In this passage, God completed his work of the fourth day regarding the sun, moon and stars. In Genesis 1:17-19. Moses writes, “And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” Throughout Genesis one the constant theme resounds: “God created it all.” Yet as Butler points out many schools at just about all levels, “…often forbid the teaching that He (God) made them. All the educated wiseacres of the world cannot justify the refusal to teach the fact that God had His hand in the creation process. It is important to note that all the lights in the universe (stars, sun, moon, etc.) were made for the benefit of the earth. The focus of creation, as recorded in the Scriptures, is on the earth. It is not on other planets that many educators and scientists seem to think are out there somewhere.”[1]

I think my views on Extra-terrestrial life are unpopular: There isn’t any! Unless you consider the angels both good and bad. Genesis 1:1 is often read as a figure of speech called a merism. When it’s recorded that God created the “heavens and the earth” it’s not just talking about what’s visible to our eyes on earth. It’s talking about everything out there. Then, according to some, a third of the angels rebelled against God and they were judged, leaving the whole universe “tohu vabohu”, that is, formless and void. God’s recreative efforts that followed only involved the earth he prepared for you and me. The rest of the universe is still formless and void except for as they serve us on earth as lights and measures of time. Now, if they discover a life sustaining planet out there, I’ll have to reevaluate this position, but until they do. I’m holding on to this one. The same goes for extra-terrestrial intelligence! Until, they present me with a real life Vulcan or Romulan, I’m going to keep the what meets with reality.

The SETI (Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence) found by Carl Sagan has spent billions of dollars attempting to get some sort of code from outer space to prove that we are not the only intelligent life in the universe. I’m not sure there is any intelligent life on earth sometimes! One writer observed, “Serious people are searching for signs of intelligent life out in space. Great antennae are focused on about 100 stars which are the prime candidates for the detection of signals from space. Even the government of the United States in its Extraterrestrial Search Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is actively pursuing the quest. The Search for Extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) program is world-wide. SETI workers are constantly listening to the radio waves coming from millions of stars, hoping to find some signals which they can interpret as deliberate. Behind this search, which costs us all a tremendous amount of tax money, is a basic presupposition. It is assumed that life on earth evolved, and that it was not created. If life did evolve, then it is reasonable to expect that somewhere ‘out there’ life also evolved and that signs of it should be available to us.”[2] There have been many sounds received, by the way. The searchers refer to it as “music of the stars.” I think they are right and Job told us about that a long time ago. Job 38:4-7 says, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?  On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

[1] Butler, John G. 2008. Analytical Bible Expositor: Genesis. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.

[2] Robbins, Austin. 1998. “Signals from Space.” Bible and Spade 11, no. 1: 4.