Why did God create the planets?

I just read this article from the New York Times about Jupiter "taking one for the team" after it absorbed a comet impact earlier this week. It made me wonder, why did God create more than one planet? Many people ask the question "Is there life out there?" when they look at the other planets and galaxies and solar systems. Maybe a better question is "why did God create more than one planet?" What purpose do the other planets have in our daily lives? Is Jupiter really the "protector" of the Earth?

What does God's Word say? Genesis 1:14-19 records the fourth day of Creation. No mention of planets. Just "lights in the sky" and "stars" to serve as signs for seasons and for light during the day and night. In fact, there is no mention of why God created the planets, let alone any mention of planets in the Bible that I know of. Hmm...God once again gives us a little hint at how incredibly smart he is to have thought ahead about using large, gaseous planets to protect the earth from getting plastered by a comet. Should we be surprised?