Genesis 1:9-13 — God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” and there was morning—the third day.
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:9-10
Water covered the whole earth until God decreed otherwise when He said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:9) God spoke it and it was so.
He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. (Psalm 78:13)
Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it. (Jeremiah 5:22)
“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,” (Job 38:8)
We have dry ground to dwell on because of God’s grace. Because He is good. (John Calvin)
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
Genesis 1:11-13
God created light on the first day.
He divided the water from the water on the second, that is, He created the atmosphere.
And on the third day He created life. On the third day fruit is produced. And even as the seed from the fruit enters the womb of the earth and then brings life that bears more fruit, and creates many seeds, Christ died and was buried in the womb of the earth, and on the third day He rose, and He continues to bear fruit as a result.
Jesus said,
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
John 12:24
Jesus died, was buried, then rose on the third day to bear the fruit of salvation.
…And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:12
God said, “Let there be light,” the First Day: Genesis 1:3-5
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Genesis 1:3-5
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. When God speaks something, it comes into existence. Another way to think of this is when God speaks something, it is so. I encourage you to study how Jesus viewed the Old Testament scriptures. You’ll find He accepted them as real and true. Jesus’ endorsement of God’s word, the Bible, makes it as sure and solid as can be. What has been spoken to us by God through scripture can be counted on, it is faithful and true. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
Also notice the source of light. All light comes from God. Psalm 119:105 says that God’s “…word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Even as a plant will fail to grow without light, you and I will fail to grow without the light of God’s word on our life path. Enlightenment from His word will direct us in the way we should go to experience God’s desire for us which is for you and I to experience the most successful life possible. A University of North Carolina study revealed that people in a dimly lit environment are more likely to cheat and also more likely to serve their own interests. (see Darkness, Dishonesty, and Self-Interested Behavior) Conversely, when we dwell in an environment that is well lit by the influence of God’s word and the presence of Jesus, the light of the world, we’ll have a propensity to walk according to God’s ways.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
[Image via: indigoblue66 Creative Commons]
[You might also like: How Does Jesus View the Old Testament?]
Genesis 1:2 — Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Genesis 1:2
What God does with formless and empty? Consider what he did in King David’s case. God knew that He would raise up a great King over Israel — the greatest government administration in the history of the world. He also knew that the great King would be a son of David’s. Who do you suppose God would choose as the new King’s mother?
How about Micah? She was of royal blood, the daughter of King Saul. Nope, not Micah. Neither did God choose any of David’s three other wives. Rather He chose Bathsheba, David’s fifth wife. Her child, Solomon, was the fruit of no noble, honorable, or holy intent. David saw Bathsheba bathing on the roof, had her brought into his castle, and committed adultery.
Then, after David learned that she was pregnant, he murdered her husband to cover it up.
Yet out of this chaos God raised up Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba. The greatest government administrator who ever lived. (for more see Mark Gungor’s DVD, How to Stay Married and Not Kill Anybody)
Are you experiencing chaos in your life? A broken marriage? A son or daughter gone astray? A layoff from work? The loss of a house to the bank?
Take heart. The same Spirit of God that took the formless and empty earth and heavens and created from them the majestic earth and heavens that we see today, the earth and heavens that are so spectacular, so beautiful, so magnificent that it’s impossible not to see God’s hand in them. That same Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, specializes in creating wonderful fruit from difficult or even seemingly impossible situations.
God loves you. God is for you. It may not be easy, but God will help you.
Cast your burden upon him. He is the answer. In the words of Matthew Henry, “Dead matter would be for ever dead if He did not quicken it.” Dead marriages, dead relationships, dead careers, dead bank accounts, ask — God will help. He is for you.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,”
Jeremiah 29:11-14
Genesis 1:1 — In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
The word for God that is used here is elohiym and, interestingly, it is the plural form of the word God that means “strong or mighty.” The plural usage here speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity that is touched on in the Old Testament and made plain in the New Testament. (Jamieson) The writer of the gospel of John speaks of this moment in time when he writes of Jesus, “the Word:”
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:1-3
Although the Bible is not a science book, where it does touch on scientific information it’s always accurate. For example the Bible says that,
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.
Job 26:7
Hindus believed that the earth was supported on the back of an elephant. Greeks believed that the earth was held upon the back of Atlas. But Genesis, written in the 5th century BC, says it’s suspended on nothing. (Courson)
Sir Isaac Newton, who today, is recognized by many as the greatest physicist in history, had a standing disagreement with his contemporaries who ridiculed him for his belief in the Biblical creation account. Newton once hired a craftsman to build a model of our solar system. The model was very elaborate, it even included an ingenious mechanism to move the planets in their respective orbits around the sun. Shortly after the model was completed a scientist friend stopped by for a visit.
“Oh My! What an exquisite thing this is!” Newton’s friend exclaimed. “Who made it?”
Paying little attention to him, Sir Isaac answered, “Nobody.”
Stopping his inspection, the visitor turned and said, “Oh? Evidently you did not understand my question. I asked who made this?”
Newton, enjoying himself immensely no doubt, replied in a still more serious tone, “Nobody. What you see just happened to assume the form it now has.”
“You must think I am a fool!” the visitor retorted heatedly, “Of course somebody made it, and he is a genius, and I would like to know who he is.”
Newton then spoke to his friend in a polite yet firm way: “This thing is but a puny imitation of a much grander system whose laws you know, and I am not able to convince you that this mere toy is without a designer and maker; yet you profess to believe that the great original from which the design is taken has come into being without either designer or maker! Now tell me by what sort of reasoning do you reach such an incongruous conclusion?
Of course our solar system was created. Of course the universe, all the heavens and the earth, were created. The Bible says that, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1) It’s obvious. It’s easy to see God’s hand in our universe — that’s not the issue with those who claim to not believe in a Creator.
The issue is one of accountability.
You see, as soon as a creator is acknowledged, that opens the door to accountability to that Creator. Anyone who wants to feel like they’re not accountable for their behavior can’t acknowledge a Creator. I say “feel like they’re not accountable” because, of course, that’s merely an illusion. God provides man with free will but also holds all men accountable. (Romans 14:10) Acknowledging the existence of a Creator would mean giving up the illusion of not having to be accountable and acknowledging sin.
If you find yourself in a discussion with someone who doesn’t believe in the Biblical creation account or doesn’t believe in the Creator, lovingly bring the conversation around to Jesus. The real question is: is Jesus who He said He was? Is He the Son of God? Is His grave empty? If Jesus is who He said He was then there’s no place to go but to Him for salvation. (John 14:6) (Courson)
Jesus said,
I and the Father are one.”
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
John 10:30-33
Genesis 2nd Day–Expanse Between the Waters: Genesis 1:6-8
I’ve Looked At Clouds
Genesis 1:6-8 speaks of the expanse and barriers that God created concerning the earth. It could be He created an atmosphere surrounding the physical sphere of the earth and then surrounded the earth with a blanket of water, a sort of mega-cloud that covered the whole earth. It’s amazing to think that the clouds we see floating in the sky today are filled with tons of water. According to the USGS an average cloud, which is just a little more than 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile, weighs an estimated 1,105,500 tons. That’s a whole lot of water. So imagine with me what it was like on the second day when God put an expanse between the water on earth and the water in the sky–He floated water above the earth and surrounded the earth with a cloud. The earth surrounded by this water blanket would have created an interesting weather pattern. It would have the effect of protecting us from the sun’s UV rays. It would also have the effect of homogenizing or equalizing the climate throughout the earth. This means that the early animals and plants of the earth might have enjoyed a beautiful warm climate wherever they went on the planet. Scientists have found Woolly Mammoths frozen in the ice of Siberia with tropical vegetation in their digestive tracts. And they’ve also found vegetation 200 feet below the ice near the South Pole. I don’t claim to know the process with which God created the earth, I’m just saying, given the account in Genesis, and God’s comment to Job in Job 38:9, these discoveries fit the descriptions in scripture.
Earth’s Deteriorating Magnetic Field
Another barrier of protection provided by God is the earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic field shields us from destructive charged particles that originate from the sun. The German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss was the first to measure the magnetic field of the earth, starting in 1845. Since that time we’ve measured it continually and we’ve found that it’s deteriorating. (see National Geographic)
Earth’s Deteriorating Ozone Layer
A third protective barrier provided by God is the earth’s ozone layer. This layer protects us from the sun’s radiation. (see EPA) While there’s much debate as to the reason why, no one argues that the ozone layer is deteriorating.
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[Image via: drcohn – Creative Commons]
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Posted on May 29, 2010 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
clouds, Expanse Between Waters, firmament, genesis 1, Genesis Second Day, God called the expanse "sky", second day of creation, weight of cloud