[#11] Genesis 1:14-19 (Part 1) – Three Purposes for the Sun, Moon, and Stars

Genesis 1:14-19 contains a description of the fourth day of creation. It is also the longest description of a creation day so far, taking up six verses in Genesis 1. The only other day that receives more attention is the sixth day, in which God creates mankind.

I tried to divide up these six verses of Genesis 1:14-19 into manageable sections so that I could record various podcasts on them, but I completely failed. The end result is that I am going to take three episodes to look at these six verses, and each episode will have a slightly different focus or emphasis.

In today’s One Verse Podcast, you will see why we cannot read Genesis 1:14-19 as a scientific explanation of how the sun, moon, and stars came to be, and you will also learn from the text what three purposes these celestial lights serve in God’s creation.

The Text of Genesis 1:14-19

Genesis 1:14-19. 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; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light to the earth”; and it was so.

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. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth 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.

So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

In this discussion of Genesis 1:14-19 we look at:

• The fourth day of creation and how it fits within the structure of Genesis 1
• Why the sun, moon, and stars might not have been created on the fourth day
• Why Genesis 1:14-19 cannot be read scientifically
• The three purposes or tasks God assigned to the sun, moon, and stars

Resources:

• Theology.fm – Helping you and your Theology Look Like Jesus
• Keil & Delitzsch, Genesis – Amazon or CBD
• Hamilton, Genesis 1–17 – Amazon or CBD
• Miller and Soden, In the Beginning – Amazon or CBD
• Morris, The Genesis Record – Amazon or CBD
• Rashi, Bereishis – Amazon
• Sailhamer, EBC: Genesis – Amazon or CBD
• Sailhamer, Genesis Unbound – Amazon
• Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds – Amazon or CBD
• Walton, Lost World of Genesis One, Amazon or CBD
• Wenham, Genesis – Amazon or CBD
• Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

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