Episode Details

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 do