God's Magnificence
I saw a similarity in “In the Beginning” ’s verse 9 and The Creation’s scene 3 because they both talk about the third day of creation. Both talked about the creation of the land, ocean and plants. The Creation’s version was very detailed, starting off by saying “Let the earth bring forth grass” and continued on mentioning about herbs, healing plants, copious fruits and forest waves. "In the Beginning’s" verse 9, on the other hand, is a very simple and general version of the third day. Fire, hail, snow, rain and seas were mentioned. But are these really mentioned in the Bible?
First, fire. This is usually used in the Bible as a metaphor because it brings out vivid imagery, although it is only a regular phenomenon. In the New Testament, it is often used as another word for “light.” Fire communicates the presence of God because it is a manifestation of Him. This is evident, for example, in the burning bush – wherein God appeared in a form that is visible to man. Also, a number of passages present fire in association to God’s glory.
Second is hail. Hail is used in the Bible as a catastrophic event, usually served as punishment from God. For instance, in Joshua 10:11, it was mentioned that the Lord threw large stones from heaven and a lot of people in Azekah died. Another is from Revelation 16:21, wherein huge hailstones fell and men blasphemed God for this. Snow was often said side by side with hail but is mentioned rarely and had no deeper meaning.
The seas and oceans were mentioned numerously in the Bible. Although, it was said that for the Jews in ancient Israel, this was a symbol of death. The word “ocean” usually appears in the Book of Revelation. This term is often used when creatures are thrown into the seas to die. Rain, on the other hand, was similar to that of the oceans. It is usually an unwanted event because it can cause floods, like in the story of Noah’s ark. But after this event, God gave a rainbow as a sign to remind us of His promise – that He would never curse man like that again.
Moreover, I compared “In The Beginning" 's verse 10 with The Creation’s scene 4 of Uriel. This time, both talked about the fourth day – the creation of the sun, moon and the stars. The moon was appointed along with the sun “for signs, seasons, days and years.” (Genesis 1:14-16). Festivals were also made for days of the new moon. New moons marked the beginning of months in the Hebrew calendar. Here, Israelites were to perform their own sacrifices for the Lord. For Eastern countries in the Bible, they used the moon as an object for idolatrous worship. Also, this great light was to help mankind mark the passing of time and rotation of the earth. What’s interesting though, is that the moon only depends on the sun for its light. I want to compare this to that of us humans – wherein no matter how beautiful we appear, we have no light of our own. We are created in His image in order to reflect His light and glory.
The sun was and is important to tell the time of the day. It was used to differentiate the quarters of the hemispheres, and was often mentioned in connection to people’s daily routines. The sun also served as a metaphor for God in the Bible. This is because the sun is a “key life giving and sustaining source” since seeing this sun is an indication that one is alive. It is a source of blessing since it stimulates growth, especially for plants and light which is necessary for humans. The worship of the sun was powerful in countries such as Palestine. (Job 31:26) The context of the sun in the Bible can appear negatively, however. Its absence – darkness, can be connected to that of judgment day. “I will display wonders in the heavens and on earth; blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and inspiring Day of the LORD comes” (Joel 2:31, HCSB)
The stars, on the other hand, had an important role in the birth of Christ. The stars inspired the Magi to travel to Jerusalem and led them to Jesus’ home where they worshipped Him. In the Bible, they were often referred to leaders, political powers or angels. As Revelation 1:16 says, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.” These stars represented the angels that were sent to the seven churches. Furthermore, stars in the Bible represent leadership because this was what helped God’s messengers in times of trial and in their spiritual journeys. Scientifically, a star is also called a sun. There is no big difference between these two. Reasons for differentiating the two, however, would be that the planet Earth orbits around the sun, specifically.
Bibliography
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Curious About Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer. Curious.astro.cornell.edu. Available at http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/physics/78-the-universe/stars-and-star-clusters/general-
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Croft, B., Duncan, R., Russell, C., Altrogge, S., Russell, C., Przybylski, D. and Jordan, R. (2018). Sun (2) Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary. Bible Study Tools. Available at: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/sun/ [Accessed 7 Dec. 2018].
Dltk-bible.com. (2018). The Story of Noah. Available at: http://www.dltk-
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Jordan, C. (2018). What is the difference between a "star" and a "sun"? (Beginner) - Curious About
Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer. Curious.astro.cornell.edu. Available at: http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/physics/78-the-universe/stars-and-star-clusters/general- questions/346-what-is-the-difference-between-a-star-and-a-sun-beginner [Accessed 7 Dec. 2018].
Whatchristianswanttoknow.com. (2018). What Does The Bible Say About The Ocean?. Available at: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-ocean/ [Accessed 7 Dec. 2018].