Transcribed from the Words of Life Radio Program.

It is great to be together again as we look into the Word of God. The title for the lesson is: “The Bear and Orion.” And our study text is taken from the book of Job in the Old Testament chapter 9 verses 7 through 10. Our theme text regarding God’s creation in the sky, the constellation of Bear and Orion. Please listen to the Word of God. Job chapter 9 beginning in verse 7.

“He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;
he seals off the light of the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.”

This is the Word of God revealing the great power, the omnipotence of our God and creator of the universe.

Who of us, on a dark clear night have not marveled at the starry skies above? As David did when as a shepherd lad watched over his father’s flock, at night and later wrote “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” This as written in Psalm 8 verses 3 and 4

As with David, when we look at God’s magnificent creation such as a glowing full moon (due to reflected light from the sun) or at thousands upon thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of points of light illuminating the heavens; We can feel so very small, and insignificant by comparison.

Yet, regarding human beings (according to Psalm 8 verses 5 and 6) “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet.” Notice that human beings have “glory and honor.”

So, God the Father sent his one and only son to die as an atoning sacrifice on a cross, to redeem sinful mankind, not to restore as of yet the starry host, which is inanimate, not made in the likeness of God, which is spiritless. Because it is humanity not even angels who are crowned and rulers.

Mankind has many marvels of God’s creation, inspite of His curse due to our sin, to reveal His existence and excellence. Take for example Astronomy, a fascinating science. Modern astronomy is the study of the universe and the objects in it. Astronomers seek answers to questions such as: How did the universe begin? What processes release energy deep inside stars? How does one star take matter from another star? God’s creativity made these natural laws. The writers of scripture, inspired of the Holy Spirit, thereby have a significant number of details regarding the heavens, and especially the stars which include earth’s sun which is actually a star.

For example, in Exodus 32:13 it says in part “Remember your servant Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self; “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.” That is luminous points of light in the skies which are innumerable, uncountable created by God.

Psalm 147 verses 4 and 5 states “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Remember the book of Psalm is written in poetic style. First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 41 “The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.” Such is God’s creative complexity. Surely, the intricate order and design of the cosmos points to a Creator. Yet most modern scientists have rejected the special revelation of scripture as to the origin of the universe. Even creation revelation itself is pointing to a Creator which has been largely rejected in spite of the evidence of all the complexity of creation around us.

Romans chapter 1 and verse 20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Since the nineteenth century, the 18 hundreds many astronomers employ the term “evolution” to describe the origin of the universe. Evolution simply refers to change, and that over in theory of evolution, that over billions, upon billions of years. Stellar evolution, the evolution of stars for example, describes star-burning processes during the life of a star, from birth to death.” Put in layman’s terms.

Today the most widely accepted scientific theory as to how the universe “evolved” is the so-called “Big Bang” theory. This theory proposes that the entire universe exploded from a super-hot “point” about 15 billion years ago. This theory also states that the universe continues to expand. The “Big Bang” theory also proposes that the universe had a beginning. Astronomers, do not know what caused the Big Bang, (that is the explosion) they simply call it “the cause.”

Bible-believing Christians believe that God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1) Scripture is noteworthy in referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God as a Person of the Creator Godhead. Consider the gospel of John chapter 1 verses 1 through 3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made.”

Consider John, the gospel of John chapter 1 and verse 14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This referring to Jesus Christ. Listen also in the New Testament to Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 17 which states, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things have been created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” So, according to scripture which Bible believing Christians accept as inerrant, meaning without error in the original autographs, “the Cause” equals Jesus Christ! Who is God. Part of the creative Godhead that created the universe, cosmos.

Consider in the New Testament the book of Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 through 2 “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Therefore, the Godhead, the Trinity if you will, Father/Son and Holy Spirit created the cosmos.

Many Christian “Creationists” accept the “Big Bang” theory as a scientific description of “how” God created the universe. Both the “Big Bang” and Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1 indicate a beginning. However, there are two major groups of creationists: “old earth” and “young earth” creationists. Both groups believe that God set up the natural laws of physics to allow the universe to “run” in a predictable way. And that the universe continues to expand.

Old earth creationists accept most current scientific research regarding the origin of the universe that has evolved over about 15 billion years. However, Young earth creationists accept and believe the literal plain language of the Genesis account in the Bible. That is the universe was created in 6, 24-hour days and is less than about 10 thousand years old, this number is based partly on the genealogies in the Bible back to Adam. Therefore, young earth creationists largely reject the scientific “Big Bang” theory. We should believe that God is big enough, powerful enough to do exactly what he revealed in the Genesis account in the Bible.

That is originally, God simply spoke the cosmos into existence. God created out of nothing! Furthermore, God has the power to make the universe fully mature – that is with age built-in just as God created Adam and Eve and the perfect garden fully grown, Adam and Eve fully grown. Adam and Eve were not created as infants but fully grown adults with age built in so-to-speak. The garden wasn’t composed of seedlings but instead lush and luxuriant growth.

Predictively, some modern scientists have resisted the “Big Bang” theory that postulates “a beginning” because it sounds too much like the Biblical account. Yet unbiased humankind can by faith accept an omnipotent, all-powerful God as Creator exactly as it is plainly written in the Genesis account in the Bible.

Psalm 19 verse 1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Let’s consider the testimony of the man Job in the Bible regarding our Creator God. We should understand that the book of Job is in poetic style also like the Psalms. A poetic book written in poetic language.

Job chapter 9 and verse 7 “He speaks to the sun, and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.” God created the earth’s sun which is actually a medium size star (in comparison to many other stars). The sun, our star, which is comprised of about 92% hydrogen, 7.8% helium, plus other trace elements. The average distance of the sun from the earth is about 93 million miles. Sunlight takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach earth. This is calculated by dividing the average distance between the sun and earth by the speed of light; which is about 300,000 kilometers per second. Of course, an omnipotent (all-powerful) God can naturally, supernaturally create a (super thick cloud cover) or can seal off light when and however He so chooses, He is God. It is His creation.

Job chapter 9 and verse 8 “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.” There are at least (11) references in scripture to God “spreading” or “stretching” out the heavens. This makes plain that this action was the direct result of the God’s Word, and will as His work; not the result of a primeval explosion or “Big Bang” theory. This “stretching out of the heavens” also corresponds with the modern accepted science discovery that the universe continues to expand as predicted by none other than Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, in the continual extension of space outward.

Verse 9 “He is the maker of the Bear and the Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.” “Bear, Orion and Pleiades” refers to the stellar constellations of the northern hemisphere that Job knew and had seen himself. Job, probably lived before Abraham, yet believed in one God Creator of the heavens and the earth as maker of the starry host in constellations.

A Bible scholar writes “One of the first astronomical accomplishments of any people is the grouping of stars into constellations. There are three present day constellations that are readily grouped and were known to nearly all ancient peoples, in the Northern hemisphere now labeled: “Ursa Major” (or Bear), Orion and the Pleiades. These names are so ancient that even the translators of the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament of the third century BC, before Christ) had difficulty, even disagreement, about which constellations the Hebrew words were designating.” The constellation Orion is a brilliant constellation that includes two of the brightest stars in the sky. Nearby are the constellations Pleiades and Bear.

Job chapter 9 verse 10 “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” These verses reveal the conflict between believers and unbelievers. Believers accept a Supernatural personal Creator God and the inerrancy of scripture. God can create out of nothing, can create the universe in 6, 24-hour days, even with age built in by simply speaking it all into existence. Yet the unbeliever accepts only the natural, rejects a Creator, personal God. Rejects inerrant Scripture, rejects miracles.

In the 1920’s Albert Einstein was one of the physicists who resisted the “Big Bang” theory which was proposed in 1917 originally. He resisted it because it postulated a beginning of the universe as revealed in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Thereby, Albert Einstein adjusted his original theory to a static, or steady state theory of the universe. Meaning that it is infinitely large, infinitely old, with no beginning. However, this static theory has been proven wrong by observations including modern telescopes of modern physicists.

But Einstein was quoted as saying “this was the greatest mistake of my life” He finally accepted the necessity of a beginning and the presence of a “superior reasoning power” but not a personal Creator God. Consider some of the last words of Jesus Christ recorded in the Bible as according to Revelation chapter 22 and verse 16 “I, Jesus have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches…I am the root and the offspring of David and the Bright Morning Star.” The morning star represents the brightest star ushering in a new day. When Jesus Christ returns, He will be as the brightest star to shatter man’s darkness. He will usher in a new age. He is the light of salvation. He is the Creator and Christ, He is God of the cosmos. Believe it! Share it with others.

David Johnson is minister of Sellersburg Church of Christ in Sellersburg, IN.