Where did the stars and planets come from? It has been a question that has perplexed scientists for centuries. It was God who created the light (Genesis 1:3) before he created the luminaries in the sky.

1 – The formation of the luminaries (vs. 14)

• The Sun – “The greater light to rule the day”. You might logically assume that the moon is the greater light as it appears bigger. Yet Moses knows that the sun was greater than the moon. Moses does not call the sun the greatest light. Our sun is actually one of the smallest of the stars. Moses knew because God had told him. The sun radiates light and is an immense ball of flames. It 165,000 miles in diameter. It is 109 times the diameter of the Earth. You could put more than a million Earths in the volume of the Sun. If you could go 1000 miles an hour in a jet it would take you ten years to get from the Earth to the Sun. It takes 30 minutes for the light from the Sun to hit the Earth. It would be impossible for plants to exist without the sun. The Sun had to exist before plant life could grow. If the sun was any colder or warmer, then life on Earth could not exist. It is the right distance from the Earth.
• The Moon – “The lesser light to rule the light to rule the day”. The Moon reflects light onto the Earth. There is a fine dust of titanium on the Moon which is the best known reflector of light. Did this accidentally just happen? It makes no sense at all to believe there was no creator. Man has been on the moon and discovered it. Our month comes from the orbit of the moon around the Earth. The tides come from the gravitational pull of the moon. Without it the seas would be stagnant.
• The Stars – Moses says that God made the stars also. There is an economy of words. There are millions of stars in the Universe and this is all he says. We don’t know how many stars there are but God knows the name of every one. See Psalm 147:4. Why so little mention of the stars? God is not interested in stars, he is interested in saints. See Job 22:12.

2 – The function of the luminaries (vs. 15-19)

What is the function of the luminaries? There are for signs. The stars are not to be used to guide your life. We are not to serve the creation. We are to serve the Creator. God used the luminaries to set our calendar. They determine our day, month and year. We get day and night and seasons. This did not happen by accident. God gave these luminaries for a purpose. Evolution takes a purpose out of everything.

3 – The fulfilment of the luminaries

See Psalm 19:1-6. We can see the glory of God from the luminaries. No matter what language you speak you can see the glory of God. The sun works for God each day. Nothing can hide from the heat of the Sun. See Psalm 8:1-9. The moon and stars show how excellent is the name of the Lord.

Categories: Genesis