Genesis 1:14-25 King James Version September 9, 2018

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1 Genesis 1:14-25 King James Version September 9, 2018 The International Bible Lesson (Uniform Sunday School Lessons Series) for Sunday, September 9, 2018, is from Genesis 1: Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further follow the verse-by-verse International Bible Lesson Commentary. Study Hints for Discussion and Thinking Further will help with class preparation and in conducting class discussion: these hints are available on the International Bible Lessons Commentary website along with the International Bible Lesson that you may want to read to your class as part of your Bible study. You can discuss each week s commentary and lesson at the International Bible Lesson Forum. (Genesis 1:14) 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: 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

2 P a g e 2 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 firmament of the heaven to give light upon 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

3 P a g e 3 needed both light and darkness. Whatever God said should happen during His creation happened and God declared it was good. (Genesis 1:16) 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. 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) And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon 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.

4 P a g e 4 (Genesis 1:18) 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. 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) And the evening and the morning were the 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

5 P a g e 5 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) 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. 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) 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. 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

6 P a g e 6 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 dayby-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, with 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) And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in 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.

7 P a g e 7 (Genesis 1:23) And the evening and the morning were the 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) 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. 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

8 P a g e 8 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) 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. 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. Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further 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?

9 P a g e 9 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? Begin or close your class by reading the short weekly International Bible Lesson. Visit the International Bible Lessons Forum for Teachers and Students. Copyright 2018 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use. Contact: P.O. Box 1052, Edmond, Oklahoma, and lgp@theiblf.com.