This transcript was autogenerated
The passage we are going to look at this time covers the section of Scripture that cover days 4-6 of the creation story. We’ve just covered days 1-3 so far. Let begin by picking up the story in day 4.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
(Gen 1: 14-15)
Let’s pause for a moment and look at the beginning of this fourth day. This is the creation of the starry heavens above, light as a principal was fashioned on day one, but this is the creation of individual light emitting and light reflecting objects in the heavens above. In verse 3 it said let there be light, singular, but here in verse 14 it says, let there be lights in the heavens, plural. So, in verse 1 - day 1, God endows his new creation with light. Day 2, God creates the heavens. Day 3, God separates the Heavens above, from the earth below. Now in day 4 God populates the heavens with stars galaxies, etc. At this point it also tells us the reasons God creates these heavenly objects.
Firstly, to guide and divide the day from night.
An additional, second purpose is given in verse 14 where it says. The sun the moon and stars are also given to be signs, they are to serve as signposts for the wonder of creation and to point to the creator. The starry heavens are to be signs not just for physical navigation but for our spiritual navigation as well. They are meant to point to the wonder of their designer and creator.
The third purpose is that they are created in order that humanity may be able to map out the seasons and the years. From the shortest measurement of a day, through the seasons and even the longest measurement of a year. All measurements can be determined by the movement of these heavenly objects.
Finally, a fourth purpose is given in verse 15 and that is to distribute light.
The text then continues in verse 16-19
16 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. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
(Gen 1: 16-19)
God again states that it is good, which means “good” for the purpose they were created for. Remember this text was written into a cultural background and a time when everyone believed that man was subject to the prophecies dictated by the movement of the moon and the stars. But here we are told, these stars were created by God for the service of all humanity which was a completely new perspective.In the Egyptian culture man’s destiny was dictated by the stars, then this revelation comes along and says, no, incorrect. God created these things that they might serve humanity, not that humankind should worship or try to appease them or use them as horoscope to try and predict the future. According to the Pagans of Moses day these heavenly objects were to be worshipped. But this says no God made them so people could wonder and worship him. Which is why God pronounces them good.
That’s the fourth day, and we shall return to look at Day 5 and 6, next time.