GENESIS 1:16
Then 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 NKJV]
God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. [Genesis 1:16 BSB]
Bible Teacher:
God made two great Lights, and He also made the Stars as well. The Stars are those Lights that do not primarily serve as light on earth nor give light on earth, but serve for signs, seasons, days, years, times and communication. But there were two basic and great Lights, different from the Stars because they give light on earth from the heavens. One of the two great Lights God made was far greater than the other. And the greater Light (the Sun) was made to rule or govern the day, while the lesser Light (the moon and stars) was to rule or govern the night.
So God made Lights rulers over Times and Seasons; and it is good to have the Lights ruling the Times, and not the Times ruling the Lights. When you say, "There's time for everything," make sure that you mean "under the Sun" and not 'over the Sun.' Every Time that is under the Sun is a time under subjection or under the rule of Light, not just the rule of law.
Commentaries:
God made two of them great Lights to the earth, and made the rest of them Stars. One of the two great Lights was made greater than the other, and given dominion to rule as king of the day; and the lesser light was to rule the night.
Remember, the Light that rules and gives light during the day is considered greater than the Light that rules and gives light during the night. If the brilliance of your light is relatively more glorious, remarkable and surpassingly greater than other daylights or great lights, it means your light rules the other lights around. The Light that is brilliant or ruling only in the night or darkness where there are relatively none or less Lights, is a local champion. Therefore, even that which is glorious may not have distinguished glory by reason of another glory that excels it.
[2 Corinthians 3:10 BSB'19] — "Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it."
Don't just be a great Star, but basically be a great Light to both Lights and Darkness. The Stars may be more glorious and more brilliant than many Lights, but unless they fulfill the duties of being Light or serving as light to those on earth below, they are just stars or celebrities, but not Lightbearers or Leaders in light.
Bible Teacher:
When God made the Lights, He also made "Greatness" in Lights. He did not make these Lights to compete with each other for who becomes greater than the other, but He made each one greater than the other by default according to the Will of God their Maker.
God was not just bringing the Lights into being, but He was also bringing the Kingdom of Lights into being. Thus, some Lights were born Kings or Rulers from the beginning over times, signs and seasons. In the Kingdom of God, the greater the authority God gives you, the more the things of light you may rule or command over time. The greater Light rules the day because the greater Light has the authority of God to rule or command things of light time. Even the time of darkness, called "Night," was made to be ruled by a great Light in the Kingdom of Light. Again, it is not time that rules the Lights; rather the Lights rule the times in faithfulness and signs.
Commentaries:
There are "Times and Seasons" that rule these Lights, instead of these Lights ruling over those times and seasons; and that's because those times and seasons have greater influence than these Lights for some seasons and reasons. Nevertheless, when such times overshadow or overwhelm these Lights, the Lights give what is termed as "Signs of Times," such as the Sun turning black or darkened, and the Moon turning into blood or red.
Signs of the Times mean these Lights announce things greater than them or times above their rules. Yes, there is a time and place in which darkness must be stronger than these Lights, to overrule these Lights. That Time is called, "The Day of the Lord." As it is written,
[Amos 5:18-20] — "Woe to you that desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?"
Bible Teacher:
Know this! Whenever the Sun rules the day and the Moon rules the night, they are showing forth the Goodness and Mercy of God. God is Good and Merciful, for He makes His Sun to rise on both the good people and on the evil/wicked people [Matthew 5:45]. Therefore behold the enduring mercy and long-suffering of God in the Sun rules by day and the Moon by night. As it is written,
[Psalms 136:7-9 NKJV] — To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever— The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever; The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever.