AUGUST 3, 2023 – EXPANSE AND GREEN

READ: Gen. 1:6-13: Then God said … and it was so. And God called …, the second day. Then God said …. and it was so. And God called … Then God said, … and it was so. And God saw that it was good…. the third day.

In creation, God is actively involved in everything. He speaks His powerful Word and makes everything according to His intention: He names what He creates. On the second and third day, God’s act of creation means bringing order and separating what He has already created out of nothing.

On the second day, it is the separation between the water on the earth and the water above the earth, resulting in the atmosphere, the blue or cloudy sky that we can see. It is stretched out like a dome, an expanse, above the earth (verse 7). God created this atmosphere to protect the earth from extreme high and low temperatures that other planets experience. Without the atmosphere, life on earth would not be possible!

On the third day, God creates further order by separating the waters from the dry land on earth, resulting in the formation of seas and the appearance of land. From the land, God creates greenery, various kinds of plants with seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit. The emphasis on plants with seeds and fruit trees is because this greenery is specifically intended as food for the yet-to-be-created mans (verse 29). Already, it is evident that God creates these plants according to their kinds. There is already a lot of variation on this day. God also says the same about the animals He creates on the fifth and sixth day.

This goes against the theory of evolution. This theory cannot be reconciled with the Bible without disregarding the omnipotence of God and the authority of His Word. On both days, God declares that He sees that what He has made is good. He has taken another step in making the earth habitable. Such wisdom is evident in this. Who would dare to contradict it? What Genesis describes here is a reason for the greatest praise to the Creator!

Should humans search for life on Mars?

Singing: Ps. 136:1-3