Topical Bible: The Sun: God: Causes to Know Its Time of Setting

◄ The Sun: God: Causes to Know Its Time of Setting ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The sun, as one of the most prominent celestial bodies created by God, holds significant importance in the biblical narrative. It serves not only as a source of light and life but also as a testament to God's divine order and sovereignty over creation. The Bible frequently references the sun to illustrate God's power, wisdom, and the natural order He established.

Creation and Purpose

In the account of creation, the sun is introduced as a "greater light" to govern the day, as recorded in Genesis 1:16: "God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars." The sun's creation on the fourth day underscores its role in marking time and seasons, as well as providing light and warmth essential for life on Earth.

Divine Order and Control

The Bible emphasizes that God is in control of the sun's movements, including its rising and setting. Psalm 104:19 states, "He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set." This verse highlights the precision and reliability of the sun's cycle, which is a reflection of God's meticulous design and governance over the universe.

Symbol of God's Faithfulness

The regularity of the sun's rising and setting is often used as a metaphor for God's faithfulness and unchanging nature. In Jeremiah 31:35, the Lord declares, "He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD Almighty is His name." This passage reassures believers of God's steadfastness and His control over the natural world.

Judgment and Miraculous Events

The sun also plays a role in several miraculous events and acts of divine judgment. In Joshua 10:12-13, the sun stands still at Joshua's command, allowing the Israelites to achieve victory in battle: "On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: 'O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies."

Prophetic Significance

In prophetic literature, the sun is often used symbolically to describe future events and divine intervention. For instance, in Malachi 4:2, the sun is a metaphor for the coming of the Messiah: "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings." This imagery conveys hope and restoration for those who revere God.

Conclusion

The sun, as depicted in the Bible, is a powerful symbol of God's creative authority, faithfulness, and the order He established in the universe. Its consistent cycle of rising and setting serves as a daily reminder of God's presence and His control over all creation. Through the sun, believers are encouraged to recognize and trust in the divine order and the promises of God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 104:19
He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knows his going down.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Will of God is the Higher Cause of all Corporeal Change. This ...
... Such are the eclipses of the sun and moon, and some kinds of stars ... is higher than
all others, that is, the will of God; or again to false causes, and to ...
/.../augustine/on the holy trinity/chapter 2 the will of god.htm

Of the Advantage and Use of the World and of the Seasons.
... The sun, with its ceaseless courses and unequal intervals, [1717] completes its
annual circles, and either ... For wisdom causes us even to know God, and by ...
/.../chap xiii of the advantage and.htm

John Chapter xvii. 1-5.
... name of the Lord from the rising of the sun to its ... that is to be by sure and
unchangeable causes, has done ... respect of His being the Word of God, God with God. ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate cv john chapter xvii.htm

Inquiry into the Production of the ??ons: Whatever Its Supposed ...
... more than rays [may be supposed to be] of the sun. ... ignorance and blindness to the
Word of God, who, according ... power of your Father to be the causes of ignorance ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xvii inquiry into the production.htm

Whether the Movement of the Heavenly Bodies Will Cease?
... cease, this could only be because movement causes some imperfection ... serve them, which
the Lord thy God created for ... situation; thus in our regard the sun has a ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the movement of the 2.htm

Concerning the Unity of God . On the Article, I Believe in one God ...
... Manes answers him: "And what sort of God causes blindness? ... of Simon, and inspired
by devils, we know to have ... on the Magian worship of the Sun-god Mithras, see ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture vi concerning the unity.htm

The Programme of the Society
... But where the causes are moral or mental or social ... a personal religion, a personal
trust in God, a personal ... ignore Christ is to utilize the sun's light without ...
/.../the programme of the society.htm

Constant, Instant, Expectant
... that the yacht would anchor when the sun went down ... Thy truth causes great admiration
but no astonishment, for it ... God will the cry of your desire, but the hand ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 25 1879/constant instant expectant.htm

Philosophy Vs. Christianity
... cold and borrowed rays; but as the Sun of righteousness ... as necessitating as the law
which causes the smoke ... Nothing in the universe of God, animate or inanimate ...
/.../chapter v philosophy vs christianity.htm

Third Tractate. Are the Stars Causes?
... what causes of enmity can there be among them ... The All is a God when the divine Soul
is counted in with it ... horse comes by horse, and man by man: the sun plays its ...
/.../plotinus/the six enneads/third tractate are the stars.htm