Prayer
Lord God Almighty I praise your name this day, I give thanks unto you, O Lord among the nations. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. O Lord, may it be so. May it be so in my heart as I read your word, please subdue my rebel heart, write your law upon my heart, that Christ may reign without resistance. Please renew my mind as I read your word, and unite my heart to fear your name. These things I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reading
Psalm 148 & Jude.
Gen 1:14-19.
“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, 15. and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16. 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. 17. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, (18) to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.”
Meditation
So far in our studies of day four, we’ve seen that God shines his glory into creation through his creation (the reflection of glory), and we’ve seen that God progressively realises his purpose in history through time (the realisation of glory). There is one final thing we need to see about day four, that God mad the sun, moon, and stars to rule. The passage mentions the idea of the lights “ruling” twice, and it’s very important that we understand why that word is there. The reason why this concept of the sun and moon ruling important is because it establishes an essential connection between the shining of God’s glory and the establishment of his rule. In other words, God’s glory shines as his rule is established, that’s the principle I’m laying out here in our third study of day four. With that basic principle established, let’s open this up with two further observations.
First: the stars rule to the glory of God. On day four God makes the sun, the moon, and the stars, and one of their main purposes is to rule. Now as we’ve seen the sense in which they rule is that they regulate the times and seasons, and this is a powerful rule! No one but God can turn back the clock. No one but God can make a day stand still. No one but God can hold back the seasons. The times and the seasons are ruled and regulated by the heavenly bodies, and all of us are subject to that rule. There’s no possible way that we can change it. On top of this, as the rolling spheres continue in their inexorable march forward, so too does the inexorable plan of God move forward in “the fullness of time” (Eph 1:9). As his glory increasingly shines into creation, God’s plan will be fulfilled in the fullness of time – and that time is governed, regulated, and directed by the rolling spheres which God has appointed.
Now, taking this another step forward, we actually find in scripture that this idea of ruling to the glory of God extends beyond the stars. So here’s the second observation I want to make here: we are called to rule to the glory of God. It is not only the stars that are called to rule, but the principle extends to us as well. The heavenly bodies regulate time, ruling day and night, and this rule brings glory to God. It’s the way that God manifests his will and glory on the earth – in the process of time. The same principle also applies in our lives as God calls us to rule so that his glory might further shine on the earth. We see this very clearly in verse 28 of our chapter: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This is what dominion is all about, it’s about seeing God’s rule extended and realised in the creation across the course of time.
Again, this is why God’s people in scripture are sometimes compared with stars. Abraham’s descendants would be more than the stars in number; Joseph’s brothers – the tribes of Israel – were prophetically pictured as stars; our resurrection bodies in 1 Corinthians 15 are described using the imagery of glorious stars; 2 Timothy 2:12 says that, as faithful believers in Christ, we shall reign with him. This is what the kingdom of God in the gospels is all about, the establishment and extension of God’s rule and reign over all the earth. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We were created in God’s image for this exact purpose, and although our race fell, we are restored to this dominion purpose through the gospel of the Kingdom. The sun, moon, and stars were established to rule – to the glory of God, and the glory of God is manifested on the earth as his creatures submit to his will. So then we too are called as the stars that shine to glorify God as we extend, submit to, and promote his rule in our lives and the lives of others.
Be ye doers of the word…
Let’s draw these lessons together with a few applications for our lives. The first obvious principle for living here is that: all creation must be subjected to God’s will. Calvin notes that this is a key insight that day four gives us, just as we see the heavenly bodies obeying God, following the course that he sets, so we see a pattern for everything else in creation. All creation is and is to be subject to God’s will. It’s interesting that we read in the book of Jude, in Jude 13, that false teachers are described as “wandering stars”. They are heavenly bodies that have broken away from the course that God has set for them. It’s not the way it ought to be, for all creation is here to follow God’s will – including you and everything in your life. All things are to be ruled by God. In the words of Cornelius Van Til, there is only theonomy or autonomy, God’s rule or our rule. And so there is no area of your life where you are not responsible to obey God. There is no area where a “little bit” of sin is ok. All creation is subject to God’s will. It started with the sun, moon, and stars, and the principle carries down to every single creature that has been made.
That’s the big picture, now let’s narrow it down and lay out the calling now that is upon each and everyone of us: devote your life to doing God’s will. Many people wonder what they should do with their lives, agonising over whether to do this or that, or not knowing what to do. But the answer is very simple: devote your life to doing God’s will. Now of ourselves, outside of Christ, we simply don’t have the ability to do that. As fallen, sinful creatures, we can’t even seek God, much less devote our lives to obeying God. Thus in Romans 3:10 we read: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” But when we come to Christ, when a person believes in him, something changes and God gives us a new nature that is once again capable of doing God’s will. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Now, of course, we will still sin. We still have a sinful nature inside which, as Galatians 5:17 says, is at war with our new spiritual nature. This is why we desire and do obey God at times, and at other times we still desire and do sin. Nevertheless, as we walk by the Spirit and abide in Christ we will increasingly be enabled by God to do his will. But we must abide in Christ, as Jesus said: “Without me you can do nothing.” So then, in prayerful dependence on God, ask him to help you to obey, and as you abide in his word, he will work by his Spirit to help you grow in this sincere devotion to doing his will. That is why we are here – to do his will. Consider that fact next time you’re tempted to do your own sinful will – we are literally destroying ourselves and going against the very meaning of our lives when we do that. That’s why he put the stars in the sky, and it’s why he put your feet on the ground – to do his will. It’s why we exist.
One final application here and then we are done. Here it is: shoot for the stars.
That might sound strange, but let me explain. The sun, the moon, and the stars all follow the course that God has given them with flawless precision. Their every movement is totally governed by his sovereign decree. They do not deviate, they do not fail to follow his directives, nor do they wander from his purposes. The heavens are a perfect array of spheres, moving like clockwork to divine rhythms, and in this sense the heavenly bodies are a picture of what we ought to be in our lives. We ought to shine like the stars in glory, our lives moving in flawless execution in the heartbeat of his will. Imagine if every moment of your life was moving under the perfect direction of God’s will? That’s what God wants for your life, and ultimately that is the course that God has set before us and is leading us toward. It will be realised in the New Heavens and the New Earth! And so as the stars do not wander from their course, let us too never cease to deviate from his will. Every movement of our lives ought to follow the good and perfect plan that he has called us to do. Shoot for the stars, let them be an example of what God is calling you to be: a flawless reflection of his grace and glory, progressively unfolding his purposes in the fullness of time. SDG.
Prayer of Confession & Consecration
Almighty God, my loving Heavenly Father, it excites me to imagine what it would be like to live in perfect harmony with your will as the stars do in heaven. It is a vision that fills my heart with desire. What bliss it would be to move at the very impulse of your love, without flaw, in perfect harmony with your will for my life in each and every moment of my life. Come Lord Jesus! And yet, Lord, please move me into this glorious reality ever more – even today. Each day, Lord, by your Spirit, please help me to be mindful of your will in every moment. Lord, so often my mind is wondering and I lose my way. The flesh is weak, and I lament in the knowledge that I regularly stray from this course. O Lord, do not forsake me, but lead me in the greatness of your compassion, more and more into conformity with your will. Your will be done on earth, and in me, as it is in heaven. And so may it be in the courts of your saints, O Lord. Please give all of your people a growing desire to do your will. Please help us to subdue those stubborn rebel strongholds in our hearts that continually resist your will. Please help us to crucify those sins and idols to which we have devoted ourselves, that Christ may be all and in all, and that we may be yours without reserve, totally devoted to your will. These things I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Day 22: The Rule of Glory (Gen 1:14-19).