Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The rest of chapter one provides the detail of the the beginning of all living things on earth and in the heavens above us.
One of the first things that should come to mind when reading Genesis one is that we have a very creative God!
“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
Vegetation:
Well, I started searching the internet for a seemingly easy question. How many species of trees are there in the world. According to the answers I found, there is somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 species of trees in the world today. Here is an interesting blog on the subject. Regardless of which end of the spectrum you subscribe, that took a lot of imagination, especially when you consider it all started with “and God said, let there be... ". If there are so many trees that the experts don't even know for sure, we don't even need to look at the rest of vegetation to be overwhelmed by our creative God.
Sea creatures and birds:
"And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.' 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. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day." Genesis 1:20-23
I have a friend who lives and works in St Croix, Virgin Islands. He goes diving quite often and takes breathtaking pictures of some of the most amazing creatures I have ever seen. Octopi, eels, lion fish, crabs, sea horses, jelly fish, and curious sharks, are just a few of the wonderful creatures he has captured on film. Our own Missouri, and Little Blue rivers team with all kinds of life from crappie, to blue gill, to monster catfish, not to mention crawdads, bullfrogs, and other interesting critters.
Job 41 speaks of a magnificent sea creature, which has caused no small debate. Some scholars would have us believe this is a crocodile, but I think it is something much larger. This description would surely explain the many seaman's stories of sea monsters. This is God speaking to Job:
“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,
its strength and its graceful fsorm.
Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
Its back has rows of shields
tightly sealed together;
each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Flames stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
Smoke pours from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
Its breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.
Strength resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.
When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they retreat before its thrashing.
The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
Iron it treats like straw
and bronze like rotten wood.
Arrows do not make it flee;
sling stones are like chaff to it.
A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
Nothing on earth is its equal—
a creature without fear.
It looks down on all that are haughty;
it is king over all that are proud.” Job 41:12-38
My daughter is convinced that this passage refers to what we now call a “fire-breathing dragon”!
As for birds, we have plenty right here. I have had the pleasure of seeing a humming bird fluttering right outside my front door. Of course, there are robins, blue birds, blue jays, cardinals, and a host of finches. There are buzzard nests on the cliffs behind our house. Sometimes, on our way to church we count the hawks we see in trees and on telephone poles. Its always a special treat to me to see an owl. I see two or three a year. That is just here. I don't imagine anyone knows for sure how many species of birds there really are. God knows though. He created them. All of them! How cool is that!
“And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24-25
“Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!”
Dogs, cats, pigs, goats, sheep, gorillas, and the Behemoth!
Again this is God speaking to Job.
“Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose? “ Job: 40:15-24
Massive, awe-inspiring creatures, as well as tiny microbes invisible to the human eye. All created by our very creative God, but he wasn't finished.
“Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'” Genesis 1:26
Then God created his masterpiece. He created human beings in his own image. What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Well, one thing it means is that he made us to be creative too. Of course, our creativity is nothing compared to his, but think about musicians, artists, dancers, builders, inventors, writers, and a host of other types of human creativity.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, 'See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you.”'Exodus 31:1-6
God made us to be creative with the idea that it all points back to him. Everything we do should bring glory and honor to our creator.
“Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:1-6
Have a blessed day!
See ya tomorrow!
Connie
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