On
day four in his works of creation, God creates the sun, moon, and stars (Gen.
1:14–19). These “lights” in the heavens are specifically said to “separate”
day and night, to “rule” the light and darkness, and to be for “signs and for
seasons.” As we are considering a biblical worldview of work in the works of
God, there are further important lessons we draw from our Creator here.
We
have already discussed God’s works of separating, classifying, and naming—or,
“taxonomy.” We have also discussed assessment and progress. Here we see God
expand those ideas, applying similar principles in the area of time.
Together these features provide an environment in which God’s creatures—man in
particular—can keep track of time. This has many implications.
The
Stewardship of Time
God
placed these lights for the purpose of separating the light from the darkness.
Given that he has already called “the darkness” night and “the light” day, those
phrases mean the same thing here. They are speaking of definite, marked periods
of time. The separations here, then, refer to separations or division of time
specifically.
These
periods of time come in two varieties, we might say: common and special. These
two categories are in the text. “Days and years” designate the common variety.
These come with mundane regularity: every 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12
months or 365 days a year. By these we regulate our normal patterns of work and
rest. “Signs and seasons” designate what we may call “special” time indicators.
These come less frequently and are usually marked by special considerations of
the larger, more monumental changes in our life and environment: “Summer and
winter, and springtime and harvest,” as the hymn says. With these come special
celebrations, which may vary by culture, but generally mark the same features:
planting, harvest, death, life. All of these point to continued hope in our
life as God’s people living in his providence. These periodically remind us of
meaning and purpose amidst the mundane, day-to-day life.
For
these reasons, the lights are said also to “rule.” They are markers which
indicate the regular intervals of time. Regarding the quantification of the
passage of time, the rotation of the earth around the sun and the rotation of
the earth on its axis in relation to the sun provide an objective and
definitive basis. They are regular, predictable, and perpetual. It’s tempting
to say you could almost set your watch by them. They are, in fact, laws
which rule our very existence.
Just
as we discerned the laws of logic in creation before, here we can see the same
principles at work. In God’s creation, you have both the one and the many of
logic and mathematics: you have a unified continuum of time with built-in means
for marking discreet, diverse units. These units can be infinite in both their
number and diversity, but they also boil down to the simplest of distinctions:
light and dark, yes and no. These are the fundamental units of human thought,
communication, and reasoning. As I’ve written elsewhere:
The
objective, “yes” and “no” character of truth lies at the root of God’s creation
and man’s thinking. This primitive objectivity appears in the most fundamental
accounting device in the created world—a computer. At its most fundamental
level, a computer chip simply interprets a series of ones and zeros—a digital
version of “yes” and “no,” “positive” and “negative.” This binary (allowing
only two answers) language (processed at billions of affirmatives or negatives
per second) can code and process everything you see happening on your computer
screen. In this system, there is no “maybe,” “possibly,” “probably,” or the
like. When it comes down to it, therefore, everything from games and graphics
to the most complex mathematics and engineering boils down to a series of
answers to yes or no questions. (And one improper answer can lock up the
entire system!) Of course, computers do not make a perfect analogy to the human
mind, and certainly not to human experience in total, but the fact that the
fundamental level of data processing equates to simple honesty shows us that at
its root level, creation functions according to an objective order that is both
very simple and inescapable. (Biblical Logic, 2nd Ed., 23.)
This
is why computers are such phenomenally helpful and life-changing devices. They
do some of our most basic work for us at phenomenal speed and efficiency. We
can build computer on top of computer in various ways, at very low cost, and
transfer billions of answers across space and time in seconds. We can build
complex systems out of simple ones and compound this productivity and
efficiency.
Simply
put, the discreet marking and tracking of time is a crucial aspect of
our lives—a demand we should say. Time is our only non-renewable
resource. Once it passes, you cannot get it back. You cannot produce more. It
cannot be recycled. Moreover, you will use it. This is inescapable. The
big question is how you will use it. God gave us such prominent and
dramatic rulers of time—the sun, moon, and stars—in part to impress upon us
constantly that our time spent here is a stewardship for One much greater. We
are responsible to him, and he has given us provision to be productive.
With
these features in place, we can understand the practical implications of God’s
provisions on day four to lead us directly into all aspects of time management.
This includes scheduling, planning, tracking, and more.
These
features imply that both short-term and long-term time markers have crucial
meaning and purpose. Time management demands discipline both to plan and to
execute for both short and long term. One must take the time to think through
the project, separate it into smaller tasks, create a sequence, schedule each
part, and then also have the discipline to perform each part and stick with the
schedule until the project is completed. This is true whether we are building a
skyscraper, launching a space shuttle, or tackling overwhelming mounds of
laundry.
One
key to any larger project is to break down it down into manageable discreet
quantities, and then perform each smaller task in sequence. Mark the completion
of each smaller task as progress toward the larger goal. Mark progress with
regular daily rest, and mark the completion of larger projects with celebration
appropriate to the accomplishment.
Finally,
the use we make, or do not make, over time will naturally compound. All time is
God’s time, and this means our stewardship of time is not neutral. Further,
since it cannot be renewed or recycled, our use of it is both moral and
inescapable. This is the ultimate exposure of non-neutrality in one’s life. You
are either being productive for God or you are not, and you cannot
change that once it is done. What you have done can be forgiven and the future
course set aright, but it cannot be changed. From the present moment, either
productivity or sloth will compound. We will discuss compounding more later,
but for now it is enough to acknowledge it. The more we invest in godly
productivity over time, the more it pays off. The more we invest in sloth,
laziness, sloppiness, or slack, the more it will consume us over time.
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man
(Prov. 6:10–11; 24:33–34).
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man
(Prov. 6:10–11; 24:33–34).