What did King David know of the Heavens?

"The heavens declare the glory of God." With these words begins the magnificent 19th Psalm. What did King David know of the heavens and how they express the glory of God? He knew nothing of the immensity of space which modern science has discovered; light years, pulsars, and super novae were completely unknown in his day. But there were astronomical facts which David knew, facts with which many people today are familiar.

David knew that God created the stars (Genesis 1:14-19). He also understood that it was God, not chance, who set them in their specific places (Psalm 8:3). Even more important, he knew that God gave names to the stars (Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26). David, like most of his contemporaries, also knew the meanings of the names of the stars. In his native language of Hebrew, the names of the stars were commonly used in the Messianic prophecies and aspirations of God's ancient people.

David could point to the well-known bright stars of the sky and meditate on their significance. Spica means "The Branch". Arcturus means "He Comes". Pollux means "Who Comes to Suffer". Antares means "The Wounded". Sirius means "The Prince". Elnath means "Slain". Procyon means "The Redeemer". Vega means "He Shall Be Exalted".

Not only did David know that the names of individual stars had meanings, but he also knew that the stars (plural) had a Divine purpose: "They shall be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Genesis 1:14). The stars were to be for signs to indicate happenings. I am convinced that these "signs" comprised a pictorial presentation of what God was going to do in history, especially concerning the suffering and glory of the coming Saviour.

David knew, like Job, that God caused the 12 signs to appear in their regular order during the course of a year (Job 38:31-32). The 1st sign is that of Virgo, which spoke of the coming Seed of woman, who would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). The prophetic revelation continued through all the other signs, depicting the atonement, the suffering Redeemer, the Messiah coming to rule, and the final overthrow of the serpent-enemy. The final sign is Leo, which speaks of Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah which has prevailed. The prophecy in the signs of the heavens follows the same order as that in the Word of God. David knew this and exulted, "The heavens declare the glory of God!"

"Comments": The pseudoscience of astrology is nothing more than a cleverly disguised satanic corrution of the pure story of the coming Redeemer. I am fully aware that the Scriptures contain the full and final revelation of God for man today. However, there is some encouragement for the Believer who discovers that the same Biblical message is to be seen in the signs in the sky.