RSS Feed |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Find comfort in the beginning
God has created within the human mind and heart the desire to know the details of the circumstances and conditions that surround us. However, the mind of mankind cannot grasp the full impact of all that has been provided by our heavenly father - the creator of the universe. Much of that which is observed must be accepted by faith - "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. Much effort has been used in attempts to explain the beginning. This concept of "beginning" is necessary for humans. God, the creator, does not need this idea, since he sees everything from the perspective of "eternity." The Apostle Paul wrote that "the things which are seen are temporal; but the things that are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18b. Thus, the concept of eternal is difficult for the human mind to grasp. We must see our need for faith in all areas of life - including our understanding of the beginning. As the holy spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21) inspired Moses to record the information that had been given, the statement was made, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1. Since humans exist in the realm of time, we might like to know when this event took place. Many attempts have been made at pinpointing this event. All of these efforts are, simply, exercises in futility. The writer to the Hebrews addressed this thought. Hebrews 11:3. The picture of chaos that we see (Genesis 1:2a,b) is not the result of the "work of God." 1 Corinthians 14:33a. However, from this confusion - whatever the source - God brought forth order. This occurred when "the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2c. Darkness, as the dominant feature - needed to be removed in order for the divine plan to unfold. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." Genesis 1:3. The Apostle John addressed this thought, as he began the gospel that bears his name. John 1:1-5. The existence of light produced the necessity of division. "And God saw the light that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." Genesis 1:4, 5. On the "second day" (Genesis 1:8b), "God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so and God called the firmament heaven." Genesis 1:6-8a. As God continued to "bring order out of chaos," he said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he seas: and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:9,10. The next divine act - on the third day (Genesis 1:13) - made preparations for the introduction of "life." "And God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:11,12. On the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:19), God placed the lights "in the firmament... to divide the day from the night: and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years..." Genesis 1:14. "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." Genesis 1:16. We are told that "God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness." Genesis 1:17,18. On the "fifth day" (Genesis 1:23) Life - living creatures - were brought forth upon the earth. "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. 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." Genesis 1:20,21. Since life was involved on this day of creation divine approval and instruction were given. "And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply in the earth." Genesis 1:22. The next act of creation - on the sixth day - began with bringing forth of the land animals. "And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and the beasts of the earth after his kind, and it was so." Genesis 1:24. Divine approval was given to the works of creation. "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after his kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25. The record of creation has been given for a reason. The divine record is sufficient for the human mind to have some understanding of things beyond our scope of comprehension.
When faith is applied in any situation, leaving the details to the creator, life loses much of its complexity. God loved us enough to send his son to provide eternal salvation. John 3:16.
|
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
