Sun, the.

From: The New Topical Textbook By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 2 min. read • grade level: 10

Called the greater light. Gen. 1:16¹⁶And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16). GOD

Created. Gen. 1:14, 16¹⁴And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (Genesis 1:14)
¹⁶And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16). Psa. 74:16¹⁶The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. (Psalm 74:16)

Placed, in the firmament. Gen. 1:17¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, (Genesis 1:17).

Appointed to rule the day. Gen. 1:16¹⁶And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16). Psa. 136:8⁸The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: (Psalm 136:8). Jer. 31:35³⁵Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: (Jeremiah 31:35).

Appointed to divide seasons, &c. Gen. 1:14¹⁴And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (Genesis 1:14).

Exercises sovereign power over. Job 9:7⁷Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars. (Job 9:7).

Causes, to rise both on evil and good. Matt. 5:45⁴⁵That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45).

Causes, to know its time of setting. Psa. 104:19¹⁹He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. (Psalm 104:19).

Made to praise and glorify God. Psa. 148:3³Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. (Psalm 148:3).

The power and brilliancy of its rising alluded to. Judg. 5:31³¹So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. (Judges 5:31). 2 Sam. 23:4⁴And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. (2 Samuel 23:4).

Clearness of its light alluded to. SoS. 6:10.

Compared to a bridegroom coming forth from his chamber. Psa. 19:5⁵Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. (Psalm 19:5).

Compared to a strong man rejoicing to run a race. Psa. 19:5⁵Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. (Psalm 19:5).

Diffuses light and heat to all the earth. Psa. 19:6⁶His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. (Psalm 19:6).

THE RAYS OF,

Pleasant to man. Job 30:28²⁸I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation. (Job 30:28), with Ecc. 11:7.

Produce and ripen fruits. Deut. 33:14¹⁴And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, (Deuteronomy 33:14).

Soften and melt some substances. Ex. 16:21²¹And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. (Exodus 16:21).

Wither and burn up the herbs of the field. Mar. 4:6. James 1:11¹¹For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. (James 1:11).

Change the color of the skin. SoS. 1:6.

Frequently destructive to human life. 2 Kin. 4:18-20. Psa. 121:6⁶The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. (Psalm 121:6). Isa. 49:10¹⁰They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. (Isaiah 49:10).

Indicates the hours of the day by the shadow on the dial. 2 Kin. 20:9.

THE JEWS

Commenced their day with the rising of. Gen. 19:23, 24²³The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. ²⁴Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; (Genesis 19:23‑24), with 27, 28 vs. Judg. 9:33³³And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. (Judges 9:33).

Commenced their evening with the setting of. Gen. 28:11¹¹And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. (Genesis 28:11). Deut. 24:13¹³In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 24:13). Mar. 1:32.

Expressed the east by rising of. Num. 21:11¹¹And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising. (Numbers 21:11). Deut. 4:41, 47⁴¹Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; (Deuteronomy 4:41)
⁴⁷And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; (Deuteronomy 4:47). Josh. 12:1¹Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east: (Joshua 12:1).

Expressed the west by setting of. James 1:4⁴But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:4).

Expressed the whole earth by, from rising of, to setting of. Psa. 50:1¹<<A Psalm of Asaph.>> The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. (Psalm 50:1). Psa. 113:3³From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised. (Psalm 113:3). Isa. 45:6⁶That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:6).

Forbidden to worship. Deut. 4:19¹⁹And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. (Deuteronomy 4:19). Deut. 17:3³And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; (Deuteronomy 17:3).

Made images of. 2 Chr. 14:5⁵Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. (2 Chronicles 14:5). (marg.) 2 Chr. 34:4⁴And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. (2 Chronicles 34:4). (marg.)

Consecrated chariots and horses, as symbols of. 2 Kin. 23:11.

Worshipped. 2 Kin. 23:5. Jer. 8:2²And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. (Jeremiah 8:2).

Worshippers of, turned their faces towards the east. Ezek. 8:16¹⁶And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. (Ezekiel 8:16).

MIRACLES CONNECTED WITH;

Standing still for a whole day in the valley of Ajalon. Josh. 10:12, 13¹²Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. ¹³And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. (Joshua 10:12‑13).

Shadow put back on the dial. 2 Kin. 20:11.

Darkened at the crucifixion. Luke 23:44, 45⁴⁴And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. ⁴⁵And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:44‑45).

ILLUSTRATIVE

Of God's favor. Psa. 84:11¹¹For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11). Of Christ's coming. Mal. 4:2²But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2).

Of the glory of Christ. Matt. 17:2²And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Matthew 17:2). Rev. 1:16¹⁶And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. (Revelation 1:16). Rev. 10:1¹And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: (Revelation 10:1).

Of supreme rulers. Gen. 37:9⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. (Genesis 37:9). Isa. 13:10¹⁰For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. (Isaiah 13:10).

(Its clearness,) of the purity of the church. SoS. 6:10.

(Its brightness,) of the future glory of saints. Dan. 12:3³And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3), with Matt. 13:43⁴³Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43).

(Its power,) of the triumph of saints. Judg. 5:31³¹So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. (Judges 5:31).

(Darkened,) of severe calamities. Ezek. 32:7⁷And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. (Ezekiel 32:7). Joel 2:10, 31¹⁰The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: (Joel 2:10)
³¹The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. (Joel 2:31), with Matt. 24:29²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Matthew 24:29). Rev. 9:2²And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (Revelation 9:2).

(Going down at noon,) of premature destruction. Jer. 15:9⁹She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 15:9). Amos 8:9⁹And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: (Amos 8:9).

(No more going down,) of perpetual blessedness. Isa. 60:20²⁰Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. (Isaiah 60:20).

(Before or in sight of,) of public ignominy. 2 Sam. 12:11, 12¹¹Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. ¹²For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. (2 Samuel 12:11‑12). Jer. 8:2²And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. (Jeremiah 8:2).

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.

The New Topical Textbook

• Strangers in Israel.

• Sun, the.

• Temple, the Second.

• Theocracy, the, or Immediate Government by God.

• Threshing.

• Time.

• Tithe.