I was listening to a presentation by John Lennox the other night on Genesis 1-2. He was going over the different positions and mentioned that many people had problems with the fact that God said, “Let their be light,” on day one, but didn’t create the sun, moon and stars until day four.
It occurred to me, that the people who have a problem with this seeming disparity are those who have come to the text with their minds made up about how and when God created things. They possibly even have a problem with God Himself.
I grant that there were no sun, moon, and stars on days one through three. But if we are to take the length of the “day” as a 24-hour period, which we should, then the fact that there are no luminary lights in the heavens, should not be a problem.
In other words, had men been sitting around during those first three days, they would not have seen a sun, moon, or any stars. From our fallen perspective, they would have been sitting in the dark.
But Scripture declares that God is Light and God declared light to be so. Therefore, we can safely say, that all those who were there on those first three days, had all the light they needed. To say that there was no light, is to deny the word of God. To do this is pure hubris on man’s part.
And just to be clear, the only One there on the first three days was the Triune God. Surely we can agree He was fine without the sun, moon, and stars.
What about the vegetation?
Some might ask that question. If the vegetation was created on the third day, how did it survive those long 24 hours without the sun, moon, and stars?
Again, the question betrays their presuppositions. They come to the text refusing to accept that we are talking about 24-hour periods here. Their presuppositions are that God created everything in billions and billions of years, even though a fair reading of the text denies this assumption
The plants created on day three without the sun, moon, and stars were just fine.
We can also suggest that most plants begin life without the sun, moon, and stars, while they are in seed form. I’m not saying the vegetation was in seed form on day three, but we need to consider that into our understanding.
The point to all this is that those who refuse to accept the text as it has been presented, come to it with presuppositions that prevent them from seeing it as it is given. We all have presuppositions, but we must not hold to those presuppositions when they contradict God’s word.
And Furthermore…
When God said, “Let their be light,” there indeed was light. He doesn’t explain how that is, but we can trust Him that their was light. To doubt God on these first uttered words of history, is to open ourselves up to all kinds of false doctrines.
As for the days, God tells us what He meant in Genesis 1, when He set forth the day as morning and evening. In other words, He interprets the meaning the Hebrew word “yom” for us.
Six days (yom) you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day (yom) is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female slave or your cattle or your sojourner who is within your gates.
11 For in six days (yoms) Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day (yom) and made it holy.
This is from Exodus 20, where we find that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were written by “the finger of God Himself.” Moses didn’t write them. He delivered them to the people, but God gave them after writing them on the stone (Exodus 31:18).
YHWH is indirectly telling us that the days in Genesis are the same as the days during Moses’ day. In giving the Fourth Commandment, YHWH is not leaving the length of day open to interpretation. Therefore, to say it is anything else than a 24-hour period, is as I have said, pure hubris.