Page 23 - ADAM IN GENESIS

itself as the bearer of the light is the meor. The word is used 19 times in the OT and is
here translated in the LXX as phoster whereas the light is translated phos.
It is obvious as we read on that the light-bearers are the sun, moon and stars. This is an
st
important instance where we cannot confuse our 21 century knowledge with that of the
original audience. On the one hand, we now know that the moon does not bear light, it
reflects the suns light. But from the perspective of an earth-based observer, the moon
appears to give off abundant nighttime light. On the other hand it is useful in the
application of NT Scripture knowing that a light-bearer can either give off or reflect light
onto a body. Paul says in Phil. 2:15 that Christians are to be phosteres in the dark world
In other words, we are to reflect the light of the Son into the world so as to be a good
witness to those who are lost in darkness.
Even though the stars are mentioned parenthetically in verse 16, there is reason to believe
they are included in the summoning command given in verse 14 as well. This is because
of the purpose of thecommand. They are 1.) to separate the day from the night, 2.) to be
for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and 3.) to give light upon the earth. The
sun, moon and all the stars fulfill these purposes even today. First, the sun is the greatest
of the light-bearers in that it alone separates the day from the night. This gives further
credence to the observer being earth-based and not heavenly-based. The light from the
sun is sufficient to drown out all light coming from the other heavenly bodies during the
daytime. During the night, a full moon can light up the sky enough to read a book.
The second purpose is actually three-fold. They are to be for signs. The ancients placed
all the stars within constellations which were used in navigation as well as in the myths of
their time. Next they were to be for seasons. The ancients knew exactly when the summer
and winter solstices were based on the position of the sun and therefore knew when to
plant and harvest their crops. They also were aware of certain constellations that were
only up in the sky certain times of the year. Finally they were to be for days and years.
The absence of the preposition for (the Hebrew letter lamech) before the word years
forces a combination of these last two terms. The preposition occurs only before signs,
seasons and days (interstingly the KJV had it right and the NKJV incorrectly joins signs
and seasons). Young Earth Creationists argue this command as proof that these Days
were 24-hour periods based on this verse. It is true that the word day (yom) is the same
throughout the passage, but we have already seen the entire semantic range used in
Scripture. In this verse alone we see it used as the 12-hour daylight portion and the
24-hour time period. This in no way limits the Creation Days as 24-hour time periods.
Each usage must be interpreted by its context and the overarching theme we have noted is
that these are God's Days and they are not limited to the solar days we experience today.
There is no need to link the sun-based day in verse 14 with the Creation Day in verse 19
from the context.
By stating that God set them in the expanse to give light to the earth twice, the author
clearly wants to portray the importance of this purpose of the meor. They are to rule
(Heb. masal), or be the dominant figures in the expanse during, the day and night. Earlier
in verse 5 day and night were defined as the light and dark periods the earth-based
observer experiences during the planets rotation. Now, through the dissipating clouds of
the improving expanse, He is able to see the governing bodies: the sun and moon. He also
made the stars. This parenthetical statement is included to let the audience know that God