| Extract
Jan. 1st
READING : Genesis 1. 1, 26 to
2. 3
THE CREATION
THE TITLE OF
DEITY used throughout the opening section of the Bible, Gen. 1.
1 to 2. 3, is "God" (Heb. Elohim, the root meaning of
which is "power"). Creation was indeed a work of
immense, divine and sovereign power, displayed for the most part
in God's creative word. Note the recurring "and God
said", 1. 3, 6, 11, 14, 20, 24; cf. Psa. 33. 6, 9.
The whole work
was accomplished in just 6 days, Gen. 1. 3 1; Exod. 20. 1 1.
These 6 days can be regarded as made up of two sets of 3 days
each. The narrative clearly distinguishes "the heavens and
the earth" from "all the host of them", Gen. 2.
1. The first 3 days are concerned with the formation of
"the heavens and the earth"; the second 3 days are
concerned with the "host" which fill them. This can be
seen from the following summary of events. Day 1 saw the initial
creation of the heavens and the earth, together with the origin
of light, while Day 4 saw the creation of
"lights" in the heavens, namely sun, moon and stars. Day
2 saw the making of a firmament with waters above and below,
while Day 5 saw the creation of birds to "fly in the
open firmament" and of fish to "fill the waters".
Day 3 saw the formation of dry land and the beginnings of
vegetation, while Day 6 saw the creation of animals and
of man and woman, all being vegetarians, to live on the dry
land.
How favoured
man is! He is formed last, as the pinnacle and climax of God's
creatorial achievement. He is king of the earth, 1. 26, 28; Psa.
8. 3-8. Indeed, we learn elsewhere that man was the object of
Divine counsel before his creation, Eph. 1. 4; 2 Tim. 1. 9. Well
may we marvel that the plan to save sinful men was formed before
man was! To give effect to this salvation, the One who had made
all things was required Himself to become a man, John 1. 3, 14.
For man to be made in the image of the Creator, Gen. 1. 26, was
an evidence of His creative power; for the Creator to be
"made in the likeness of men", Phil. 2. 7, was an
evidence of His condescending
grace.
For a clear
statement of God's purpose in creating, we need to look, not to
the first book of the Bible but to the last. "All
things" were created for His pleasure and win, Rev.
4. 1 1. Let us begin the new year with the determination to live
in accord with that purpose.
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