VII. FOR DAYS—SET BY THE DAILY ROTATION
OF THE EARTH FOR NEW STARTS
Both days and years are related to the sun. The earth makes two kinds of movements in relation to the sun—the daily revolving and the yearly revolving. The daily revolving is called rotation; the yearly revolving is called revolution. We all know that the earth’s daily rotation makes a day and the earth’s yearly revolution makes a year. The phrase "for days" (Gen. 1:14b) means that the earth is continually rotating to create new starts. Hallelujah! Every day is a new start, for every day we have a sunrise. Every day we have a dawn. As the sun, Christ gives us a new start day by day. Every morning, morning watch should be our dawn, a time when the daystar arises within us for a new beginning.
Numbers 28:3-4 says that every morning we must present some burnt offerings. Every day is a new start. Lamentations 3:22-23 says that the mercies and compassions of the Lord are new every morning. First Thessalonians 5:4-8 says that we are not children of the night, but children of the day.
VIII. FOR YEARS—SET BY THE YEARLY REVOLUTION
OF THE EARTH FOR GREATER BEGINNINGS
The yearly revolutions around the sun bring in greater beginnings. This is really wonderful. We are in Christ and we are in the church. Therefore, we have the sun and moon to give us seasons, days, and years.
When the people of Israel came out of Egypt, the Lord told them it was the beginning of a new year (Exo. 12:2). When we were saved, that was also the beginning of a new year, the year of our rebirth, a real revolution in our life. My first revolution was in 1925, the year I was saved. The second was in 1931, the year I was revived. Less than a year later, in July, 1932, I had another revolution—I saw the church. That revolutionized my whole Christian life. In my Christian life, I have had many other new years besides these. Year after year, Christ as the real sun gives us a new beginning.
No crops can grow without the seasons, days, and years. All the crops grow by the lights of the fourth day. On the one hand, we are God’s crop; on the other hand, we are God’s farm. We need the moon to appoint the seasons for us and we need the sun to appoint the days and the years.
Genesis 8:13 tells us that Noah returned to the land on the first day of the first month. He had a new start on the first day of the first month, a new start on the new land. Exodus 40:2, 17 tells us that the tabernacle was erected on the first day of the first month, another new start. Why didn’t God tell the people to raise up the tabernacle on the twenty-ninth day of the fourth month, but on the first day of the first month? It was for a new beginning. Second Chronicles 29:17 and Ezekiel 45:18 both tell us that the people cleansed and sanctified the temple on the first day of the first month. According to Ezra 7:9, the return from Babylon started on the first day of the first month. Every Christian needs these four new beginnings: coming to the new land, raising up God’s tabernacle, cleansing God’s temple, and returning from captivity. All of these are new beginnings in your Christian life for your growth in Christ and they must be on the first day of the first month.
(Life-Study of Genesis, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee)
