As I have declared in my previous devotional, the book of Genesis is the Foundation where all other foundations must rest. It is where God was first revealed as the Lord of Creation and where we learn the origin of everything we have and enjoy today, including the life we live.

Having a better grasp of the book of Genesis will help us understand and realize the importance and the truth about man’s origin and Biblical Creation. The creation account is not a fiction or a result of the writer’s wild imagination. It was a true creation story that was repeatedly told and shared from the beginning of time by word of mouth and by written history. It was also reflected in so many creation stories found written in many cultures and nations.

Today, people who are against God and His Word are aggressively and sometimes harshly discounting the Genesis creation narrstive as unscientific and illogical. These are people who reject the existence of a supernatural God; the reason why they try to explain man’s origin and the world based on man’s limited and faulty understanding of our moracle performing God. Let me invite you to explore Genesis with me in our devotional today.

“In the Beginning God created the heaven… “

The word heaven basically means a “space or an expanse.” It is where the Earth and all heavenly bodies are brought into existence by our Almighty God. It is not eternal for it was among the first two God has created; the other was the earth.

The first passage describes God created the “heaven” - a space or an expanse to where God created and placed His creations. He then created the “earth” - a form of matter from nothing to where He placed the rest of His amazing creations. Heaven and earth represent space and matter.

The third element is energy in the form of “light.” It came from God, the source of pure light. Together with verses 1 and 2, we find the 3 basic elements or components needed to give way to the 6 days of creation. They are (heaven) space, (earth) matter, and (light) energy.

God first created heaven, the expanse and space where He first placed the first matter, earth. The earth was created next to where God placed all the living creatures and it became the place of man’s habitation. The “earth” is also the basic matter from where the other living creatures came forth from God’s vocal command. Man was specially created and he was “formed” out of the dust of the earth.

In eternity, God created the space, where He placed the earth. After the earth was created, He brought forth the Light, the energy needed to give life to all living creatures, except man. Here is the creation sequence as revealed in Genesis chapter 1:

• 1st Day - Time started with the creation of Light against darkness; which constituted the first day.

• 2nd Day - Firmament; the sky or the atmosphere was created. God divided the waters and placed them above and below the firmament. In the beginning the earth was completely encapsulated by water and water vapor.

• 3rd Day - Water below the firmamnet or the sky was gathered in one place (sea) and the dry land appeared. No islands in the beginning.

⁃ The creation of plants and vegetations: grass, trees, all plant life appeared as commanded.

• 4th Day - Two great lights; the sun and the moon were created.

⁃ to give light to earth

⁃ To separate the day from the night

⁃ Stars were created and all the celestial bodies

⁃ From earth, the heaven expanded as God created billions of stars, galaxies, and universes.

⁃ As God moved in the midst of these, He activated and started chemical reactions resulting in the formation and the beauty of the sky and outer space without imperfections and any dangerous reactions like what we have today.

• 5th Day - Sea creatures such as fish, whales and the flying fowls and birds were commanded to appear.

• 6th Day - All land animals were commanded by the Living Word to appear.

⁃ It is a Special day of creation with the creation of man. He was directly formed by God from earth and not vocally commanded to exist as other creations.

⁃ God breathed into his nostril the breath of life. This is the uniqueness of man. He was directly created by God and his life directly came from God.

⁃ God created man in His own image; which gave distinction between man and animals. God also gave distinction between male and female

⁃ All creation was completed and God was pleased and satisfied.

• 7th Day - God rested; not because He was tired. He was pleased and began to enjoy His creation.

There are many who question the 2 narratives of creation found in chapters 1 and 2 alleging some discrepancies. They mention a discrepancy regarding the creation of animals. It appears in Chapter 1, they were commanded to appear but in Chapter 2, they were formed. They claim the 2 accounts contradictory. There are no contradictions and discrepancies in the Bible. If there are they can always be explained.

The account in chapter 2 provides a general view of what happened during creation in relation to man. Noticed that when Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden, they were given responsibility to name all the living animals. With the vast number of these animals that appeared, it would be too difficult for Adam to call and gather all of them to be acquainted with them and to name them. Names normally carry a particular description of the subject. I believe, to help Adam, God as mentioned in chapter 2:19, individually formed a representative animal of different species before Adam and allowed him to name them individually.

Conclusion:

All Bible believing Christians must be totally persuaded in the credibility of the book of Genesis. It is the book of the Old Testament getting more maligned, ignored, and avoided by the secular world; even by some modernistic Churches. The important truth about the origin of man and this vast universe is not only for us to know, it is for all of us to share to all; especially to our children who are specifically being targetted in public schools and being influenced away from Biblical truths.

Let us begin at home. Parents must have a serious discussion with the whole family, specially the children and find out what they have been learning from school and others. This is an important responsibikity that must not be ignored. It is our opportunity to reach out to them and make them feel loved and protected from all forms of philosophies contrary to the teachings from the Word of God.