The air waves are full of remembrances of the first moon launch 4o years ago. It still amazes me that we tiny humans put a few men up on that white orb we see most nights. On the radio today I heard again the count down of the launch and it caused me to ponder for a few moments the heavens and their starry host.
Genesis 1. 14-18 speaks of the creation of the sun, moon, and stars. God’s power and purpose is made manifest. The sun and moon are to “be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years” as well as to “give light on the earth.” God’s kind provision for humanity is thus seen. And, of course, all this was designed by God and God’s proclamation is that it is “good.”
Psalm 19. 1-6 famously begins: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands.” So God’s created heavens and their host reveal something of the glory of God and all humans everywhere see this glory. The sun is described as that which touches all things with its heat (v. 6) thus speaking something of God’s omnipresence.
Psalm 8 lets us in on the psalmist’s contemplation of the heavens. He considers the vastness and majesty of the heavens in relation to his smallness as a human:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; what is man, that you take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him? (vv. 3-4)
It is instructive to notice that contemporary astrophysicts also come to a similiar line of reasoning–at least initially. Alan Guth comments in this regard:
When I started to learn about cosmology, I was amazed more than anything else by the very size of the universe. Ours is only one of a hundred billion suns in the Milky Way galaxy which in itself is probably only one in a hundred billion galaxies in the visible universe. In the context of the inflationary model, even the visible universe is only an infinitesimal fraction of the entire universe that probably exists. In light of all that, it’s rather hard to understand why what goes on on our tiny planet in this tiny corner of the universe could ever be considered important. (Omni November 1988, p. 76)
Notice the conclusion that Guth comes to–a big universe, therefore unimportance for humanity. The psalmist reasons differently in light of God’s revelation. He considers the vastness of the heavens, sees the smallness of humanity, but then concludes:
Yet you have made him a little lower than God (elohim), and crown him with glory and majesty! (Psalm 8.6)
Yes, the universe is massively huge. Yes, humanity is extremely tiny. But the biblical view of reality states that importance is not determined by size but by one’s relationship to God. In the context of Psalm 8 (with echoes of Genesis 1. 26-28) man is a created being made in the “image of God” and, thus, “crowned with glory and majesty.” In light of all this, Psalm 8 is book-ended with the praise of God. Our being crowned with glory and majesty is not derived from ourselves so pride is utterly out of place. Rather, the majesty of God is praised.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (vv. 1, 9)
God has created the vastness of the heavens to serve his glory and to testify to the majesty of who he is. The expanse of the heavens does not cry out “unimportance” as Guth suggests. God creates the universe to picture something of his majesty. It is a created reality to which God himself points to speak of himself. It has to be big to begin to accurately speak of him. It has to be big so that God can point to it so his people will take comfort. In other words, the “biggness” of the universe is both for God’s glory and our good.
Consider Isaiah 40 where the Lord is declaring his sovereign and merciful intentions for Israel. The Lord is to come with his might, not to destroy, but to show kindness. He is coming as a shepherd (v. 11) to tend his flock and carry his sheep in his mighty arms. In order to bolster his people’s faith in him the Lord speaks of his immensity. He is the God who has “marked off the heavens by the span [of his hand].” The imagery is striking and clear. Consider the vastness of the heavens and then know that God is “bigger.” Later in this chapter the Lord desires to stress his utter uniqueness and, again, he points to the heavens.
To whom then will you liken me that I should be his equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the one who leads forth their host by number, he calls them all by name; because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40. 25-26)
This powerful demonstration of God’s creative ability and his sustaining influence on the starry host serves to under-gird the words of comfort to follow. God has not forgotten his people. He is the everlasting God who does not become weary or tired. His understanding is beyond the depths of full human comprehension. And this immense, powerful, wise, creator God gives strength to the weary. To those who would look in faith to him he then gives renewed strength (Isaiah 40. 27-31). So the immensity of the heavens speaks of God’s immensity and his goodness toward us who look in faith to him.
Consider the heavens and praise the name of the Creator for his power, immensity and kindness. Every star has a name (Psalm 147.4) and he remembers every one. How much more does your heavenly Father remember you! (Cf. Matthew 6. 26-30)
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard