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14 Elohim said, "Let there be lights in the barrier of the heavens to separate day and night, and let them be used for signs, seasons, days, and years. 15 Let there be lights in the barrier of the heavens to light the earth." And it happened. 16 Elohim made the two great lights, the great light to govern day and the small light to govern night and the stars. 17 Elohim put them in the barrier of the heavens to light the earth, 18 to govern day and night, and to separate light and darkness. Elohim saw that it was good. 19 So evening and morning of the fourth day came about. (1:14-19)
The work of creation continued through separating and dividing. On the fourth day the lights in the sky separated day from night and distinguished times and seasons. In the overall structure of creation, the fourth day is related to the first day. Light in general was created, and then on the fourth day this light was embodied in light-giving entities.
| Star-Birth Clouds (M16), taken by the Hubble orbiting telescope. |
The language of ruling is introduced into the account at this point and becomes a prominent factor in days four and six. The bodies of light have a ruling and regulating function. They determine the calendar and the seasons. Here we see the Priestly writer affirming the orderliness of the created world; religious life was organized around a cyclic series of holy days and festivals, all determined by the course of the sun and moon. Priests were the caretakers of religious life, and it was important for them to point out that the regularity of life was established by God at creation.
