By Wayne Jackson
About a thousand years before Christ,
David announced:
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalms 19:1).
The amazing universe reveals the glory
of God in that:
- It shows his power. The universe is vast; it is estimated to be 20
billion light-years across. That is the distance light would travel in 20
billion years at the rate of 300,000 kilometres per second.
- The universe demonstrates God’s wisdom. The amazing “mathematical
orthodoxy” of the Cosmos is the reflection of a Mind that is far beyond
the “genius” status.
Within this context, the Psalmist
speaks regarding the source of energy for our planetary system, the sun. The
sun is described as a body appointed to “run his course” (19:5b ASV);
indeed, the sun is said to have a “circuit” in which it travels (19:6b).
This is a very accurate description
scientifically, because our entire solar system is moving (at the speed of some
900,000 Kph.) in a gigantic orbit within the Milky Way galaxy. Make notes
reflecting these facts in the margin of your Bible.
Not only is the sun travelling in a
circuit (orbit), it makes a complete rotation on its axis once each month. Carl
Sagan, the prominent atheist-astronomer, refers to the sun as “the motionless
sun” (Carl Sagan & J.N. Leonard, Planets, New York: Time-Life,
1970, p. 16). Surely he knows better. His language must be “phenomenal” (i.e.,
he speaks of the sun as it appears from earth).
Why do sceptics feel free to use this
sort of figurative language when they write, and yet they criticize biblical
writers when they speak of “the rising of the sun” (Psalms 50:1)? This is not a
fair approach.
