The Stars Do Have A Message For You!
AS SHOWN in the preceding articles, in spite of the glory the stars manifest, man was meant to consider them just for what they are—inanimate objects placed in the heavens by the Creator for his purpose. They were not to be worshiped. As an integral part of Jehovah’s marvelous creation subject to his laws, the stars were to ‘declare the glory of God’ and at the same time serve as a source of light for man as he carried out the Creator’s purpose for him.—Psalm 19:1; Deuteronomy 4:19.
In the Bible we read: "There should not be found in you anyone who . . . employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, or one who binds others with a spell or anyone who consults a spirit medium or a professional foreteller of events or anyone who inquires of the dead. For everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah." (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) Isaiah said: "Let [your counselors] stand up, now, and save you, the worshipers of the heavens, the lookers at the stars . . . Look! They have become like stubble."—Isaiah 47:13, 14.
What We Can Learn From the Stars
However, the inanimate stars can tell us something if we are willing to listen. Edwin Way Teale wrote: "The stars speak of man’s insignificance in the long eternity of time." Yes, when we realize that the vast majority of the stars we see with our naked eye on a clear night were seen by our ancestors centuries ago, does it not humble us? Do we not feel reverence for the Majestic One who created them "in the beginning" and who later brought forth mankind? King David of Israel reverently wrote: "When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him?" The heavens should humble us and make us question what we are doing with our lives.—Genesis 1:1; Psalm 8:3, 4.
On one occasion David prayed: "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God." (Psalm 143:10) The record of David’s life indicates that his prayer was answered. He learned to do God’s will as set out in His Law. He also learned the Creator’s purpose for mankind, and he wrote about it. "Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more . . . But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. . . . Turn away from what is bad and do what is good, and so reside to time indefinite. . . . The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it." With knowledge of that purpose came a responsibility: "Turn away from what is bad and do what is good."—Psalm 37:10, 11, 27-29.
The stars have the same message for all mankind. Without worshiping them or "consulting" them, we can see the Creator’s love, wisdom, and power reflected in them. The study of astronomy, as opposed to astrology, should instill reverence in our hearts. But more than that, does it not implant in us the desire to learn more about God? He has provided his Word, the Bible, for that very purpose. If you have discerned this message from the stars, you can learn what Jehovah has in store for mankind and, more important, how you can share in the blessings he has prepared for them. If you have questions about God and the purpose of life, feel free to contact Jehovah’s Witnesses in your area, or write to the nearest address indicated on page 5.

The stars can teach us humility


STAR
The Hebrew word koh·khav´ as well as the Greek a·ster´ and a´stron are applied in a general sense to any luminous body in space, except the sun and moon, for which other names are used.
Vastness of Universe. The galaxy within which Earth is located, commonly called the Milky Way, is believed to measure some 100,000 light-years across and to contain over 100,000,000,000 stars like our sun. The closest star to Earth, one of the Alpha Centauri group, is over 40,000,000,000,000 km (25,000,000,000,000 mi) away. Yet this immensity seems relatively small in view of the estimate that there are 100,000,000,000 galaxies throughout universal space. About 10,000,000,000 of these are within the range of modern telescopes.
The vastness of the stellar creation adds infinite force and meaning to the Creator’s statement at Isaiah 40:26: "Raise your eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who is bringing forth the army of them even by number, all of whom he calls even by name. Due to the abundance of dynamic energy, he also being vigorous in power, not one of them is missing." (Compare Ps 147:4.) The reverent psalmist was led to say: "When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him?"—Ps 8:3, 4.
Age. The fact that rays from remote stars and galaxies millions of light-years distant now reach giant telescopes on earth indicates that the creation of these astral bodies occurred millions of years in the past, since otherwise these rays would not yet have reached our planet. Such creation is evidently included in the initial statement at Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Verse 16 does not contradict this in saying that during the fourth creative "day," or period, "God proceeded to make . . . the stars." The word "make" (Heb., `a·sah´) does not mean the same as the word "create" (Heb., ba·ra´´).—See CREATION.
Number of Stars. In addressing man, God used the stars to denote a countless number, comparable to the grains of sand on the seashore. (Ge 22:17; 15:5; Ex 32:13; compare Ne 9:23; Na 3:15, 16; Heb 11:12.) Since the stars clearly discernible to the unaided eye number only a few thousand, this comparison was viewed by many in the past as out of balance. Yet today the evidence shows that the number of stars does indeed compare to all the grains of sand in all the earth.
It is of interest to note that, while Moses spoke of Israel as having seen a certain fulfillment of this Abrahamic promise, the censuses taken of the population, as recorded in the Bible, never did include the total number in the nation. (De 1:10; 10:22; 28:62) David is mentioned later as specifically refraining from taking the number of those "from twenty years of age and under, because Jehovah had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of the heavens." (1Ch 27:23) Such concept of the innumerableness of these heavenly bodies distinguishes the Bible writings as unique when compared with contemporary views of ancient peoples.
Orderly Arrangement. Additionally, the orderliness of the arrangement of these celestial bodies is emphasized in various texts, references being made to "statutes," "regulations," and "orbits" ("courses," RS). (Jer 31:35-37; Jg 5:20; compare Jude 13.) The tremendous forces that determine the relative positions of certain stars according to physical laws are indicated by God’s questions to Job: "Can you tie fast the bonds of the Kimah constellation, or can you loosen the very cords of the Kesil constellation? Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth constellation in its appointed time? . . . Have you come to know the statutes of the heavens, or could you put its authority in the earth?" (Job 38:31-33; see ASH CONSTELLATION; KESIL CONSTELLATION; KIMAH CONSTELLATION; MAZZAROTH CONSTELLATION.) Thus, the New Bible Dictionary states: "We assert, then, that the Bible consistently assumes a universe which is fully rational, and vast in size, in contrast to the typical contemporary world-view, in which the universe was not rational, and no larger than could actually be proved by the unaided senses."—Edited by J. Douglas, 1985, p. 1144.
The apostle Paul’s expression concerning the difference between individual stars can be appreciated even more in the light of modern astronomy, which shows the contrast existing as to color, size, amount of light produced, temperature, and even the relative density of the stars.—1Co 15:40, 41.
Star Worship. While star worship was rampant among the ancient nations of the Middle East, the Scriptural view held by God’s faithful servants was that such astral bodies were simply material bodies subject to divine laws and control, not dominating man but serving as luminaries and time indicators. (Ge 1:14-18; Ps 136:3, 7-9; 148:3) In warning Israel against making any representation of the true God Jehovah, Moses commanded them not to be seduced into worship of sun, moon, and stars, "which Jehovah your God has apportioned to all the peoples under the whole heavens." (De 4:15-20; compare 2Ki 17:16; 21:5; 23:5; Zep 1:4, 5.) Pagan nations identified their particular gods with certain stars and thus took a nationalistic view of those stellar bodies. Sakkuth and Kaiwan, mentioned at Amos 5:26 as gods worshiped by apostate Israel, are considered to be Babylonian names for the planet Saturn, called Rephan in Stephen’s quotation of this text. (Ac 7:42, 43) Star worship was especially prominent in Babylon but was proved worthless at the time of her destruction.—Isa 47:12-15.
"Star" Seen After Jesus’ Birth. The "astrologers from eastern parts," hence from the neighborhood of Babylon, whose visit to King Herod after the birth of Jesus resulted in the slaughter of all the male infants in Bethlehem, were obviously not servants or worshipers of the true God. (Mt 2:1-18; see ASTROLOGERS.) As to the "star" (Gr., a·ster´) seen by them, many suggestions have been given as to its having been a comet, a meteor, a supernova, or, more popularly, a conjunction of planets. None of such bodies could logically have ‘come to a stop above where the young child was,’ thereby identifying the one house in the village of Bethlehem where the child was found. It is also notable that only these pagan astrologers "saw" the star. Their condemned practice of astrology and the adverse results of their visit, placing in danger the life of the future Messiah, certainly allow for, and even make advisable, the consideration of their having been directed by a source adverse to God’s purposes as relating to the promised Messiah. It is certainly reasonable to ask if the one who "keeps transforming himself into an angel of light," whose operation is "with every powerful work and lying signs and portents," who was able to make a serpent appear to speak, and who was referred to by Jesus as "a manslayer when he began," could not also cause astrologers to ‘see’ a starlike object that guided them first, not to Bethlehem, but to Jerusalem, where resided a mortal enemy of the promised Messiah.—2Co 11:3, 14; 2Th 2:9; Ge 3:1-4; Joh 8:44.
Figurative Use. Stars are used in the Bible in a figurative sense and in metaphors or similes to represent persons, as in Joseph’s dream in which his parents were represented by the sun and moon, and his 11 brothers by 11 stars. (Ge 37:9, 10) Job 38:7 parallels "the morning stars" that joyfully cried out at earth’s founding with the angelic "sons of God." The resurrected and exalted Jesus spoke of himself as "the bright morning star" and promised to give "the morning star" to his conquering followers, evidently indicating a sharing with him in his heavenly position and glory. (Re 22:16; 2:26, 28; compare 2Ti 2:12; Re 20:6.) The seven "angels" of the congregations, to whom written messages are delivered, are symbolized by seven stars in the right hand of Christ. (Re 1:16, 20; 2:1; 3:1) "The angel of the abyss" called Abaddon is also represented by a star.—Re 9:1, 11; see ABADDON.
In the proverbial saying of Isaiah chapter 14, the boastful and ambitious king of Babylon (that is, the Babylonian dynasty of kings represented by Nebuchadnezzar), called the "shining one" (Heb., heh·lel´; "Lucifer," KJ), is presented as seeking to lift up his throne "above the stars of God." (Isa 14:4, 12, 13; see SHINING ONE.) The metaphor of a "star" is used in referring prophetically to the Davidic kings of Judah (Nu 24:17), and Bible history shows that the Babylonian dynasty for a time did rise above these Judean kings by conquest of Jerusalem. A similar prophecy in Daniel chapter 8 describes the small "horn" of some future power as trampling down certain stars of "the army of the heavens" and moving against the Prince of the army and his sanctuary (Da 8:9-13); while at Daniel chapter 12, by simile, those persons "having insight" and bringing others to righteousness are pictured as shining "like the stars" in "the time of the end." (Da 12:3, 9, 10) By contrast, immoral deviators from truth are compared to "stars with no set course."—Jude 13.
The darkening of the stars, along with the sun and moon, is a frequent figure used in prophetic warnings of disaster brought as a result of God’s judgment. (Isa 13:10; Eze 32:7; Re 6:12, 13; 8:12; compare Job 9:6, 7.) The dimming of such luminaries is also used in the description of the fading years of the aged person at Ecclesiastes 12:1, 2. Elsewhere stars are spoken of as falling or being cast down to earth. (Mt 24:29; Re 8:10; 9:1; 12:4) "Signs" in sun, moon, and stars are foretold as evidence of the time of the end.—Lu 21:25.
"Daystar." The expression "daystar" (Gr., pho·spho´ros) occurs once, at 2 Peter 1:19, and is similar in meaning to "morning star." Such stars at certain seasons of the year are the last stars to rise on the eastern horizon before the sun appears and thus are heralds of the dawn of a new day. Peter’s previous reference to the vision of Jesus’ transfiguration in magnificent glory suggests a relation to his entering into kingly power as "the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star [a·ster´]."—Re 22:16; 2:26-28.
‘Stars Fought Against Sisera.’ The account at Judges 5:20 has occasioned discussion with regard to the phrase, "From heaven did the stars fight, from their orbits they fought against Sisera." Some view it as merely a poetical reference to divine assistance. (Compare Jg 4:15; Ps 18:9.) Other suggestions include the falling of showers of meteorites, or the dependence of Sisera on astrological predictions, which proved false. Since the Bible record does not detail the manner in which the stars "fought," it appears sufficient to regard the statement as showing some divine action of a miraculous nature taken on behalf of Israel’s army.


The Stars And Man—Is There a Connection?
THE practice of watching the stars is not new. According to The World Book Encyclopedia, farmers thousands of years ago "watched the stars to know when to plant their crops. Travelers learned to use the stars to tell directions." Even today in space travel, stars are still used as guides. Ancients also invented myths of persons and animals that they felt were pictured in groups of stars, or constellations. In time people came to feel that stars could influence their lives.
A Vast Choice of Stars
The sheer number of and size of the stars inspire awe. It is estimated that there are some 100 billion galaxies, or huge groupings of stars, in the universe! The International Encyclopedia of Astronomy says: "That is the number of grains of rice that could be packed into an average cathedral." The Milky Way galaxy, of which our solar system is a part, is estimated to have at least that many stars. The star nearest our Earth (other than the Sun), one of the Alpha Centauri group, is about 4.3 light-years away. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. That means that when we look at that star, the light entering our eye left the star 4.3 years earlier and during all that time was traveling through space at a velocity of 186,282 miles a second [299,792 km/sec]. It is beyond our mental capacity to imagine the distance involved. Yet, that is only the nearest star. Some stars are billions of light-years from our galaxy. No wonder God’s prophet declared: "Look! The nations are as a drop from a bucket; and as the film of dust on the scales they have been accounted. Look! He lifts the islands themselves as mere fine dust." (Isaiah 40:15) Who bothers about a little speck of dust?
The closest heavenly body to earth is the moon, which exercises a definite influence on our earth, its gravity even causing a difference of over 50 feet [15 meters] between high and low tides in some places. According to three French scientists, the moon’s gravity is now believed to be what keeps the earth’s axis inclined 23 degrees, thus ensuring a regular change of seasons. (Nature, February 18, 1993) Since the moon exerts such a physical influence over our planet, it is reasonable to ask, What about the billions of stars? But first, what do ancient sources, such as the Bible, tell us about the stars?
Stars in the Scriptures
The Bible makes many references to stars, both in a literal and in a figurative sense. For instance, according to one psalmist, the Creator made "the moon and the stars to dominate the night" so that the stars would help furnish light for the earth. (Psalm 136:9, Tanakh) Later, when making a covenant with faithful Abraham, God said: "‘Look up, please, to the heavens and count the stars, if you are possibly able to count them.’ And he went on to say to him: ‘So your seed will become.’" (Genesis 15:5) The apostle Paul points out that stars have differences, saying: "The glory of the sun is one sort, and the glory of the moon is another, and the glory of the stars is another; in fact, star differs from star in glory." (1 Corinthians 15:41) At the same time, this vast number of stars and their glory are not outside the realm or the control of their Creator: "He is counting the number of the stars; all of them he calls by their names."—Psalm 147:4.
On the other hand, in the Scriptures we find that stars are often used to refer to persons, rulers, and angels. Jacob’s son Joseph has a dream in which his parents are pictured as "the sun and the moon" and his brothers as "stars." Angels are referred to as "morning stars." Babylon’s king is spoken of as aiming to be above "the stars of God," the Davidic rulers of the nation of Israel. Unstable men in the Christian congregation are likened to "stars with no set course," whereas faithful bodies of congregation elders are mentioned as being "stars" in the right hand of Christ.—Genesis 37:9, 10; Job 38:7; Isaiah 14:13; Jude 13; Revelation 1:16.
One account in the Bible says that ‘the stars from their orbits fought against Sisera,’ the army chief of King Jabin of Canaan, who had oppressed the nation of Israel for 20 years. Jehovah assigned Judge Barak of Israel to save Israel from bondage and gave him an overwhelming victory over Sisera, even though the latter had nine hundred chariots with iron scythes on their wheels. In the song of victory, the Israelites sang: "From heaven did the stars fight, from their orbits they fought against Sisera." No explanation is given as to just how the stars fought. Rather than assume that the stars exercised a direct influence in the battle, it is more reasonable to believe that the expression indicates some form of divine intervention in behalf of Israel.—Judges 5:20.
"The Star" of Bethlehem
Probably one of the best-known stars mentioned in the Bible is "the star" of Bethlehem that guided the astrologers from "eastern parts" to the house where Jesus had been taken by his parents after his birth in a stable. What was that star? Certainly it was not an ordinary one, since it was low enough for the astrologers to follow it for about a thousand miles [1,600 km]. "The star" led them first to Jerusalem. Hearing of this, King Herod questioned them and then decided to kill the infant Jesus. Then "the star" led the astrologers to the particular house where Jesus was living. Certainly no normal star could do that. Did this starlike object originate with God? Since the astrologers’ visit led indirectly to the slaughter of ‘all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its districts from two years of age and under,’ is it not reasonable to conclude that "the star" was something used by God’s Adversary, Satan, in an attempt to destroy God’s Son?—Matthew 2:1-11, 16.
It should also be borne in mind that the astrologers came from the East, perhaps from Babylon, which was an ancient center of magic, sorcery, and astrology. A number of heavenly bodies have been named after Babylon’s gods. In the days of King Nebuchadnezzar, divination was used to help him decide which route to take in his battle campaign.—Ezekiel 21:20-22.
The prophet Isaiah challenged Babylon’s counselors, saying: "You [Babylon] are powerless in spite of the advice you get. Let your astrologers come forward and save you—those people who study the stars, who map out the zones of the heavens and tell you from month to month what is going to happen to you. They will be like bits of straw, and a fire will burn them up! They will not even be able to save themselves . . . and none will be left to save you." True to Isaiah’s prophecy, mighty Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C.E. The guidance that those Babylonian astrologers claimed to bring from the stars turned into disaster for all concerned.—Isaiah 47:13-15, Today’s English Version.
Does this mean that we cannot learn anything from the stars?
[Footnotes]
Modern astronomy confirms Paul’s words, since stars differ as to color, size, amount of light produced, temperature, and relative density.

What Some Have Said
ASTROLOGY: "an adjunct and ally to astronomy."—Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) German astronomer.
"Astrology is a disease, not a science. . . . It is a tree under the shadow of which all sorts of superstitions thrive."—Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), Jewish scholar of the Middle Ages.
"A proto-science which claims to be able to assess individual personality and behaviour and to foretell future trends and events from the aspects of the heavens. . . . Probably about the 6th century BC—the Chaldæans in the south of Iraq are thought to have introduced the personal horoscope. This was concerned with the influences exerted at the time of birth by the fixed stars, as well as the Sun, Moon and five planets. . . . The procedures of astrology and the interpretation of horoscopes rely on ideas astronomers and most other scientists find subjective and unacceptable."—C. A. Ronan, project coordinator, East Asian History of Science Trust, Cambridge, England, and contributor to The International Encyclopedia of Astronomy from which this quotation is taken.
To illustrate this subjectivity, Ronan explains that while to the Western mind, the red planet, Mars, is associated with war and belligerence, to the Chinese, red is a beautiful color, and Mars is viewed as having a benign influence. In contrast, Western mythology associates Venus with white and beauty. To the Chinese "white . . . is considered the colour of death, decay and destruction; Venus was therefore referred to as the ‘gloomy planet of war.’"
Ronan continues: "In spite of its proto-scientific nature, astrology in early times played a useful part in promoting astronomical observation and providing funds to carry it out."
Nineteen Nobel prize winners, together with other scientists, issued a manifesto in 1975 entitled "Objections to Astrology—A Statement by 192 Leading Scientists." It declared:
"In ancient times people . . . had no concept of the vast distances from the earth to the planets and stars. Now that these distances can and have been calculated, we can see how infinitesimally small are the gravitational and other effects produced by the distant planets and the far more distant stars. It is simply a mistake to imagine that the forces exerted by stars and planets at the moment of birth can in any way shape our futures."
[Footnotes]
For further information on astrology, see Awake! of May 8, 1986, pages 3-9.