Why didn't God tell us?

Question

Why didn't God tell us how many planets there are in the solar system in the records of Genesis so there would never have been a debate over it?

Answer 1

Interesting question.

If you read the collection of books in the Bible from cover to cover, the books have an interesting focus, which if you will bear with me, might explain why you don't hear much about the planets in the Bible.

Although people have been checking information referenced in the Bible against other sources of knowledge that are not "Christian" for centuries, the book's depictions are eerily accurate (like geographical locations, historical events, etc.)

However, the reader will notice, (that regardless of if you believe in the God of the Hebrews or not), the overall story is not intended to be used specifically as a historical document.

Although the facts and events listed in the Bible can be cross referenced, the reader would be missing the bigger point. For instance, you don't talk about car mechanics in a romantic love letter. So the planets are not mentioned by names very often. It's not because they don't exist, or are not important, but because they are out of context with the love story that is the heart of the Bible.

The over-arching storyline is about a God who created Mankind in His own image - more or less, because he was lonely. He wanted to have friends. He loves all his creations (there are many kinds of creations listed in the Bible). But He made man specifically so he could have a relationship with someone. Many some ones...

He gave Adam and Eve free-will - so that they could choose to be his friends and companions. This is important. Think for a moment how boring would it be if you had friends who had no choice but to be your friends. It might be like having a robot for a "friend", doing everything perfectly until you were bored to tears with them not thinking on their own...

Unfortunately, Eve, then Adam decided to doubt that God really cared all that much about them, and started to get suspicious that maybe God was holding out on them. Exactly what, remains to be determined, but Eve was suspicious when God told them not to eat from the tree of Knowledge. Then the serpent caught onto this, and jealous himself of Adam and Eve's preferential treatment, fanned her suspicion until she screwed up and chose not to listen to God, but to her own understanding. In this way, both Adam and Eve used their free-will to reject God.

Now, God could have killed them all off right there like some bad set of Sea Monkeys, but He didn't, at least not right away. He tried to help them understand, but the suspicion and doubt was like a virus, and the Bible goes on to tell story after story of how God keeps trying to make a way for us to be close with Him again.

He tries to start over with the flood, he tries to come talk to us without vaporizing us with His super-Holy presence by disguising Himself in a cloud, He tries to prove His love to us through warnings and miracles...Unfortunately, Mankind keeps screwing up, generation after generation, thinking that they know all the answers (more than an eternal being?) and growing more and more distant from a misunderstood and underappreciated God. Then He sends Jesus, and I am sure you have heard allot about Him, so I won't go on.

In Revelations, there is mention of other planets and asteroids. Wormwood is an asteroid that is prophesied to smash into the earth and poison our fresh water supply at Armageddon. So the outer planets are not negated, only ignored for the most part.

One thing though that you might try, if you feel it would be appropriate, would be to ask God about the planets yourself. The Bible says that God is an eternal being; existing all at once in the past, present and the future...now talk about alternate universes...

The Bible says that God wants a relationship with you, now, currently. He didn't tell us everything in the Bible, because He wants to talk with you Himself.

If he's not real, you have nothing to loose. If He is, then He can speak to you Himself. The reason I think that we debate over the planets not mentioned in Genesis, is because we are missing the point. If we would just ask God ourselves, there would be no reason to debate. We would already have the answer because we know the original Creator.

Answer 2

The First Commandment (at least the version in Exodus 20) implicitly acknowledges that the ancient proto-Hebrew people believed in and worshipped "other gods" - tribal gods, clan gods, nature gods, household gods, etc. The First Commandment says, "Thou shalt have no other gods BEFORE ME," meaning, YHWH is the number one god, and the belief in other gods, if it's allowed at all, must be subordinate to the worship of and obedience to YHWH. So the god of the Hebrew Bible did NOT tell the Hebrews that they could worship other gods. On the contrary, Deuteronomy specifies that people who try to entice others to worship other gods instead of YHWH are to be put to death. Deut. 13:12-16 and 13:7-11.

Answer 3

God is a loving Dad. A loving Dad does not want to spoon feed his children. He wants them to find joy discovering things.

Imagine if God will teach us everything we have to know. Wouldn't it be boring? And, think about the thickness of the Bible that would ensue!!

Answer 4

Remember, the Bible was written by people. Maybe he told them, but the people never wrote it down? Perhaps Moses had writer's cramp and took a break, and then forgot about it when he started to work on it again?

Answer 5

Simple. Because it's not a big deal and not important. It's not related to man a lot. Nothing to do w/ sin, regeneration, God, beliefs, etc.

Answer 6

God's main concern is maybe our spirituality which is far most important than just human knowledge since in this life on Earth is just temporary....

Answer 7

Perhaps God wants us to investigate stuff. After all, She gave us curiosity as a Human characteristic.

Answer 8

Probably because the person who wrote that section didn't know that there even were planets, or even that the earth was one.

Answer 9

Because it's not important. Nor does it have anything to do with God's purpose and how it affects us

Answer 10

lol and wouldnt you think if god wanted us to believe something like that hes there or about the afterlife he wouldve just told us directly