God Creates Lights and Life

September 9, 2018 Background Scripture: Genesis 1:14 – 25 Lesson Passage: Genesis 1:14 – 25 In the first three days of the biblical account of creation, God created an inhabitable environment that contained vegetation and water. Today, we call this environment earth. Beginning on the fourth day of the creation account, God created the sun as a source of light (and heat) for the earth to revolve around as it spins on its own axis. Likewise, God created the moon as a satellite to revolve around the earth. These two great orbs in the galaxy would control length of days, months, seasons, and years as they are experienced on the earth. God also created the stars throughout the expanse of the heavens. These could later be used for navigation for those that would live on earth. The hemisphere of the earth that faced the light of the sun would be considered daytime while the opposite hemisphere would be considered night. The rotation of the earth on its axis would be used to count days while the orbit of the moon around the earth would be used to mark months. The orbit of the earth around the sun would constitute a year. The positional relationship of these three, the earth, the moon, and the sun, defines the concept of time. Without the earth’s rotation on its own axis with respect to the sun, there is no such thing as a day. Without the earth’s orbit around the sun, there is no such thing as a year. Time does not exist outside of the positional relationship of these three great creations of God. Although astronauts may travel to the moon and back, their journey is still marked in time by the positional relationship of the earth, the moon, and the sun during their trip. Time is an inherent part of the creation of God. It exists for the benefit of mankind that will be created in God’s image and after His likeness. Thus, the fourth day of creation ended, and God declared that it was all good. On the fifth day of creation, God commanded his creation to participate in the creation process. God commanded the waters to bring forth the living creatures that swim in them and the birds that would fly in the sky above the ground. The waters of the earth were teeming with aquatic life both small and great. Birds that could walk on the earth, swim on the surface of the waters and fly in the air took wing. (Even evolutionists suggest that there is a connection between the water of the earth and some non-aquatic life that lives on the earth, i.e., a connection between fish and birds.) Then God commanded the earth to bring forth the animal life that would move upon the ground. Therefore, the earth brought forth all manner of living creatures that move and live upon the earth. All of these living creatures, whether aquatic or non-aquatic, were created to reproduce after its own kind. At this point in the creation account, everything that would exist in and on the earth was created except mankind and the garden that God would plant as his first place of employment. God again noted that what was created was good. Robert C. Hudson August 30, 2018