2. CREATION
"God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good"
Aim
To show that God made all things so that the earth might be filled with His glory.
Synopsis
The Bible opens with the book of Genesis. "Genesis" means "beginning". The first verse in the Bible says "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". We do not know exactly when God created the heaven and the earth; all we do know is that God, who is eternal, created the earth a long time ago. Gen. 1:2 says that "the earth was without form and void", which means it had become "waste and empty". We are not told why, but we are told, in Gen. 1 that God decided to do something with the earth. He wished to rearrange it so that people could live upon it, bringing forth praise and glory to Him. He did this about 4,000 B.C. (that is about 6,000 years ago).
Genesis 1 to 2:7,18-25
THE PURPOSE OF CREATION
The first chapter of Genesis tells us that when God created all things and placed them upon the earth, He had a plan already in mind. From the beginning it was the purpose of God that all creation should give glory to Him. "As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD" (Num. 14:21). By filling the earth with "His Glory", God means that all things in the earth will give honour to their Creator. There will be no more sin, disease or death, for the earth will then be filled with people whom God has rewarded with immortality. We read of this great change in Rev. 21:3-4.
SIX DAY'S WORK: Gen. 1 to 2:3, 7,18-25
The earth was not very beautiful at all when God set about putting it in order. It was just black and empty. It had no life, or light, or beauty of any kind. Then God set out to change it and to make it a fit place for man to live in. He set His angels to work. In Psalm 103:20 we read that His angels, who are mighty in strength, "do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His Word". "God spoke and it was done" (Psalm 33:9).
It was a huge task, but because God is all-powerful, the work of Creation was done in only six days - each of "an evening and a morning", twenty-four hours long. "In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is € (Exodus 20:11).
As each of the six days of Creation passed, something new and necessary had been added to the world, until it was fully ready for the man, whom God planned to make last of all. Then God "rested" on the seventh day.
Let us see what was done in that Creation week.
First Day (vv. 3-5) First God said "Let there be light". (Note - God spoke and the angels did as He commanded.) The earth had been in complete darkness, but now God divided the light (which He called "day") from the darkness (which He called "night").
Second Day (vv. 6-8) When it says God made a "firmament" between the waters above and those beneath, it is talking about the atmosphere, the air we breathe. This was necessary before plants, or animals or man could live upon the earth. So God made this next.
Third Day (vv. 9-13) On this day God separated the waters from the dry land; the waters He called Seas and the dry land He called Earth. When God did this He set the bounds of the seas so that they would go no further. God then made grass, herbs and fruit trees to grow upon the earth, each one with its seed inside itself. That is why when we plant apple seeds, we get apple trees, or when we plant corn we get corn. Apples do not change to pears, or corn to wheat. We should stop and think about how well planned all God's work of creation was for "in wisdom He has made them all" (Psalm 104:24).
Fourth Day (vv. 14-19) The sun, moon and stars were then put in their right places in the sky, to give light by day and night. They were to be for signs, seasons, days and years. So we have four seasons every year, and twenty-four hours every day. The sun rises and sets without fail every day, it has always done so since this fourth day of Creation; days and years do not get longer or shorter.
Fifth Day (vv. 20-23) On this day God created all the creatures that live in the sea, and all the birds that fly in the air.
Sixth Day (vv. 24-31) Finally, on the sixth day, God made all creatures that live on the dry land - cattle, reptiles and wild beasts. Then, before the sixth day ended He made man. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7).
God put the man, Adam, in a beautiful garden which He had planted in Eden. He brought all the animals there to Adam and he gave them their names. But God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone. He needed a companion like himself, who could help him praise God. So God created a "help meet (suitable) for him". God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and, taking a rib from his side, He made a woman from it ("Woman" means "out of man"). Then God gave this woman, Eve, to the man as his wife (Gen. 2:18-24).
All this God did on the sixth day
Seventh Day (2:1-3) "On the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day" (v. 2). The word "rested" does not mean that God was tired and needed to relax, for He is all-powerful and never stops working (Psa. 121:4; John 5:17). He rested because He had finished the great work which He had set out to do. He "stopped creating". In six days He had formed the earth and placed man and all the creatures upon it.
LESSON FOR US
There are two things which we must learn to do - to praise God and to thank Him for His goodness. King David said, "I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Psa. 139:14). So whenever we look at the heavens above, or see the tiny insects so perfectly made, or smell the delightful perfumes of the flowers, or watch the waves break on the seashore, let us praise God, the great Creator of all these things.
How can we best thank him for all that He has done for us? - by believing His Word and being obedient to His command ments. "O LORD, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all" (Psa. 104:24).
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Very few people today believe that God created all things. Children in our schools and universities are being taught instead the theory of evolution. It is a theory (i.e. a suggested idea) put forward by many scientists to explain how people came to be different from the other animals. They say that life on earth has evolved (i.e. developed or changed) over millions of years. It all began by chance, they say. Men like to believe in God or obey Him. Such a theory cannot be proved. The Bible is true and can easily be shown to be true. (See Lesson 1, Additional Notes.) The Lord Jesus Christ himself believed and taught that God alone is the wise Creator of all things (e.g. Mark 10:6). The apostles also taught that "God made the world and all things therein" (Acts 17:24-26, cf. 1 Pet. 4:19).
QUESTIONS
Short Answers
- Who created the world and all things?
- Who helped God when He set the earth in order?
- What were the names of the first man and woman whom God made?
- What does the word "woman" mean?
- Where did the first man and woman live?
- How many days did God take to make all things?
- God "rested" on the 7th day. What does this mean?
Detailed Answers
In the beginning God made all things.
1. Tell what God created on -
- the first day; and
- on the fourth day.
2. How did God create the first man?
3. How did God create the first woman?
Additional Answers
In the beginning God set in order all things upon the earth.
- Tell all you know about the six days of Creation.
- Most people today believe that life on earth has evolved over millions of years. What does the Bible teach?