And 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, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Understanding And Applying the Text
The sun and moon were principal deities in ancient Near Eastern pagan pantheons. They are not even named by Moses. In effect demoting them and emphasizing that they serve mankind. not the other way around. Pagans often credited the stars, (which they considered gods, with controlling human destiny. Here Moses mentions them almost in passing.
God had already created light. But he now institutes a new order in nature. The sun is the dispenser of daily light. The moon and stars should shine at night. God assigns the roles. Everything is subject to His will.
God divided the day from the night. Here we see a change in the use of the word “day” Here Moses uses “day” as not even being 24 hours. It is the time the sun shines. This implies term day is not what we understand it to be, i.e. 24 hours. What is it? God does not tell us. Moses does not speak as a scientist nor with philosophical precision. He speaks about things as they appear.
The sun warms the earth and controls the seasons. So it implies that the previous use of day included winter, spring, summer, and autumn. How many? We do not know. And God has not deemed it necessary to tell us. In other words, it is none of our business.
Moses said God appointed the sun and moon for signs. Some people abuse these passages to support frivolous predictions and fortune-telling. They divine things from the stars. They feel entitled to ask the stars anything they want. But this is easy to refute. They are signs of the seasons. They are not signs to seek questions of the future or anything we fancy.
God forbids us to seek answers from the signs in the heavens. “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them” (Jeremiah 10:2)
God shows His goodness by causing the sun and moon not only to enlighten us but to give us other things for daily life. We enjoy the bounties of God. We should not abuse such great gifts. Instead, we ought to admire God’s wonderful artistry. He has beautifully arranged all things.
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