September 9 – God Creates Lights and Life

Sunday School Lesson

September 9

God Creates Lights and Life

 

Devotional Reading: Psalm 136:1–9

Background Scripture: Genesis 1:14–25

 

Genesis 1:14–25

 

14. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

 

15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

 

16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

 

17. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

 

18. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

 

19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

 

20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

 

21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

 

22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

 

23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

 

25. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

 

Key Verse

God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.—Genesis 1:14

 

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. Relate what came into being on the fourth, fifth, and sixth days of creation.

 

2. Explain the permanent patterns of created order as found in Genesis

 

3. Write a personal “Creation Declaration” that describes a way he or she will honor God for his creation.

 

HOW TO SAY IT

Deuteronomy	Due-ter-ahn-uh-me.
Leviticus	Leh-vit-ih-kus.
Pentateuch	Pen-ta-teuk.

Introduction

 

1. “Where Did We Come From?”

Almost all cultures attempt to answer the question above. But as we saw in last week’s lesson, every proposed answer ultimately takes one of two positions: we trace our origins either (1) to eternally existing impersonal matter or (2) to an eternally existing personal being.

 

Explanations that fall into the latter category are often labeled “myths,” a term that injects an air of untruth into the story. If an explanation is mythical, it can be consigned (some think) to the area of religion and therefore marginalized. Secular culture tells us to keep our religious views separated from the larger issues of our culture.

 

Today this is seen in the apparent conflict between those who adopt a scientific viewpoint that disallows supernatural explanations and those who accept the Bible as God’s revealed Word. Where did we come from? We want to know, and competing explanations are set in opposition.

 

One side explains origins through a theory of a spontaneous “big bang” and billions of years of development. While this theory draws on certain facts derived from scientific investigation, it cannot explain where the matter for a so-called big bang came from. It cannot explain why there are laws of nature that allow this bang and subsequent development. Can there be laws of physics without a lawgiver?

The other side listens to the account given in Genesis plus other Bible texts that speak of creation by a Creator. These accounts will not answer every question a scientist might want to ask, but that is not their intent. The biblical account of origins reveals an orderly plan for the creation of the heavens and the earth.

What Do You Think? What resources have you found valuable for resolving tensions between faith and science? Which will you recommend to others?   Digging Deeper Research the concept of “evidential faith” at www.coldcasechristianity.com.

1. Lesson Context

Christians look to Genesis to explain God’s orderly creation of the universe, and this it certainly does. We should not forget, however, that Genesis is also a part of a five-volume set: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This collection of books, sometimes called the Pentateuch, is associated with Moses. He is the great hero of ancient Israel, and he is the primary character in the books beginning with Exodus (see Luke 24:44). These books answer the question of human origins from the perspective of the nation of Israel.

 

As these books relate the origin and history of Israel, the early chapters of Genesis go all the way back to the origins of humanity as a whole, because the people of Israel have common ancestors with all other peoples. Genesis gives an account of the origins of the world and the universe that surrounds us.

 

Last week’s lesson took us through the third day of creation. To summarize: day one related the creation of light and its separation from darkness. Day two told of the creation of a firmament, a barrier that separates the waters above it from those below it. And day three described the emergence of dry land and the furnishing of this land with vegetation.

 

1. Day Four

(Genesis 1:14–19)

 

1. Seasonal Cycle Created (vv. 14, 15)

14a. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night.

 

As with the other days of creation, this one, the fourth, begins with God speaking. Having created “light” (singular) on the first day, God now creates lights (plural; compare Psalms 74:16; 136:7). These are physical objects that serve specific purposes. For them to divide the day from the night speaks to the need for cyclical illumination of the earth.

 

14b. And let them be for signs.

 

This illumination goes hand in hand with the lights’ being signs: things that attest to divine power at work. The idea is to give credit to God for His active role in the world. This is the word used to state the significance of the rainbow, given as a sign in the sky that God will not again destroy the earth by a flood (Genesis 9:12–15, same Hebrew word translated “token”). While there might be the occasional extraordinary sign, the ordered nature of earthly cycles is a daily reminder of God’s provision and presence.

 

14c. And for seasons, and for days, and years.

 

Beyond the signs, we now see three derivative manifestations of God’s order. First, the celestial lights also give us seasons. We may naturally think of seasons in terms of spring, summer, fall, and winter. That idea may be included (see below), but the idea as it develops throughout the Old Testament is more along the lines of time periods longer than 24 hours in general and the religious festivals of Israel’s calendar in particular. These become appointed times (example: Exodus 23:15) as determined by phases of the moon (compare Psalms 81:3; 104:19.)

 

Hand in hand with such periods of time are the days and years. These are the familiar periods of 24 hours and 365 days, respectively. The yearly cycle is what gives us the seasons of fall, winter, spring, and summer (or, in some areas, the rainy season and the dry season).

 

All these provide order and regularity. We are created to thrive within this system. For example, astronauts who leave the earth still try to regulate their activities in 24-hour cycles. God has designed a world to fit us and created us to fit His world.

What Do You Think? Since God is the author of the calendar, what are some ways to manage time that will honor Him for that fact?   Digging Deeper Which of the three Ms of modifying your environment, making a commitment to another, and monitoring your behavior would work best for you in overcoming time management challenges? Why?

15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

 

We should catch a little of the wonder and awe of the ancient author here. He understands the value and purpose of light (created on day one), of heavenly lights (created on day four), and of the need for light upon the earth. We are created to be creatures of light, both physically and spiritually. The more science learns about sunlight, the more we realize our dependence on it for life.

 

Without the God-provided light that bathes our world on a regular basis, we would lead a sad existence—if any existence at all. The lighting of our world is a testimony to God’s love and care for us. It is an exciting comparison, then, for Jesus to take the role of “light of the world” (John 8:12), God’s loving answer to our spiritual darkness.

1. Sun and Moon Created (vv. 16–19)
2. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

 

The created order has three classifications of observable heavenly lights. First we have the greater light, the sun, which rules the day. This does not imply that the sun comes out when there is daylight. Rather, it’s the other way around: the sun defines and causes the day.

 

Likewise, the lesser light, the moon, defines a darker period, the night. Nights are not without some light, given the shadows we observe when the moon is bright. Even on nights of a new moon, the starsprovide light, although dimly.

 

While we see God’s intentional patterns in creation here, we should also notice that the descriptions are observational, from the perspective of the author or any other human. It is silly to criticize this portrayal by saying that some of the stars we see are far bigger and brighter than our sun. It doesn’t appear that way from the author’s viewpoint, nor from any other unaided human viewpoint today. Stars are tiny in the amount of light they shed on the earth. This is the point.

17, 18. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

 

These celestial lights—sun, moon, and stars—are placed in the firmament of the heaven by God to provide various degrees of light upon the earth. Their intensity causes the distinction between daytime and nighttime. All of them counteract darkness, the absence of light. In this sense, they are testimonies to the presence of God in our world, for we are never without a heavenly light source.

 

As at the end of the previous day of creation, the author notes that God observes what He has created and approves by designating it as good. It is pleasing to Him and beneficial to us.

What Do You Think? What responsibilities do we have to distinguish between moral light and darkness?   Digging Deeper What are some dangers that come with accepting this task? How do we manage them?

Drawn to the Light

Missionaries who live off the grid have a unique appreciation for light and for the creatures that are drawn to it. I remember huddling at night under a mosquito net with my old e-reader, reading with a small light. Every little bug that could fit through the mosquito net’s holes would join me, irrepressibly drawn to the light. One time a battalion of tiny spiders began spinning their webs on the little light in my hands.

 

Another time my wife came stumbling into the room. “There’s something in my ear!” she cried. She had been in a deep sleep and wasn’t fully coherent, but I heard her say, “I can hear it breathing!”

 

I didn’t see anything. I tried carefully probing with tweezers (which was difficult as she kept freaking out with shuddering spasms). As I held the flashlight over her ear, I tried to suggest that perhaps she had been dreaming and hadn’t yet fully awoken. Then the insect’s legs emerged from her ear, and a little beetle finished its journey out toward the flashlight. After it had found a more appropriate habitat, my wife thought the beetle, which had intricate colored markings on its tiny shell, was quite beautiful.

 

God’s creation is amazing in its diversity. I shared an unlikely camaraderie with the creepy crawlies as we clustered around my little light under the mosquito net. We were fellow creatures created by God, attracted to the mysterious phenomenon of light that He created first. More importantly, we remember that spiritually we are “the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

—D. G.

19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

 

As before, the cycle of what makes up a day is noted. The Bible’s way of marking a day begins with sundown, a pattern still observed by Jews. It is not so much that night commences the new day as that the setting of the sun ends the old day. On the various possible meanings of day, see commentary on Genesis 1:5 in lesson 1.

What Do You Think? What one improvement can you make to imitate better God’s deliberate and rhythmic approach to work and creativity?   Digging Deeper What forces make it difficult for you to maintain a creative rhythm? What strategies can you adopt to overcome those challenges?

1. Day Five

(Genesis 1:20–23)

1. Avians and Aquatics Created (vv. 20, 21)
2. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

 

The ancient person sees the world in three parts: the watery world of seas, lakes, and rivers; the habitable world of dry ground; and the above-ground world of the atmosphere. Day five of creation begins, as the others have, with God speaking. On this day, God speaks into existence the living animals for the watery world and the sky. As before, this is presented from an observational perspective—what the author or any reader could see.

 

21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

 

The unpolluted and unfished waters of the ancient world teem with life. This includes water creatures of massive size, something the author (Moses) is aware of on some level. Has he heard of great whalesthat have breached the surface of the ocean or washed up on a beach? God’s creation has variety that is barely imaginable for us. After hundreds of years of study, scientists are still discovering and classifying new water creatures (compare Psalm 104:25).

 

The author also acknowledges creation of the creatures of the atmospheric world, the birds. He knows that most creatures do not have the capability of flight—only those with wings. These make up a special and wonderful category of God’s good created animals.

 

The author also gives another insight into the wonder and awe of the ancient person when it comes to beholding God’s created order: the reproductive capability of water creatures and birds. This is their ability to produce offspring after his/their kind. Why does a sparrow always reproduce sparrows, not eagles sometimes? Why does a trout always reproduce trout, not barracudas sometimes? This is part of God’s created order as observed by the author, and it is marvelous for him. As we appreciate the enormous variety of God’s creatures, we should also understand the boundaries for variation He has built into each one.

Light and Life

There is a clear relationship between light and life in the creation account of Genesis. I recently stumbled across a book by scientist Michael Gross that explores this relationship from the perspective of modern secular science. After noting the vital linkage between light and life, he further reflects that even reading the page requires light reflecting onto retinas and being converted into nerve signals.

 

Given modern humanity’s reliance on light for energy, information, and guidance, Gross concludes that it’s quite understandable that ancient cultures worshipped the sun. But despite his tone of wonder as he contemplates light, Gross takes a nonreligious stance himself.

 

I share this sense of wonder at the complex relationship between light and life. But for me, these observations elicit praise for the Creator of light and life. When I read of the outpouring of God’s creative activity in Genesis 1, from the great lights of the heavens to the vast diversity of life in the land, sea, and sky, my heart joins the ancient psalmist’s in thanking the Lord, the Creator of all. See Psalm 136:1–9.

—D. G.

1. Abundant Supply Created (vv. 22, 23)
2. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

 

How many of each type of fish or bird does God create to get things started? We don’t know, but we do see that His plan includes multiplication of these creatures. He intends that the salt waters and fresh waters be filled with appropriate creatures. God intends that His created variety of birds multiply and spread throughout the earth (compare Genesis 8:17). It is a tragedy when a species becomes extinct because of human behavior.

 

23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

 

As the day ends by marking the cycle of the evening and the morning, the sustaining earth has been stocked in its waters and its air.

III. Day Six

(Genesis 1:24, 25)

1. Animals Created (v. 24)

24a. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind.

 

God speaks again, on day six, to call into existence specific components of His overall created order. On this day God addresses the dry land, the earth itself. This will be the home of God’s ultimate creation, human beings, later in this same day (Genesis 1:26–30).

 

24b. Cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

 

There are three general categories of land animals presented. The first, cattle, is a generic term that means more than cows. It generally refers to herded animals, and here it has the sense of domesticated livestock as distinct from wild animals (see below; also see the distinction in Leviticus 25:7). This may include goats and sheep, which are popular choices among cultures dependent on herding. Later in the history of Israel, it will be animals from this category that are considered ritually clean for food or sacrifice (see Leviticus 11).

The second category, the creeping thing, refers to creatures that live on the ground, including reptiles and snakes. Such animals will not be considered clean when the food laws are instituted for Israel (Leviticus 11:42). It is also likely that the tempting serpent of a coming story (Genesis 3:1) is included in this category.

 

The third category, the beast of the earth, refers to wild animals. We might divide these into carnivores (example: lions), herbivores (example: gazelles), and omnivores (example: bears). Such animals might be hunted for food, but they are not part of a nomadic herd or a located farm.

1. Animal Categories (v. 25)
2. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

 

As with the creatures of the sea and air, the land creatures are made with the capacity to reproduce after his/their kind. Again, God finishes creating these three categories and sees His work as good.

 

We should notice there are many missing, undiscussed animals. These categories are quite general and not intended to be exhaustive. What about rodents—are they creeping things? What about insects? What about worms? Or, some might ask, what about dinosaurs?

 

The silence of the text on such matters is just that: no information. It does not imply ignorance or avoidance. The author tells the story he wants to tell; and just as he does not divide the “stars” into planets, comets, meteors, and distant suns, he does not give more than a brief description of the creative activities of God on each of the days.

What Do You Think? Where will you unhurriedly allow creation to inspire you to worship the Creator this week?   Digging Deeper Which of the following texts speak to you most forcefully regarding the need to worship God as Creator: Job 9:9; 38:31; Psalm 19:1–3; 95:4–6; 104:5–24; Isaiah 40:26; Amos 5:8; Romans 1:20? Why?

Conclusion

1. For the Beauty of the Earth

The old hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth” was a favorite in years past. This hymn spoke to me when I was a child growing up in remote, mountainous Idaho. We can see God’s power, wisdom, and intellect in the lofty mountains, the sparkling streams, the lush forests, the soaring fir trees, the tranquil lakes, the majestic deer, the glorious eagles, and many other features of our earth.

 

The second line of the hymn is “for the glory of the skies.” This is one of the lessons of Genesis 1, that God’s glory is shown in His creation of the heavens as well as the earth. More recent worship songs such as “God of Wonders” continue this tradition of celebrating God as Creator of a universe filled with endless marvels for human observers.

 

Science, rather than being the enemy of faith, has shown us the wonders of the heavens in breathtaking pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope. Going the other direction, advanced microscopic technology of “inner space” has shown the intricate designs of God on the tiniest levels.

 

The Genesis account of creation is brief and beautiful (unlike scientific treatises of our day). It gives us a hint of the wonder and awe that ancient men and women experienced when they contemplated the world they inhabited. They were convinced that this ordered and beautiful universe came into being through the acts of a Creator (Job 9:9; Psalm 8:3; Proverbs 3:19; Isaiah 40:26; etc.).

 

The marvels of creation were not only the visible, tangible things, but also the systems of days, months, and years that followed patterns that could be analyzed and then predicted. It was for later observers to understand that the angle of the earth’s axis, its period of daily rotations, and its yearly circumnavigation of the sun were all essential to sustaining the ecosystems that permit life.

 

There would be no life without God’s plan and provision. Genesis, however, teaches us that life did not arise on our planet as random adaptations to existing conditions, but that the earth was created to sustain the life that God intended and designed. That includes us human beings, the topic of next week’s lesson.

 

1. Prayer

Creator God, we are learning about our world at a furious pace. May we channel our increased knowledge into more opportunities to contemplate You and Your marvelous designs. You are truly the God of wonders, and we give You praise and glory. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

1. Thought to Remember

If creation is not an endless wonder to you, you’re not paying attention!^[1]

 

 

KID’S CORNER

Some Benefits of Living by God’s Design

September 9, 2018

Genesis 1: 14-25

 

Genesis 1: 14-25

(Genesis 1:14) Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;

Because of God’s wisdom, power, and goodness, God created the universe in a reasonable step-by-step logical progression and God created objects and beings with ever greater complexity, detail, and diversity. God collected and organized the natural light (that God had created earlier through Jesus Christ on the first day) into lights that continued to separate the light from the darkness. In Genesis, God’s daily creation exhibits ever greater organization. God created these lights for the sake of the plants, animals, and people that God would create with increasing intricacy and uniqueness. God did not design these lights to control the destiny of people or to be worshiped or to make fortunetelling possible through astrology. These lights would enable people to organize their lives around day and night, seasons and years, and help them worship God on sacred days and during religious festivals that God would later appoint in His Law for their good.

(Genesis 1:15) and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

Modern people separate the sky that surrounds the earth from the space outside the Earth’s atmosphere that contains the sun, moon, and stars. The Bible was not written to serve as a textbook for modern science or astronomy, which would have been beyond the comprehension of its first readers and many of us today. As scientists have observed creation over generations, they have learned more about the “lights in the vault” and have described “the vault” in modern language. Genesis reveals truths in logical ways that people could understand in the days of Abraham and Moses, if not earlier. God created the lights to serve the earth and God created everything that needed both light and darkness. Whatever God said should happen during His creation happened and God declared it was good.

(Genesis 1:16) God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.

God created two lights that would “govern” or “rule” under His authority or dominion. The sun gives needed light during the day, and the moon reflects the sun to give needed light in the darkness. In some ancient cultures; such as in Egypt, the priests and people worshiped the sun. Some worship their idols and make their sacrifices under the light of the moon. The true God is the Lord over all, and the Bible forbids the worship of any created things or beings.

(Genesis 1:17) God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

Both the sun and the moon give light according to their specified times during the day and night as established by God. God intended to provide light in the day and night, so we would not walk in darkness. Later, God sent Jesus into the world, so we would not need to walk in spiritual darkness but have the light of life. Later, Jesus has sent His followers into the world to be lights of the world, so those who turn to the Light can escape the perils of spiritual darkness.

(Genesis 1:18) and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

To rule or govern does not mean to “rule over” as gods or that they “govern” our lives as God does. The sun and moon do not govern us; they govern the day and the night. We use them as our servants. God designed them to determine the times of sunrise and sunset, and to make it possible for us to measure time (for example, by using a sun dial). We cannot control the orbit of the sun and the moon, but we can use them as “rulers” (measuring devices) for mathematical certainty to organize our lives both day and night, to accurately and with certainty plot a course to sail a ship on the seas, or to send a space craft to the moon or into the sun. The sun and moon can be used as cosmic measuring devices to make science and exploration possible. Without God, our lives would be governed by chance moment-by-moment and accurate scientific studies would be impossible. God always separates light from darkness, and the light always overrules the darkness. God uses both the light and darkness for good and to achieve His purposes.

(Genesis 1:19) There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

By the end of the fourth day, God had done all that needed to be done to support life in the water, land, and sky. Genesis reveals how God works and reveals His works in logical progression and good reasons. God is absolutely dependable, and we learn in these early chapters of the Bible why we have good reasons to love, glorify, depend on, and thank our great God for all He has done and continues to do each moment to make creation and our lives possible.

(Genesis 1:20) Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”

When God spoke, the waters brought forth all the living creatures that would live in the water, both fish and mammals. God also created all that would fly in the sky including insects and birds. God not only created these creatures with the ability to multiply, God also created them with such diversities that people can spend a lifetime in their study of fish, insects, or birds and never exhaustively describe their beauty and their wonders.

(Genesis 1:21) God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

Whereas ancient man feared the great sea creatures and saw them as evil monsters, the Bible reveals that God created the largest sea creatures and all that live in the water, furthermore, God created all things good. God created the whales; mammals that could live like fish, but surface and breathe the air. The waters teem with so many fish that Japan and some other countries can feed fish to their entire population with enough left over to export day-by-day, because these sea creatures reproduce themselves according to the will of God. All God’s creatures reproduce themselves according to their kinds. All the flying creatures also reproduce according to their kinds. Whales reproduce whales. Eagles reproduce eagles. Sparrows reproduce sparrows. Chicken farmers can produce edible eggs and chickens with dependability. They know a chicken will never lay an apple. Fisheries can reliably reproduce bass, trout, and catfish according to their kinds. All these endeavors are made possible by the way God created everything in a reasonable order, with many purposes, and without leaving anything to chance.

(Genesis 1:22) God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

God loves life and blesses all He has created with the intention of bringing happiness to all living creatures. God loves them and wants more of them. A caring pet owner will do what they believe is essential to bless and make happy or to meet the needs of their pets. In creation, God did everything necessary to bless every being He created and make their lives possible.

(Genesis 1:23) There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

By the end of the fifth day, God had made everything necessary to bless the land animals and mankind that He would make on the sixth day. Genesis leaves the strong impression that God can compress time, perhaps compressing millions of years of His work into one of our days. The Book of Genesis shows that God can work much faster, more efficiently, more powerfully and more reasonably than if He had left creation to create itself from nothing and then evolve by chance over millions of years as some scientists presume. Our observations of the universe show ever more convincingly what God can do and what time and chance cannot do; therefore, Paul could write that God’s eternal power could be seen clearly in the world He has made (Romans 1:20-21).

(Genesis 1:24) Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.

As God spoke for the waters to produce the sea creatures and flying creatures on the fifth day, so God spoke for the land to produce the living creatures that would inhabit the land on the sixth day. These include domestic animals that would be used someday by people for food, labor, or pets. These included reptiles that would move along the ground, and the wild animals (many of which people have tamed for pets). All God’s creatures would reproduce themselves according to their kinds, which they did prior to the fall and progressive moral depravity of humans.

(Genesis 1:25) God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis emphasizes that when God speaks what God intends, what God intends happens and it is good. The truth about God’s wisdom, power, and goodness are foundational for all our interactions with God and why we know God is absolutely trustworthy and faithful to all that God has created. Moreover, we are continually reminded that everything God does is good and God separates light from darkness, good from evil, and God can make good use out of all He creates for our benefit and the benefit of all creation.

 

Some Benefits of Living by God’s Design

September 9, 2018

Genesis 1: 14-25

“So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:21). When God created the plants, the fish, the sea creatures, the birds, and the flying insects, God designed these plants and creatures to reproduce themselves according to their kinds. During the sixth day of creation, God created domestic and wild animals, creatures that crawl along the ground, and the first people. God also made these living beings so they could reproduce themselves after their kinds. Whales produce whales; bass produce bass; eagles produce eagles. To free people from a life of fear and worry, when God designed the world, God created a world that included natural resources and dependable life cycles. God intended for people to live and work by plans that gave them substantial assurance of success. Farmers can plant wheat knowing they will reap wheat and not beans or carrots. Ranchers can raise cattle or horses without the worry of producing rabbits or goats instead. Everything God created was good. Today, scientists can modify almost everything God created; and by adopting some genetic modifications, some people have become enslaved to others. After modifying some plants so they cannot produce seeds, these plants cannot reproduce themselves; therefore, some farmers have become enslaved to buying seeds each year instead of using seeds that could have been saved from yearto-year. When God created the earth and all within it, God wanted people to have the freedom and success that following His plans would assure rather than becoming dependent on those who would seek to profit from enslaving them.

 

Thinking Further

Some Benefits of Living by God’s Design

September 9, 2018

Genesis 1: 14-25

Name ______________________________

 

1. On the fourth day, what did God do with the light that God created on the first day? And why did God do this?

 

2. What happened every time God said He wanted something done?

 

3. What did God create immediately after He created all that was needed to make life on earth possible?

 

4. Describe some of the qualities of the living creatures that God made.

 

5. What did God want the creatures He created to do?

 

 

Word Search

Some Benefits of Living by God’s Design

September 9, 2018

Genesis 1: 14-25

Name _________________________________

 

N Q H F Q Z V J L O Z K V Q S

C U C A W F U N F B C F R I H

L H M R N V L G Q I Z E M F G

I D T J E X M U S W F W I L D

G E S R D A Y R F C V T D Z Q

H S U V A I T P I T U A H T F

T S S D Q E F U V K I N D S B

S E E F B U Z S R X C U L I V

O L J L I V I N G E M X R O E

P B Y G T M Y M Z U S D H F V

L E Z H D R L I V E S T O C K

J X G W G U C E A J R L G E V

V I F E X T Y F S U A V W J N

N A C B I A O K O E T O D E T

Z X S W D L R F C Z S Y P A H

 

Lights

Day

Night

Stars

Fourth

Fifth

Living

Creatures

Birds

Kinds

Fruitful

Livestock

Wild

Earth

Blessed

 

 

True or False Test

Some Benefits of Living by God’s Design

September 9, 2018

Genesis 1: 14-25

Name _____________________________

 

Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.

1. The lights in the sky can be used as signs for sacred times. True or False
2. God created the sun to govern day and night. True or False
3. Only the sun and moon give light upon the earth. True or False
4. It is good that God separated the light from the darkness. True or False
5. During creation a day was from evening to morning. True or False
6. God created all that lives in the water except killer whales. True or False
7. God created every living thing that flies except mosquitoes. True or False
8. God created whales to produce whales. True or False
9. The first fish that crawled out of the water became reptiles. True or False
10. God created livestock and wild animals on the sixth day. True or False

 

True and False Test Answers

Genesis 1:14-25

1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. False
8. True
9. False

10.True

 

 Prayer

Creator God, we are learning about our world at a furious pace. May we channel our increased knowledge into more opportunities to contemplate You and Your marvelous designs. You are truly the God of wonders, and we give You praise and glory. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.