When we studied the plants God created we looked at what they needed to grow. On days one through three of creation, God created everything that plants need to live and grow: soil, water, air and light. At the time God created plants, it seems there were no sun or stars so God may have energized the atoms or matter he created to produce light. However, on day four of creation, God made continuous physical sources of light to shine on the earth. Genesis 1:14-19 says:
14And 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, 15and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights–the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning–the fourth day.
Light Has Many Purposes
From these verses, we see that God had several purposes for the lights he made:
- First, God made the light to separate day from night. When the sun shines on part of the earth it is day and on the other side of the earth that faces away from the sun it is night.
- God made the lights to mark time.
- The time it takes for the earth to make one rotation on its axis makes a day of 24 hours. A 24 hour rotation of the earth keeps one side from facing the sun too long, absorbing too much heat and getting too hot. It also keeps the other side from getting too cold. It addition the 24 hour rotation of light and dark relates to the sleep needs of people and animals.
- The time it takes for the earth to make an orbit around the sun is 365 ¼ days or one year. 365 days or one year divided into twelve months makes up the solar calendar that we follow.
- The orbit of the earth around the sun creates the seasons that relate to the growing patterns of plants (spring – planting, summer – growth, fall – harvest, winter – rest).
The more sunlight that hits the earth the warmer it gets. The area around the equator (tropics) is hotter because the rays of the sun hit it more directly than they do the northern or southern hemispheres.
- The length of time it takes for the moon to make an orbit around the earth is 29 ½ days. Some cultures like the Hebrews used a lunar calendar based on the cycle of the moon, rather than a solar calendar based on the seasons and earth’s orbit around the sun over a year.
- God also made the planets and stars. Since the beginning of time, people have used the position of the stars in the sky to mark the changing seasons in the year and for navigation. Without the stars, sailors would not have been able to navigate the seas as they wouldn’t have known where they were and which direction to go.
- The sun governs the day as the powerful light it produces blocks out the light of the stars. When it is day, the sun warms the earth and plants and animals receive life-giving light.
- The moon and the stars govern the night. Although stars shine all the time, the light they produce is only visible at night when a person is on the part of the earth facing away from the sun. The moon does not produce its own light; it only reflects the light of the sun. The night is dark enough to allow for sleep but gives enough light to provide direction. The phase of the moon (shape) is caused by the earth blocking the sun’s light.
- The pull of gravity of the moon also controls the oceans’ tides.
When we look at the stars at night, we should think about the one who made them all. Isaiah 40:26 says Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Creator of Everything
Isaiah says that God calls each one of the stars by name. That means that God knows everything about his creation. There are about 3,000 stars that can be seen at night with the naked eye, but there are estimated to be seventy sextillion – 70 followed by 21 zeros (70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) of them in the visible universe (that which can be seen through a high power telescope). That means that there are more stars in the sky than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the entire earth.
God is the creator of everything in the heavens and is intimately involved in its functioning. He knows all there is to know about the universe. Just as he knows the stars by name, he also knows each one of us. The Bible says he knows the number of hairs on each one of our heads. God is the creator and worthy of all our praise. We need to submit our lives to him, to think and do what pleases him
- Overview Questions: For what purposes did God make the lights in the sky? Why is 24 hours a good length of time for a day? Why is 365 days a good length of time for a year? How many stars are there? What does God know about each star?
- Thought Questions: What does the sun do for the earth? What would have happened to the earth if God had not created the sun? Does the moon do anything for the earth? What would have happened to the earth if God had not created the moon? How do the heavens speak of God?
- Prayer: Thank God for the wisdom of his design, that he set the lights in the heavens to give light and mark time. Pray that as you look to the heavens you will see more clearly his greatness and awesome power and would worship him as he deserves.
Week’s Memory Verse: Isaiah 40:26
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
What do the stars tell us about God?
There is nothing God does not know or cannot do.