I am not a scientist.  I love looking at the stars and I can even name a few of the galaxies.  However, when I visit observatories and the curator talks about light years in scientific jargon, I’m lost.  However, I can look through the telescope and view the wonders of the night sky. Not in terms of science but focusing on the beauty of God’s creation.

Poor Galileo Galilei …better known as simply Galileo.  He faced hostile inquisitors who opposed his astronomical discoveries.  He was indeed a scientist ahead of his peers and an anathema to the thinking of the church.  He claimed that the earth moves around the sun while the sun stays stationary.  This disagreement came about by a misreading of Psalm 93:1.

          “The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty’ the Lord is clothed.  He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.”

This verse allegedly clashed with Galileo’s analysis of our solar system.  His telescope measurements of the movements in the heavens proved that earth orbited the “stationary” sun not vice versa.  However, the Church at that time disagreed with his astronomical analysis……..claiming the opposite was true, based on the their reading of the Psalm.

All of this came about because of not knowing the real meaning of the words, ”cannot be moved.”  In the original Hebrew the real meaning was that the Earth cannot be yanked away or pulled off course from its divinely established program of movement. This Psalm states that the earth is established forever and cannot be moved.  Quite a difference in interpretation, right?

So what does this tell us now?

First….Don’t trust that your Bible has the correct translation of the Hebrew words.  The modern versions are often times far removed from the original intent of scripture.  If possible compare versions.

Second…..  Beware of all science that doesn’t include a Divine Creator at the center of real science.  Many so-called scientists today, although claiming to include God in creation, prefer science over Scripture.  Making the assumption that the Bible is not to be trusted in matters of science will always lead to error.

Pity poor Galileo.  If only he knew about the work of Isaac Newton, and had a good translation of the  Bible he could have seen the descriptions of God’s choreographed heavens are confirmed and not opposed……by true science.