Can You Count The Stars?

The Bible and Science

Can you count the stars of evening, / That are shining in the sky?

Can you count the clouds that daily, / Over all the world go by?

God the Lord, who does not slumber, / Keeps all the boundless number:

But He cares more for you, / But He cares more for you.

The words of that song serve as a reminder to us of a number of things that prove the accuracy, knowledge and power of the Lord our God. And that should encourage us to have even greater faith in Him. Some of man's recent discoveries about God's accuracy, knowledge and power include the following:

In the years before Jesus was born, Greek astronomers, employing the sharp vision of their younger colleagues, counted all the stars visible to the unaided eye and concluded that they totaled 3,000 stars. The prophet Jeremiah through God's inspiration said centuries earlier that, "the stars of heaven cannot be numbered" (Jeremiah 33:22). So, can we trust what God says? Today astronomers tell us that the number of stars is estimated to be 10 to the 25^th power (that's 1 followed by 25 zeros - try writing it out to be really impressed) and they are certain that no person knows the actual number out there. So, we cannot count the stars. But God knows both their number and their names, "He tells the number of the stars; he calls them all by their names" (Psalm 147:4).

The November 1996 issue of New Scientist magazine revealed that evolutionists were surprised to learn that "primitive" insects like butterflies have a magnetic sense and/or built-in navigational "maps" like the "more highly evolved birds." Recent news reports tell us of the amazement of evolutionists that the earliest examples of man that they find are "surprisingly modern." They played musical instruments (see Genesis 4:21), built complex weapons, made high quality clothing, solid homes and even drew detailed pictures of their world. Evolutionary beliefs are based on ignoring the reality of God and, as a result, give a picture of life that doesn't fit the "facts." In reality, the so-called science of evolution teaches "facts" as primitive as those Greek astronomers with their 3,000 stars.

The Apostle Paul confirmed the book of Genesis when he remarked that all people on earth are related regardless of nationality, skin color or other seeming differences (Acts 17:26). Many people want to believe that race, skin color, hair and eye color, nationality or other superficial differences are really important. The growing body of facts from molecular biology and genetics points to God being right. Race, nationality, etc. are really only skin deep. When you look beneath the skin you cannot tell any of the seemingly conspicuous differences that are in truth so trivial. Which leads us to an obvious reflection. What do we see when we look at someone? Do we really believe and act like we believe Galatians 3:28?

We hear a lot from evolutionists about how the chimpanzees are our closest "relatives" because they are most like us. However, recent studies at the University of Adelaide show koala fingerprints are "surprisingly" human like. How close? Well, no policeman would ever confuse chimpanzee fingerprints with those of humans but there exists the "possibility of confusion" over human and koala fingerprints. Evolutionists call it a "coincidence" because koalas are nothing like humans.

In light of archaeological discoveries of the past century, it is amazing that many people still try to claim that the Bible is inaccurate, that it is a book of myths and superstitions rather than facts about real people, real places and the real God. Yet another "proof" of the accuracy of the Bible has come to light. Four ancient tablets from the site of the Biblical city of Hazor have been discovered. They are described by the Johannesburg Star as the "most important ones ever found in Israel." These tablets are the first documents outside the Bible to mention the name of this city referred to by Joshua (chapter 11) as one of the great Canaanite kingdoms that dominated the north before the arrival of the Israelites. The tablets point to the presence of two royal archives, which it is now hoped will be discovered in further excavations.

Even in the time of Abraham, Hazor was already a major center of commerce. One of the tablets contains multiplication tables, another is about a civil dispute and a third lists goods sent in trade between cities. It is also worth remembering that it was not too many decades ago that skeptics argued that Moses could not have written the Ten Commandments because writing had not been invented!

So what should be our response to these "discoveries" of man? The facts of this world reveal God. The evidence points to His power and authority (read Psalm 19:1-2 for one reminder). Our faith should be increasing because of who He is, what He has done and what He continues to do for us.

We ought to join the Psalmist (Psalm 8:3-9) to shout gladly to the heavens above and boldly to the world we live in: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; what is man, that you take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than God, and crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth!”

It would certainly be appropriate for us to live faithful lives this week before the great God who is our God, our Father, our Savior. And remember, even if you cannot count the stars, your Father can.