Genesis 1:14-19
The Fourth Day
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (Genesis 1:14)
And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. (Genesis 1:15)
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16)
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, (Genesis 1:17)
And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:18)
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Genesis 1:19)
God Reveals Himself in Genesis, Chapter 1
God exists, God communicates, God is Creator, God is light, God is good, God divides, God is divine life, and now we understand that God’s power rules in all His creation through verses 14 thru 19. He prepares His planet in order that His creature (man) may be able to live within a frame of existence: time. Jehovah sets the boundaries of time, divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. Man needs time, he cannot think or function without or outside the benefit of a time frame. Man needs a time to rest in the night for his body and mind to survive and to re-energize. The lights that God placed in our solar system (the sun and the moon) are essential for our very existence. They are not only for signs, but for the necessity of the division of time. Our weather patterns, our wind circuits, and our tides are all signs (not only meteorological) but all nature is influenced and controlled by these two great lights in our solar system. God is a God of order and not chaos (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40), thus, all in His universe flows within a precise order and precision. What may appear as chaos to the eyes and mind of men is due to our lack of comprehension that forces beyond our understanding have movement and energy that controls and influences things unseen. What also may appear as chaos, or an unknown motion or chemical force controlling influence on stars can also refer to what God calls ‘wandering stars’ in Jude 13. God uses the natural to teach about the spiritual; that man as ‘wandering stars’ deliberately moves and wanders away from his correct and appointed place, and in doing so creates a lawless and destructive environment. (Jude 1:13) Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. As the sea is often mentioned in Scripture to denote rebellious man so too we see in Jude 13 God refers to ‘wandering stars’ to teach us mans true condition away from the center of his correct place in God’s plan. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. (Isaiah 57:20) How appropriate that God would set these influences in the 4th day into our physical sphere.
God Rules
How man (mankind and unrepentant rebellious man) hates the word ‘rule’ especially in reference to any authority, control, or dominance over his actions. We see this rebellion recorded in news every day. For instance, students rebel against dress standards, or rules, by continually pushing authority to accept other standards of students own making, and parents side with their rebellious off-spring. Set up a rule or standard in any organization, and it will become an issue to rebel against. From a small rebellion of dress code to a major rebellion in a nation supposedly founded on laws can all be tracked back to mans refusal to accept authority.
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: (Isaiah 30:1)
That this [is] a rebellious people, lying children, children [that] will not hear the law of the LORD: (Isaiah 30:9)
Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Revelation 2:27)
Self Confidence – Self Esteem – Pride
There is a song with the lines, ‘And, don’t tell me what to do, yeah, Don’t, don’t tell me what to say,’ every time I hear these lyrics and melody I think of rebellious men fighting for his will above others, fighting for dominion, fighting against his own inner self, and falsely calling it an attempt to establish self confidence, and to build self esteem. Self esteem is a pleasant siding phrase for ego and pride, and self assurance is misguided if it is not assurance in God’s guidance in ones life. Placing self over others is not self confidence. The quiet acceptance of the strength of your character that is entirely built on God’s plan and purpose in and for your life is true self confidence; and character is strengthened by being the person God has called you to be despite all that comes against you. True self confidence is in accepting and agreeing with God that man should not have any confidence whatsoever in himself, or in any man; for self confidence is a sorry guide, and self esteem is a path pitted and shaped by opinions of others. Trust only in God, have confidence in Him only, and He will give you strength, He will strength your heart. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. (Proverbs 3:26)
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (Philippians 2:3)
God’s Rule Rejected 1 — 1 — 1
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of all, not only knew what was in mankind, but He felt the total rejection and hatred of His creation against Himself. He told a parable directed to the very heart of the rejection that He experienced. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. (Luke 19:12) And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (Luke 19:13) But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. (Luke 19:14)
One of the many ways that I remember addresses in Scripture is by number association. For instance, when I want to remember where to find the rejection of the Godhead in Scripture, I recall John 1:11, He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Through this number the rejection of God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is realized. Jehovah God was rejected by His own in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ (God the Son) was rejected and crucified by his own creation, and God the Holy Spirit has been rejected throughout the ages and His message continues to be rejected. (Hebrews 10:29, Matthew 12:31-32) How appropriate is the message of rejection found in the numbers 1:11. Some would say that this is just an accident of sequences, thanks be to God, that this is an accident divinely caused to enforce the sovereignty of God even over numbers in His word. God rules — in nature, God rules — in words, God rules — over numbers. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing that God does not rule over. And no matter how much rebellious man refuses to even admit that there is a God in heaven: God still rules!
God Rules and God Will Rule
God sets His two great lights in the firmament of the heaven to rule over the day, and to rule the night, and to emphasis this principle the Spirit of God repeats to rule over the day and over the night. The heavens declare the glory of God, the heavens declare His handiwork, and the heavens declare His righteousness for all the people to see His glory. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. (Psalm 97:6)
Not only the creation around us at our own sight level declare who and what God is, but the very heavens above our heads shout of His power, His glory, and His righteousness. Everything around us instructs His creatures about Himself. The issue at hand here is that these two lights rule over man, these two lights controls our environment, and thus, controls man; we cannot escape from their ruling influence. Man kicks against what I write: man needs to be ruled! Man cannot rule himself, nor can he rule over others righteously, nor can he rule the spirit of the rebellious and wild ass within himself. For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt. (Job 11:12)
God Rules in Mercy
Everything around us (the solar system) has been placed to benefit mankind. The exactness of the axis and spin of our planet earth, the exactness of the distance of this planet from the sun, and the exactness of the distance from the moon is no accident, and the shields of this planet is not by chance. God’s mercy has been recorded to inform the inhabitants of this planet that His mercy has been made evident by His creation, for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:5)
To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:6)
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:(Psalm 136:7)
The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: (Psalm 136:8)
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:9)
In our 4th day God through His power sets two lights in the firmament of the heaven, not only to divide the day from the night, but to give light upon the earth, and to divide the light from the darkness, and then to rule over the day and over the night. There is so much more than can be brought out through these verses, but the thought that appears to be striking are the words to rule. I love the way that the Holy Spirit of God draws the smallest detail out, and then He appears to quickly dismiss what we would think should be a very important issue. For example: he made the stars also, oh, yes, this seems like an after thought to the following phrase, And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: and then we have these five little words as an aside or an incidental remark; however, there is nothing incidental, or accidental, in the word of God: he made the stars also. It’s almost as if God is toying with the astronomer. What so captivates astronomers that they dedicate their entire lives to the study of the stars, God merely dismisses it all with three little words, oh, yes, by the way, I made the stars also. Everything that man needs to know about his environment, and his place on a spinning rock called Earth is written to man in a supernatural book called the Bible. There is more interest in the creation than in the Creator. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 1:25) There is more interest in the pot then in the potter. There is more interest in humanity than in the One who created humanity.
The Stars Also
God unveils to us certain things concerning stars before telescopes: the immense volume of stars, and that stars differ from each other. It is strange indeed, that astronomers have used almost the same references to stars that the Holy Spirit gave to us. First: the immensity of the number of stars; in (Jeremiah 33:22) we are shown that the host of heaven (the stars, planets, galaxies) cannot be numbered As the host of heaven cannot be numbered. Secondly, that to number the sand of the sea can be compared to numbering the stars of the heavens; neither the sand of the sea measured:. (Jeremiah 33:22) As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. Thirdly, stars differ from each other, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:41, for one star differeth from another star in glory. Up to our current age of knowledge and technology, the most advanced studies are still attempting to count galaxies, never mind counting stars! Traditional astronomy assigns names to asterisms (the grouping of stars), and not to individual stars as the task is beyond mans capabilities. But God informs us in Psalm 147:4 that He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by [their] names. This Scripture section of Genesis 1 contains the very first mention of stars with five little words, he made the stars also.
The oldest book of the Bible, the Book of Job, contains thoughts that go beyond our human comprehension. This ancient book is almost mind boggling in it’s presentation of the character of the Almighty Creator God, and deals with the questions and the answers to mans concerns: suffering, redemption, evil, goodness, revelation, and origin. It sets forth the earliest statements of the natural workings of the creation, such as: hibernation, light rays, weather patterns, hemispheres, hydraulic cycle, gravity, the axis of the earth, mining, constellations, and much more. The following section presents God as the Creator whose universe is beyond mans understanding. The revealing by men of the natural forces of space and earth have come from observing creation. Mankind has not invented or created anything outside of God’s creation.
Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars. (Job 9:7)
Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. (Job 9:8)
Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. (Job 9:9)
Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. (Job 9:10)
Then God moves on to the issues that concern Him, and therefore should concern us.
The Lights
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. (Genesis 1:16)
I refer you to other articles on the first mention of ‘light.’ It would be beneficial for you to understand the difference between Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light, and the lights unveiled to us here in Genesis 1:14. How appropriate that God would set these influences in the 4th day into our physical sphere. Through these verses 14-19 God emphatically describes special lights. He desires that we should see not only the natural blessings and forces in these two lights, but He ties these two lights to our planet. 
Light is an essential part of who God is, This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) There is much more in our section than physical light. God is not only light, but He is love, and in His love for His creation He desired that light would always be above man to not only divide seasons, and time, but to always be a very visible sign of Himself in His care and provision to usward. We do not take any notice of the sun, we appreciate it when we are cold, we complain when we are hot, and we expect it to always be above us; and yet we refuse to acknowledge the loving Creator who placed it in the heavens. We have become immune to all that God has surrounded us with, we take everything for granted, and we appreciate nothing from His hand. Without the sun, and the moon, civilization would not exist. Two lights always there to provide for us, the number two (a witness) always before us day and night; and yet, man thinks not of the Creator.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans 1:20)
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (Acts 14:17)
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)
Two Great Lights
The greater light: the sun is the center of our solar system. You say, Of course, everyone knows that. Why then does God in our section of Genesis draw our attention to these two lights that He distinctly calls the greater light and the lesser light. There is an exactness to His description. Genesis, Chapter 1 is all about God Himself. He is revealing Himself in Genesis, and He uses His creation to teach us about Himself. The sun is not only the center of our very small solar system, but it is the energizing and gravitational force that allows us to live and exist on our small planet. The sun is the evidence of God’s great life giving power. It is the evidence of God’s controlling energy not only in His rule over man, but His sovereignty over all. We are totally surrounded every second of our waking hours with the evidence of God, and we can’t see it! We are held by the power of the sun in a controlled life giving path in such a manner than we cannot escape to wander off into an uncontrollable state of destruction and ruin. We are on a space ship (called Earth) under the total grip and domination of a force larger than ourselves. And we refuse to not only see, but we refuse to admit that we are not in control over our direction and path. God is in total control, God rules, and God is sovereign. This is what God is showing to us in these verses in Genesis. I gladly acknowledge that He is revealing to us much more about Himself, but these thoughts of His sovereignty will suffice for now.
The lesser light: the moon is attached to us and to the our planet with an invisible thread. The unseen forces that swing this small object around us on a set time schedule endows us with blessings and protection. The moon is the evidence of God’s love and comfort. It is in the darkness that we need comfort and guidance to see the path ahead. It is in the darkness that the light from the sun is reflected onto a barren, empty landscape. It is the moon that allows us to see our own sinful condition as barren and empty souls.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.(John 1:5)
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe.(John 1:7)
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46)
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
The Creator
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? [there is] no searching of his understanding. (Isaiah 40:28)
The first book of the Bible is an introduction to who God is, it is a revealing of the Creator. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10) Genesis, Chapter 1, can be treated as a letter of introduction to the Creator’s creatures: mankind. God knows His creation, understands their mental and spiritual limitations: He knows His audience. He did not write this letter of introduction in a mathematical formula, nor in a scientific treatise that would be beyond the most brilliant human mind or robotic intelligence, but He wrote it for you and for me. Too many will not venture into this first chapter because they fear that they will not be able to defend it’s words against an evolutionary mind set because they do no have the scientific knowledge to do so. This is very sad, that Christians have allowed the haters of God to dictate what God’s Word is all about, they do not have the right, nor the authority, or the understanding to dominate and control the Christian’s narrative. Genesis, Chapter 1 has been given to us so that we might understand ‘the holy.’
Genesis 1:14-19 is a mine rich with veins of gold. It is rich in types (typology – the study of types. A type is a symbol or representation of something in the Old Testament that foreshadows another in the New Testament. This section of Scripture also unveils veins of silver beneath it’s surface.
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; (Proverbs 2:1)
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; (Proverbs 2:2)
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;(Proverbs 2:3)
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; (Proverbs 2:4)
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:5)
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)
©Copyright 2017, Mary Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)