The OT opens with an explanation of how the world came to be.
• The book of Genesis was written by Moses. The first 5 books of OT were written by him.
• Moses may have written the book during the years of the wilderness wandering to prepare the new generation to enter the land of Canaan.
He was the best person to write about God and His works.
• He met with the Lord often, the longest being at Mount Sinai (40 days). God reveals His will and purposes to him.
• Beside, Moses was also an educated person, being raised in Egypt for the first 40 years of his life.
• Acts 7:22 says he was “was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians”
Moses wrote the Pentateuch as a means of introducing the people of Israel to God, and His character (through the precepts and laws).
• After more than 400 years of exposure to Egyptian culture, thoughts, their idolatry.
• Who then is Jehovah God? Their knowledge has already been distorted, or long forgotten.
• This explained why they easily turned to making a golden calf and worships it, when Moses was away for 40 days on Mount Sinai.
Israelites at this time had already seen the power of God.
• When Moses led them out of Egypt, they saw many miraculous signs - the ten plagues God sent, parting of the Red Sea, providing food and water in the wilderness. They know God is powerful and can create something out of nothing.
• But that is not enough. They need to know WHO had delivered them from Egypt and WHO they were being asked to follow. What is His will and plan for us?
Moses needs to write them God. God inspired him to write them down.
• Genesis 1 tells us God prepares everything for man. He made everything before He made man.
• Man was made to have fellowship with God, like a friend whom we can talk to.
• But before man was made, God has to prepare everything that he needs.
When Adam was made, God give it to them and ask them to govern it and enjoy it. See Gen 1:28-30.
• Everything was made for the sake of man. It was for our enjoyment. This is the abundant life that God had intended for us.
It is like a father preparing for the arrival of his new-born child.
• He prepares the bed, the clothing, the milk bottle, toys, and the room; if it is a boy, the colours of the wall will be blue, if a girl, everything will be pink.
• Everything was done for the child. Everything was prepared for the child.
• When the child is born, he came into a beautiful world with everything he needs.
This is the love of the father, how he cherish the child; this is the love of God.
• God creates the world so that man will be blessed to live in it.
• God’s desire is to bless us. Verse 28 tells us, when everything was made, “God blessed them…”
We see the LOVE OF GOD.
Does man understand fully what God has done for them at this point? Maybe not. All they know is to enjoy all that they have.
• Just like children, not knowing the price parents paid or sacrifices they had made. They only know how to enjoy what they have got.
• Everything started with God. That’s why John says in 1 John that it is not that we know Him and love Him, but that He first loved us.
We see the WISDOM OF GOD
All that God has made, they are good! We look at this universe today, and we see a design.
• Scientists and doctors can tell you, everything works in certain ways. We come to know them and call them laws of nature, laws of science.
• Existing things are not the result of chance. You can never throw some bricks together and it forms a wall. Throw some pieces of words together and it will form a poem. Or put all the parts of a watch into a box and shake it (long enough) and out come a watch.
Behind every building is an architect, behind every painting there is a painter, behind this world is GOD.
• Rom 1:20 (p.170) “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
• The world was designed and made with a purpose.
Just take a look at the first thing that was created – Gen 1:2-4
• Into this void God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Then God commented on His creation: “God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness”
• We too will say it is good; we know the importance of light. We experienced times of blackout. A few hours of it and we are uncomfortable.
• If God did not create light, the world will be in darkness and no one will know the difference.
• But God is good. He made what is good. He made that which is good for man. If you ask a blind man, he will tell you to be able to see is a blessing. To one imprisoned in a dark cell, to be able to see light is a luxury.
This was just the first thing God created on the first day.
• Next 5 days God created other things – the greater light SUN and the lesser light MOON (v.16).
• And at the end of each creation cycle, we find a phrase: “And God saw that it was good” (vv. 10, 12, 18, 21, 25).
What does He mean? Is this just a reference to His beautiful creation?
A little girl crawled up into her great grandmother's lap one day. And looking up into her great grandmother's face she saw all those lines and wrinkles.
Then she felt her own smooth skin. She said to her great grandmother, “Did God make you?” Her great grandmother said, “Yes, God made me.”
Then the little girl said, “Well great grandmother, did God make me?” Her great grandmother said, “Oh yes, God made you too.”
And then the little girl said, “Well great grandmother, God's doing a lot better job these days?”
Does God say it like we do? Like after finishing a good job, we praise ourselves for a job done? Or pat our own back and say, “Well done! It’s very beautiful!”?
• It sounds a bit odd when you stop and think. Like God didn’t know it was good until he paused to look at it? Like it was an experiment?
• If God is omniscient and all-powerful and perfect, then it is unlikely He is saying this to Himself. He was not praising his own work.
What are these good for? All God created was GOOD FOR MAN.
• “They will be able to enjoy all that I have made! I’ve prepared all the food and the fruits and everything they need!”
• Gen 1:29 “Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
• He was preparing the world for Adam and Eve, for mankind. That’s why He says, it is good!
Psalm 19:1-4a (p.539)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Who hears this declaration? It’s you and me. There is a message, although no sound.
• Man must know. All that God made for us is good!
• We must GIVE THANKS. Each time we eat, we give thanks because we remember God has provided.
We see the GRACE OF GOD
What did we do to deserve this incredible gift? Nothing. It is God’s grace, God’s blessing. God’s gift.
• Genesis tells us this world is a gift from God. Genesis tells us LIFE ITSELF is a gift from God.
• That is why we must treasure it. We have no right to end this life.
Every day Adam and Eve can enjoy what God has given them. It is God’s grace.
• Unfortunately this beautiful scene did not last long.
• Genesis 2 tells us Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s instruction.
• Sin enters their heart, and into this world. Death becomes our destiny.
God has given the world to be governed by man, but man broke that trust.
• Sin destroyed man’s good relationship with God. Since then, man hides from God. Man fears God. Man no longer wants God to be in their lives.
• Sin entered the world and destroyed everything that was good.
It was God who came looking for Adam and Eve. Jesus came to look for you and me.
• He did not punish them immediately, or else both would have died. The penalty of sin is death (cf. Gen 2:17)
• God did not suddenly disappear from their lives; He still speaks to them.
An atheist said, “If there is a God, may he prove himself by striking me dead right now.” Nothing happened.
“You see, there is not God.”
His friend responded, “You’ve only proved that He is a gracious God.”
God gave them a chance – a change to live on.
• How? God is preparing someone to die on their behalf.
• Who? His only Son Jesus.
• Why? Because He loves what He made. God loves the world (John 3:16). For we are made in the image of God (Gen 1:27).
This is the grace of God. We have a relationship with God.
• If man is unrelated in any way to God, then His existence is immaterial to me.
• Whether I believe God exists or not, or whether people believe that there are hundreds of gods, it does not matter.
• He has nothing to do with me. His existence is immaterial.
But God revealed Himself to us, through the Scriptures, through Jesus Christ.
• We cannot ignore Him. We are called to trust Him.
• We are to repent from our sin, turn from our ignorance and return to the worship of one true God.
• Believe in Jesus as your Saviour today, if you have not done so.
