The Fourth Day

In Job 38, God is stating very clearly His preeminence to Job, and is relating instance of His majesty
in creation. Here are just a few questions He poses:
31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

Think about the Scripture in Psalm 19 that says that the heavens declare the glory of God.  Genesis 1 refers to the creation of the sun and moon, two heavenly entities that are being talked about greatly today.  The majesty of the heavens reminds us of the greatness of our God - and our response to this Great King is to humble ourselves before Him and worship His holy name.  We can also recognize His amazing capability to show His faithfulness as He works in our lives.

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In Genesis chapter 1, we read this about the sun and moon, created by God on day 4; some of these verses were referenced by a scientist from whom I will quote:
14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;
15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.
16 Then 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.
17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,
18 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.
19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

This is the day of the total eclipse of the sun - from west to east, people have seen the sun covered by the shadow of the moon, an amazing display in the heavens.  And, we can think in a fresh way about this celestial body that we might tend to take for granted.

As Jason Lisle of the Institute for Creation Research, which brings you Science, Scripture, & Salvation Saturday evenings at 6:40 and the Back to Genesis feature around 2:30 p.m. on weekday, states on the ICR website:

The sun and other luminaries in the sky were created on the fourth day of the creation week. Genesis informs us that the purpose for these lights in the sky is (1) to separate day from night, (2) to help us mark the passage of time, and (3) to give light upon the earth (Genesis 1:14-15). A fourth purpose is revealed elsewhere in Scripture—to declare God’s glory (Psalm 19:1-6).

Lisle also point out a fifth purpose for the sun and moon: "A fifth purpose of these two heavenly lights is given in Genesis 1:16—to 'govern' the day and the night. The Hebrew word rendered as 'govern' or 'rule' means to have power or dominion. The sun can be said to have 'power' over the day because it defines the day and overpowers all other luminaries during the day. The moon 'governs' the night by outshining all other nighttime luminaries."

We also can think about how the sun in unique positioned - by the design of our Creator - to help sustain life here on earth.  Lisle states:

...it is clear that the sun is designed for life to be possible on Earth. Some stars have superflares that release enormous amounts of deadly radiation. Fortunately for us, the sun doesn’t. Solar flares are mild. The sun’s temperature and distance from Earth are ideal for life. By contrast, hotter stars produce far more ultraviolet radiation that would have harmful effects on living tissue. And cooler stars emit far more infrared “heat” for a given amount of visible light.

Even the position of the sun in the galaxy seems optimized for life and for science. If the sun were close to the galactic core, harmful radiation could be a big problem. If the sun were on the outer rim, half of the sky would be nearly void of stars, making it harder to measure seasons or to investigate the universe. Strangely, the sun is depleted in lithium by a factor of 100 compared to other similar stars. We have not yet discovered the reason for this, but perhaps it will turn out to be yet another feature of design—an intriguing possibility for the Christian.

The uniqueness of the sun is underscored by Danny Faulkner of Answers in Genesis, who states that
"While the sun has many characteristics similar to stars, the Bible never refers to it as a star. This suggests that the sun may have some unique characteristics."

He also points to an "important and unusual" property of the sun: its stability. Faulkner writes:

Astronomers have spent some time looking for stars similar to the sun, because such stars might be conducive to sustaining life on any planets that orbit them. Astronomers have found a few solar twins that have the same temperature, size, mass, and brightness as the sun, but nearly all of them are variable. That is, they vary in brightness. 

But what variation there is, according to Faulkner, "appears to be related to magnetic activity, which can harm life."  He goes on to talk about sunspots, which are caused by magnetic activity, related to solar flares.  He states,  "During sunspot maximum the sun frequently produces energetic flares that bathe the earth in an extra dose of particle radiation that can wreak havoc on earth and damage cells in living organisms. We can only imagine how destructive the radiation would be on planets orbiting other stars."

Again, God has made provision:

By God’s gracious design, the earth has a protective magnetic field that prevents the sun’s flares from disrupting life. The particles racing from the sun interact with the magnetic field, which deflects most of the particles. Yet we are periodically reminded about such imminent danger when the flares overload the ability of the earth’s magnetic field to protect us. Astronauts on the Space Station must enter protected sections of the station after a solar flare.

So, today, while there is a renewed focus on the sun and the celestial dance with the moon, we realize that we don't worship the sun, but we worship the God Who made the sun, the moon, the earth, and the stars - the Creator of the universe.   The dazzling display can be a reminder of God's greatness, a signature to behold.

We can also be reminded and appreciative of the world God has made for us - not too hot, not too cold.  Also, according to another article by Faulkner at the Answers in Genesis website, the earth has just the right mass (to hold the right atmosphere), the right composition - ingredients necessary to sustain life.

And, while we rejoice in the Lord about this earth that He has made and upon which He has placed us, we can also reflect on His handiwork in the world to come - as Jesus taught, He has gone to prepare a place for us; what a wonderful eternal home God has in store for us!  And, we recognize that if God could create and manage the entirety of the universe, certainly He can manage the intricacies of our lives.  How arrogant to think that we can handle things better than God, our Creator!