A little boy opened the big old family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the pages. Suddenly something fell out. It was an old leaf that had been pressed between the pages.
He yelled out to his mum, "Mum, come hear quick, I think I’ve found Adam’s underwear!"
To close each day’s activities in summer and on holidays in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World a huge fireworks display lights up the sky.
One night I noticed a small boy about three years old perched on his father’s shoulder. The child sat mesmerized, aware only of what was exploding in the heavens. When the fireworks were over, the little boy looked up into the sky again and said, "Thank you, God."
Here’s a child describing the creation story. In the first book of the bible, Guiness, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off.
At our Mother/Daughter banquet the pastor’s wife asked for one of the daughters to come forward to share what their mother has taught them. She chose my 14-year-old daughter and as I sat their reviewing all the wonderful things I taught her, she said, "My mom taught me to love my body now, because I’m going to hate it when I’m 40."
In Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny was particularly intent when they were telling how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.
Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as if he were ill. "Johnny, what’s the matter?"
Little Johnny replied in an anguished tone, "I have a pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife!"
God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve.
And it was a good animal.
And God was pleased.
And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail.
And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."
And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."
And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them.
And they were comforted.
And God was pleased.
And dog was content and wagged his tail.
After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."
And God said, "No problem! I will create for them a companion who will be with them forever and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration."
And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.
And Cat would not obey them.
And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat’s eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings.
And Adam and Eve learned humility.
And they were greatly improved.
And God was pleased.
And Dog was happy.
And Cat didn’t care one way or the other.
Intro
Today we continue our journey through the beginning of Genesis. Creation continues as God begins to make the earth habitable. We needed more than light so God begins to create a world that can sustain itself and provide an environment for life that can continue without his intervention.
Day 2: He Parts the Waters (vv 6-8)
A. His Declaration (v. 6)
“God said”. Once again we see how God creates through his words. Last Sunday on day one he spoke light into existence, today he moves down toward the earth and speaks the sky into existence.
B. His Creation (v. 7)
The expanse is an arch or canopy which He has put in the midst of the waters both on the earth and above the earth. He tells the expanse to separate the waters from under the expanse from above the expanse. In other words he is creating the atmosphere of the earth by separating the water on the earth, from the water vapor which makes up clouds, humidifies the air, and ultimately brings rain to the plants that he will create soon.
So now we have an earth completely covered with water, and a sky or the heavens or the universe containing water vapor. What does God call this? Well, let’s hear:
C. His Designation (v. 8)
He calls the expanse Heaven or sky and then shuts her down for another day, the second day is done. Naming is very significant in the Hebrew culture. It indicates authority, and usually has a significant meaning. God changes people’s names throughout the Bible because they are significant. So whenever God or anyone in the Bible names something, we should be paying close attention.
Notice after day one God evaluates what He made, but after day 2 He doesn’t. He also evaluates every other day of creation. We’re not certain of the significance of this, but there is some suggestion that because on the second day He creates what would be his domain, the heavens, and the other days where his creation resides, God is showing humility here in the process of creating the universe. I don’t know.
Day 3: He Prepares the Land (vv 9-13)
A. The Appearance of the Land (vv 9-10)
I suppose this is one of the most important creations as far as we are concerned. Dry land to sustain humanity. Day 3 he creates a place for us to live and have shelter, the components we need to build with, and most importantly the food that we would need to survive. He hasn’t created us yet, but is preparing the infrastructure for us to come on the scene.
High in the Rocky Mountains and other mountain ranges I have seen fossils of obvious sea creatures and shells. Some skeptics like to use this to prove that the earth could not have been covered with water before the creatures were created. However, this was not the only time the earth was covered by water. Remember Noah, and in the time of the flood, the water covered the earth longer and gave ample time for creatures to get stranded and then fossilized in the high areas of the earth. So again science cannot refute the Biblical accounts.
Next we see:
B. The Activity of the Land (vv. 11-12a)
Two important characteristics to see here are firstly that the land is:
1. Productive
This land is created to yield plants, seed and fruit. For our part of the world we thank God for creating the grasses, grains, fruits, vegetables, for us to sustain ourselves and our livestock, and give us the opportunity to make our living from the land. This is why we pray for crops and weather. If this was just random why would be praying? We would just be crossing our fingers. We pray to God because we know that he has complete sovereignty over His creation, and he provides what we need. This was the whole problem of the Baal worship system that was such a thorn in God’s side. Throughout Canaan Baal was thought to be the god of fertility, and the Israelites continued to stray from God and worship Baal because they were an agrarian society who depended on the land. When they entered the promised land of Canaan it didn’t take long for them to adopt that sinful worship system to try to ensure abundant crops.
We will see later that the original sin of Adam caused humans to have to work the land. But it was created to provide for us abundantly with no weeds and no effort. God cursed the ground, and from then on we have had to sweat to get our sustenance from the earth. There is also the promise that in the end the curse will be lifted and we will again experience the “Garden of Eden”. Read revelation 22:1-3 and 2 Peter 3:5-13. …
We can’t fathom the complexity of this part of creation. The first cell was created and each little cell has more information stored in it than all the encyclopedias put together. Think of all the different plants in each different part of the world, how they know when to grow, when to shed, when to produce, how they are pollinated, how seeds are made to die to produce something even greater. Incredible. And why? For us as Isaiah declared: “For Jehovah created the heavens and earth and put everything in place, and He made the world to be lived in, not to be an empty chaos”.
The first day of autumn was Monday and I sat by the window watching the leaves fall to the ground. I was filled with wonder at how God caused the days to get shorter and how when the days become a certain length something He programmed into the trees tells the leaves to change color and then fall off. I can’t believe that this just happens by accident. …Secondly we see that the land is:
2. Reproductive
It’s also amazing how God made these things to take care of their own reproduction. Not to mention the incredible organization suggested by each phrase of “each to its own kind”. A pear tree cannot produce apples, and seed of canola cannot produce wheat. Every living thing he created, he programmed to reproduce itself at least according to its own species. We people cannot make an apple seed produce a maple tree no matter how hard we try, or what scientific advances we make. God is in charge of creation, it has a purpose, it is orderly, and ultimately it never fails to do what He created it to do. The world will be here long after any of us has gone, it won’t end. It can end us if we cause it to stop supporting us, but as soon as we were gone it would start regenerating itself. We can never destroy it without perishing first.
Finally we have again after day three:
C. The Appraisal of the Land (vv 12b-13)
Once again “it was good”, just as he willed it to be. And why is it so good? Not because he wanted to look down from heaven and see a cool earth with all these things growing on it. But because he knew that it would be perfect for us and the animals he was about to create starting on day five.
So at the end of three days God has completed the work of creating a place for everything, and the conditions for the rest of creation to survive and thrive. The next three days we’re going to see how he starts filling the earth, the sea and heavens. And how are we to respond to what we read in the creation story? We get a hint of why He tells us the story and how we are to respond in Romans 1:18-21:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness; because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse: because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.
So we are told the story solely for the purposes of worshipping and giving thanks to the one true God. We are to see His nature in all His creation. God is very enthusiastic about what he created for us, He was happy to do it because He loves us. For us to take it for granted, and not celebrate the wonder of His creation, must disappoint Him. Have you ever put your whole heart into a gift for someone, especially a child, you were bursting with excitement to see their faces when they got it, only for them to respond with a half-hearted response? Could this be how God feels when He sees us respond like this to all the gifts he has given?
He made it all for His people and though we have strayed and the world is not what God intended it to be, he promises that there will be a new heaven and earth as we read earlier. Jesus, the Lamb will bring this to be, and the only way to get on board for this new place where we will enjoy the river of life and the tree of life, is to believe in, trust, and obey our Lord, and ensure that we are in the Book of Life. Those of us who “wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb and love the Truth will be permitted to enter the gates of the city”. I pray that I will be there, and I sincerely hope that I will see all of you there.
Let’s conclude today by reading from Psalm 104 verses 1-9 as a prayer of worship.
Communion benediction:
Lord, as we contemplate communion during the week may your Holy Spirit shed light on where we are not right with you and our brothers and sisters. Wash us in the blood of the Lamb so we may come to the table again purified by your sacrifice for us. For Your sake, Amen
