Ordinances of heaven

If I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David. — Jeremiah 33:25-26

Mark your calendar now if you want to see the next celestial convergence of Venus, Jupiter, and the moon. On November 18, 2052, you’ll be able to peer through the evening darkness as those solar system neighbors “gather” in a tiny area of the sky. That remarkable juxtaposition of reflective spheres last sparkled the night sky on December 1, 2008, and it will happen again 4 decades from now.

This predictability, as well as things such as eclipses and the return of Halley’s Comet (July 28, 2061), prove the orderliness of the universe. If no fixed set of laws governed the movement of everything in the universe, such predictions could not be made.

Are these set rules more than random standards? Can we see God’s hand in these celestial certainties? Look at Jeremiah 33:25-26. God has in view the covenantal relationship between Himself and His people, and He uses a scientific fact in the analogy. In effect, God says that His fixed universal laws, “the ordinances of heaven and earth,” have the same certainty as His promises to His covenant people.

God’s laws have governed the universe since its creation — and continue to do so with astounding predictability. So mark your calendar, and be amazed by God’s unchanging control. — Dave Branon

A prayer: Dear Lord, I marvel at the wonders of Your creation. You are such a great and awesome God who does not change. As I place my life in Your hands,

I will trust You to be faithful. Amen.

READ: Psalm 19:1-7

The wonders of creation reveal God at work.

The Bible in one year:

• Genesis 16-17

• Matthew 5:27-48