According to Genesis 1:16 God created the stars on the fourth day. This was after he created the earth. However, in Job 38:4-7 God says, ““Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding! Who set its measurements—if you know— or who stretched a measuring line across it?On what were its bases set, or who laid its cornerstone— when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Some people see a contradiction here. The book of Job says that the stars sang when the earth was created? How could the stars sing when they would have been created after the earth’s foundations were set? This is actually a very easy “contradiction” to solve. Take a look at the following passages.

“The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20)

“Now the dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.” (Revelation 12:4)

“…wild sea waves, spewing out the foam of their shame; wayward stars for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness have been reserved.” (Jude 13)

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12)

These passages help us understand what the book of Job is talking about. Revelation 1:20 specifically says that the stars are angels. The other passages also make the most sense when the stars mentioned in those verses are angels and not literal stars. How can darkness be reserved for the stars (Jude)? How can a dragon (Satan) sweep literal stars out of the heavens? Jude is simply talking about what awaits fallen angels in hell. Revelation is using stars as a symbol for the fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion.

The most interesting verse above, however, is the one from Isaiah. The Latin word for morning star here is “Lucifer.” This is why western civilization calls Satan by that name. Most Christian scholars agree that the morning star in this verse symbolizes Satan.

It is clear that the stars that sang in Job are actually angels. This is confirmed even more when we understand that the passage is written in poetry. The verse “when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” is parallelism that the Hebrew language often uses in poetry. The “stars” and “sons of God” are the same in this passage. The phrase “sons of God” is a common name for angels in the Bible.

To conclude the passage in Job does not contradict what Genesis tells us about God creating the stars. What do you think? Leave a comment below and check us out on Facebook.