God Himself is light, and so He is the Father and former of lights. Jesus said, “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.” This biblical principle of revealing the light for all to see is demonstrated when God established the lights in the firmament. It’s a common grace of God that the sun, moon, and stars shine for all of us to benefit from — even the wicked and unrepentant. God’s love is such that even His enemies are not left in total darkness.
Notice how in the second day of creation when God created the firmament itself, He doesn’t explicitly say that it was good like He does with each other day. One possible reason is because before the stars were in place, the firmament was not serviceable for humanity. It wasn’t providing anything. Scripture says the sun was given to govern the day and the moon was given to govern the night. The sun is what provides us a distinction between day and night. When the sun sets, we call it night. When the sun rises, we call it day. The position of the sun relative to Earth’s revolution determines seasons like summer and winter. This continual, consistent play of light on the Earth is what we use to determine the passage of time and to structure appointed times.
We take it for granted, but the consistency with which our seasons occur is crucially important for our survival. We know when to plant crops and when to harvest them because we can predict the timing of our seasons. A consistent, 24-hour day also allows us to create routines of work and sleep. Jesus said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” Each new day gives us the opportunity to reset and focus on the duties in front of us. We need this daily reset in order to keep ourselves from losing track or becoming overwhelmed. Sometimes life becomes so difficult that the promise of a new tomorrow is the only hope a person can cling to. It is a grace of God that He has separated the day from the night and given us this opportunity to reset.
When secularists hear me talk about the grandeur of the universe, including its innumerable stars and trillions of galaxies, they think it’s insane that I suggest these were made for humanity. What kind of hubris must it take claim the lights in the firmament do not shine for themselves nor for the spiritual realm above it, but for us? The funny part about that is, the scripture asked the same question long before the secularists knew anything about it. Psalm 8:3-4 says, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?” The love God has for humanity doesn’t make rational sense, especially when we’re held up against the grandeur of the universe. The scripture acknowledges that.
Our only response to this kind of radical love must be gratitude, praise, and diligence to use what God has given us. It is a sin of omission to waste our lives on hedonistic pleasures when God has done so much to facilitate our daily work. He has given us great purpose and great work and upholds us in a magnificent universe that we may accomplish it. God made the sun, moon, and stars to serve us and these bodies do it faithfully. They shine in their appointed patterns without fail. As Christians we, too, have been established as lights for the world. We’ve been redeemed and sanctified for the purpose of serving God — just as the stars serve us — yet how often do we come up short? How often do we fail to meet the purpose we’re designed for?
So we know the sun, moon, and stars are all the work of God’s hands. Certainly there are stars much larger than the sun, but there is no star more important to humanity than the sun — and so it is given in scripture as the greatest of the lights in the firmament. The sun represents a noble instance of the Creator’s wisdom, power, and goodness. How powerful must God be to create such a thing? How good must He be to ensure it provides us energy and warmth? Listen to what the first six verses of Psalm 19 say about the stars and the sun and how their majesty testifies of God’s glory:
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun,Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
The moon is another example of a heavenly body which, objectively speaking, is not nearly as impressive as other stars and galaxies. However, scripture counts the moon as one of the greater lights because of its usefulness to the Earth. It doesn’t matter that the light of the moon is simply a reflection of the sun’s light — the office of the moon as ruler of the night makes it more significant than other bodies like stars. The spiritual lesson to be learned from the moon is that God values those who are most serviceable and most obedient to faithfully do good. Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.” Talent, power, and gifts mean nothing in the sight of God if the person isn’t using them with humility and obedience. In fact their giftedness may serve to condemn them because they have less justification for their refusal to do the work.
When we read in this passage that God “made the stars also” we notice the text makes no effort to distinguish between stars and planets. This is because the purpose of scripture is to reveal God to us and transform our inner-person. It’s not a science textbook and it holds no interest in explaining the physical workings of the universe. The extent to which the scripture endeavors to report how the universe was made doesn’t go far beyond simply telling us God made it. The most important part of the creation account is revealing God Himself as our Creator.
When we think of the sun ruling the day and the moon and stars ruling the night, it’s important we understand this as deputy-rulership under God’s sovereign authority. The governance offered by these heavenly bodies does not extend beyond that which God commanded them. They are to give light, establish seasons, and in the sun’s case give energy. It sounds rather elementary to underscore this, but the cosmos is routinely used to inspire idolatry and worship of the creation itself.
Many times you’ll hear secularists say things like, “The universe is telling me this or telling me that. The universe is punishing me or rewarding me. The universe has such and such planned for my life.” All of these sentiments reveal how easy it is for idolatrous humans to appeal to the universe as a replacement for God. This kind of idolatry is especially offensive to God because all of the creation belongs to Him including the stars in the firmament. He created these things to serve us, and yet we turn around and serve them as gods.
One reason we tend to idolize the cosmos is because it does in fact give us light. To live a life of good works such that your existence is a light to other people is to command great respect. People love the person whose life brings light to their own. We’re called to carry the light of Christ into the world but it’s important we remember humanity’s proclivity to idolize such light-bearers. Even if we become saints in this world, we must always point back to Christ and give Him the praise He is due. We must remember that like the heavenly bodies in the cosmos, we too are servants.
With enough wisdom, faith, and proper humility, we can remember our daily duty to worship God who made all these things. We can remember He made them with us in mind. Day and night has been given to us by His adornment of the universe, and so day and night we can offer a solemn sacrifice of prayer and praise. Day and night we can delight ourselves in meditation on His holy scripture. And I think that’s where we’ll end this study. It’s been a great journey working through the text with you so far, and I’m excited for many more bible studies to come. As always if you enjoy this content — be sure to let us know, and we’ll keep it coming for the edification of the people and for the glory of God.
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