Dale Ridge church of Christ

            Henry David Thoreau once stated, “The stars are the jewels of the night and perchance surpass anything which day has to show.”  Lord Byron once said, “Ye stars!  Which are the poetry of heaven!”    Stars are fascinating.   As one views them in the night sky and ponders upon them, truly they “declare the glory of God.”  While their distance from us may be far beyond our reach, countless lessons from them are easily within our grasp.  As one journeys though God’s word, he is reminded of several timeless reminders in connection with stars.

            First, one is reminded that anyone can be wise.   Matthew records for us the events of the wise men that came from the east when “his star” appeared (Matt. 2:1-9).  Evidence strongly supports a spring or fall arrival of the birth of Jesus into this world.  The nature of this star of Bethlehem has brought about much speculation (Matthew 2:2).  Was this a planetary luminary (such as seen in the picture above of Jupiter over Ephesus)?  Or was it some star which was specially prepared by God (as maybe the case in light of its peculiar pattern of movement – Matthew 2:9)?

Whatever the nature of this star, it holds for us a message that every person can be wise.  It is so interesting that many who were so close to Bethlehem and knew so much regarding the Scriptures that proclaimed His coming into the world cared so little for Him.  These though that had come from afar came in order that they might seek Him and worship Him.  This is no doubt why they are called wise.  Any person can be wise by simply seeking Him today (James 1:5).

            Second, one is reminded that God is a God of order.  It was on the fourth day of creation week that God created the sun, moon and stars in order that they might be for “signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years”(Gen.  1:14).  This is a reminder that God is concerned about arrangement and organization.  He is not a God of confusion and disorder (1 Corinthians 14:33).  As such, He has a pattern for us.  He has a pattern for our lives, our homes, the church, our worship and salvation.

             Third, one is reminded that God’s desire is that everyone will be saved.  God made the promise to Abram when He commanded him to go to the land which he knew not that through Him, all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).   This promise was repeated numerous times in the life of Abraham.  On one occasion, God brought Abram, who was aged and childless, out under the night sky to give him an idea of just how many children he would have (Genesis 15:5).  The New Testament says that we all that have been baptized into Christ “are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29).  The countless number of stars in the heavens reminds one of how God desires that all be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

            Fourth, one is reminded that God can work out all things for our good.   The Bible often recounts for us the dreams of various individuals.  One such dream was by a young man, Joseph, who in his dream saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing before him (Gen. 37:9).  When he retold this dream, he was rebuked by his father Jacob, for it meant that his father, mother, and eleven older brothers would one day bow before him (Genesis 37:10).   

             Through envy, his brothers then sold him as a slave and allowed their father to believe he had been killed.  Joseph was taken away from his family down into Egypt.  While there, he was unjustly cast into prison, and for all practical purposes, seems as though he should have ended up being a bitter man with a tragic story.  Yet, the opposite would actually come to pass, for this young man sought to serve God faithfully.  Instead of a bad ending, Joseph’s life was richly rewarded (Genesis 41:39-46).  As a result of a famine, Joseph’s family had to move to Egypt, and as they appeared before Joseph, the luminary dream came to pass.  In Joseph’s forgiving words to his brothers for their evil deed, one is reminded of stars and how God can work even the worst of situations out for our good (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28).

             Fifth, one is reminded of the glory of God.  It has been said that (for comparison’s sake) if our solar system was shrunk down to the size of a quarter, our sun could only be seen  with the aid of a microscope, and our nearest star (Alpha Centauri) would be located three-hundred feet away.  Truly, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork” (Psa. 19:1).

             Sixth, one is reminded of the intimate concern that God has for each person.  In a psalm of praise, the psalmist once proclaimed, “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names” (Psa.  147:4).  This marvelous statement is in the context of God’s care for His people.   In the prior verse, the psalmist said, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (147:3).  It is believed that there are some 100 billion galaxies in our universe.  Our galaxy, the Milky Way, alone has some 250 billion stars.  The average galaxy is estimated to contain 100 billion stars.  Only God knows their exact number, and He has names for each one of them.  That is expressed in this psalm to assure us that God is aware of our trials and every single hurt we may feel.   He says, “Great is our Lord, and of great power;  his understanding is infinite” (147:5).  

             Seventh, one is reminded of the victory we shall gain.  One of the names that is often associated with the devil is that of Lucifer.  In Scripture though, this name is nowhere directly applied to Satan.  It is only recorded once in the Bible and that in reference to king Nebuchadnezzar (Isaiah 14:12); many apply it to Satan in a figurative sense.  “Lucifer” means “morning star.”

Isaiah speaks about how this star (Nebuchadnezzar) had exalted himself above the “stars of God,” and as a result, had fallen (Isaiah 14:13).  These “stars of God” may be other world leaders, or he may have been speaking from an astrological sense where Nebuchadnezzar is saying that he would be exalted above the gods of astrology.  Either way though, his pride he fell as did our adversary, the devil.  We know of his end (Matthew 25:41) and of the victory that Christ will give to his faithful (Hebrews 2:14-15).  The prophet Daniel says that the righteous shall shine as stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3-4).

The next time you happen to look up into the night sky, be reminded of these timeless truths that stars have to tell (Psalm 19:2-3).

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Filed under: Devotional, Michael Carter on December 28th, 2008