He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders without number. (Job 9:7-10)

Look Into The Heavens

The Hubble Space Telescope (launched in 1990) has opened vistas of deep space far beyond the imagination of men. Through the lens of Hubble, worlds never before seen appear in the darkness of space. One of the great lessons of the space telescope is to show man how vast and impenetrable the universe is in size and depth. The best man can do still cannot reach the finite edge of all that is found beyond the furthest star. Modern technology is not the first venture of man into space. From the beginning of time, men have peered into the darkness of space and seen the incredible wonders of the majesty of its Creator. From the Bible, a man called Job understood the powerful testimony of God as he gazed into the heavens.

Astronomy is the science of understanding the celestial bodies, the dark recesses of space, and the physical universe. Some writers put the time of Job before Abraham. He spoke of arrangements of stars well-known to those of his day. Replying to Bildad the  Shuhite, Job challenged the effort of man to contend with the Lord showing how great the creative power of God is found in the heavens. The sun rises and falls according to the will of the Lord. All of the stars are at the command of their Creator. Everything in the world above and the earth beneath move according to the will of God. Job acknowledged the Lord created the Bear, the Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. His wonders are without number. It is significant to see that Job declares the astronomical understanding of the heavens as the power of God.

Four constellations are referred to by Job. The Bear is highly visible in the northern sky (called Arcturus in the King James Version). This series of stars is known as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor with the North American name, the Little Dipper. Orion is another prominent constellation found on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. The Pleiades is a cluster of stars sometimes called the Seven Sisters that is most visible to the naked eye. Job also mentions the chambers of the south as the abundance of stars found in the southern skies without any reference to any specific group of constellations. Astronomy is not a modern science and while limited compared to modern technology, early man recognized the heavens declared the glory of God.

When God created the world He placed the sun, moon, and stars in their places to show His creation how vast, powerful, and beautiful their Maker was. The psalmist David proclaimed the heavens affirm the glory of God and Job could see the power of his Maker when he looked at the stars. There is ample evidence the world is created by a Master Creator and the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south cry forth His majestic character. Technology has given us greater knowledge of the universe but it has also dimmed our knowledge of God. In a world filled with artificial light, few venture out in the darkness of night to gaze upon the heavenly bodies and contemplate how vast the canopy of God’s creation unfolds before the human eye.

One of the greatest testimonies to the existence of God is what is found on earth and the heavens above. Abraham Lincoln said, “I never behold them (the heavens filled with stars) that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible to look down upon the earth and be an atheist – but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, ‘There is no God.’” The chaos of men fills the earth with despair and hopelessness but man cannot touch the heavens above. Job declares the presence of God when he looks at the night sky. It would be well to go out into a field at night away from the lights of the city and gaze into the face of God. He is found in the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.