Sunday: The Prelude to Rest

God was there at the beginning. The Lord God spoke, and it was. Light divides day from night; firmament, sky, and seas are spoken into existence on the second day; dry land and vegetation follow on the third. God forms the basic framework of time and geography, and then He fills it during the next three days. Lights govern the sky by day and by night.

Image © Bible Adventure Collection at Goodsalt.com

Different from the stories of most ancient cultures, the biblical Creation account makes it abundantly clear that the sun, the moon, or the stars are not deities. They enter into the picture only on the fourth day and are subject to the Creator’s word.

Moses’ description of days 5 and 6 (Genesis 1:20-31) is full of life and beauty. Birds, fish, land animals — they all fill the space prepared by God.

What does God’s evaluation indicate about Creation? Read Genesis 1:1-31.

This is not just any space that God has created; it’s a perfect place. Teeming creatures fill the earth. Like the refrain of a catchy tune, God keeps saying that it was “good” after each day.

What is different about the creation of humanity from the rest of the created world? Read Genesis 1.26-27 , Genesis 2:7,and Genesis 2:21-24.

God stoops and begins to shape mud. Humanity’s creation in God’s image and likeness is an object lesson in intimacy and closeness. God bends down and breathes life into Adam’s nostrils, and there was a living being. Eve’s special creation from Adam’s rib adds another important element to Creation week. Marriage is part of God’s design for humanity — a sacred trust of partnership between ’ish and ’ishshah, “man” and “woman.”

This time, when God looks at everything He has made on day six, the refrain sounds different: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, italics supplied).

Think about how radically different the biblical Creation story is from what humanity, without the guidance of God’s Word, teaches. What should this tell us about how much we need to depend on God’s Word for understanding truth?

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Amen!