The Sun

During the Creation week, "God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night" (Genesis 1:16; Psalm 136:7-8). That "greater light" is the Sun, a giant, spinning ball of very hot gas at the center of our solar system. The Sun is so big that over one million Earths could _ t inside. Scientists think that the Sun is fueled by nuclear fusion reactions. Like the Earth, the Sun spins slowly on its axis as it revolves around the galaxy—"like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race" (Psalm 19:5). God is the Master of the Sun—"He commands the sun, and it does not rise" (Job 9:7). The psalmist said: "The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun" (74:16).

Since God created the Sun, we know that it serves many important purposes. While some of these purposes are not yet understood by scientists, others are. For one thing, we know that the Sun heats our world, making life possible on Earth. The psalmist wrote that the Sun's "rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat" (19:6). The Sun makes it possible for people to grow crops for food—what the Bible calls "the precious fruits of the sun, with the precious produce of the months" (Deuteronomy 33:14). And God provides these wonderful blessings for everyone—even for people who reject Him: "for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45).

It may be hard to believe, but many people in history have actually worshiped the Sun. The Bible says such behavior is very bad, since we should worship only the Creator. Why worship the Sun when you can worship the One who made the Sun (read Deuteronomy 4:19; Job 31:26-28)? Even though He has the power to speak into existence the Sun and entire Universe, yet He loves and cares for us, "for the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

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