His Whisperings – Page 28 – Inspired by His Word

Land Animals and People – Day 6

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Janice D. GreenApril 28, 2012

On the sixth day of creation God created the animals that live on the land. The last being that God created was people – the most glorious of all his creation in that he created people in his own image. Read about the sixth day of creation in Genesis 1:24-31. Using this link you may read it in several translations for a more complete understanding.

God made all of the land animals including both domestic animals and wild animals, any and all animals that move along the ground.

After God made the animals, he made people, both male and female and told them to have children and to fill the earth. He also instructed them to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the animal world. God gave the people the seed-bearing plants and trees for food. The animals were to eat the green plants.

To me, the most important take home messages of the first chapter of Genesis are (1) God created everything that exists, and (2) God created people in his image – we didn’t just happen and we are elevated above all other forms of life in creation. This is not human arrogance, it is God’s design for mankind.

Adam and Eve are not named in the first chapter of Genesis, but I have no problem believing that these were the male and female people God created on the sixth day. When God described the Garden of Eden later in Genesis 2 he supplied more details about this special garden, and began the account of Adam and Eve. He does not concern himself with telling which day everything happened on. This account simply begins when God created Adam and Eve.

I love the choral arrangement, The Majesty and Glory of His Name (as sung by Tom Fettke The Winter Haven Choir Festival 2009), and include it here because is expresses so well the awesomeness of God’s creation as well as the amazing relationship between God and man and the angels. This anthem is taken from Psalm 8. You might enjoy trying to read and listen at the same time.

Look for activities to go with Day 6 of creation at this link.

The Creation, a Bible storybook for children by Janice D. Green

God creates birds and creatures of the sea – Day 5

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Janice D. GreenApril 27, 2012

On the fifth day God created the creatures that live in the sea and the birds of the air. Read it for yourself in Genesis 1:20-23. You may select your favorite version of the Bible, or better yet read it in more than one version for fuller understanding.

God created the fish and other kinds of life found in the sea. Here are a few videos I found to show the diversity found in our oceans. Some were developed with political intentions, so it may not suit your purposes to use them with children.

http://marinebio.org/gallery/video/

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-videos/sea-creatures-deep-video-national-geographic-and-census-marine-life (Deepest ocean creatures)

I believe it is worth noting that one of the sea creatures named in the Bible was the leviathan. You can learn more about this terrifying creature by reading Job 41. The leviathan could easily be one of the dinosaurs and it is evidence that dinosaurs, and man did co-exist before the dinosaurs became extinct. Many want to diminish this animal as if it were a crocodile, but no crocodile fits the description given in the later verses. The pictures that the orientals paint of dragons more readily fit the description given in Job 41.

Not only did God create the creatures in the seas on this day, he also created the birds. Now that there were trees where the birds could build their nests and other plants they could perch on, God was ready to create the birds. What beauty he brought into the world when he created them. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University offers a fantastic website that teaches us many things about the birds. Spend time exploring it, especially their Bird Guide and learn more about God’s handiwork.

In Matthew 6:26, Jesus used the birds as an example of how God takes care of the birds and he will also take care of us.

Stand in awe of God’s creation and know that he is the One who is supreme then and now.

Look for activities to go with Day 5 of creation at this link.

The Creation, a Bible storybook for children by Janice D. Green

Sun, Moon, Stars, & Planets – Day 4

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Janice D. GreenApril 24, 2012

On the fourth day of creation God created the sun, moon, and stars. Read it for yourself in Genesis 1:14-19. God must have included the planets and galaxies as well. At the time Genesis 1 was written people probably knew nothing about planets, and they definitely did not know about galaxies. They would have thought all the tiny lights were stars.

We can’t answer all of our questions about how God made the sun, moon, and stars, because the explanation isn’t there apart from the basic words, “God said…” We can have fun speculating over whether he used the rest of the waters he created “In the beginning…” and separated on day two, or did he speak the sun, moon and stars into existence from scratch. It obviously wasn’t important at the time for God to spell out all of the details. If it wasn’t important then, it isn’t important now either. What is important is that God created them.

I find the idea of the “Big Bang Theory” quite fascinating. It seems quite consistent with God’s speaking the earth into existence.

These verses go on to explain that these heavenly bodies would be used to mark time and the seasons. Until God created the sun and moon and put everything into motion, the measure we have for a 24-hour day didn’t exist. Our day is defined by the rotation of the earth with the “daytime” being determined by when the sun shines on a particular part of the earth, and the “nighttime” being determined by when the sun does not shine on that part of the earth. On earth, there is always both daytime and nighttime somewhere, but the length of a “day” is the amount of time it takes the earth to make one complete rotation.

I will continue to emphasize the importance of the sequence of the Genesis account of creation. It continues to be true to scientific understanding. A seed can be planted any time of year and it can germinate. So God could create plants before he created the sun, moon, stars, and before he set the seasons into motion. But the seasons must be there before they can propagate and cover the earth, so it had to follow right behind creating the plants.

Visit a planetarium if there is one near you. There is so much to learn about our awesome universe and beyond.

Here is a video to help you understand how huge our universe really is. Keep in mind that the God who created it all is even bigger. Size of the Universe from YouTube.com

I just learned of an awesome book Hubble Reveals Creation by an Awe-Inspiring Power, by J. Paul Hutchins I would love to read. Follow the link to learn more about this book.

Look for activities to go with Day 4 of creation at this link.

The Creation, a Bible storybook for children by Janice D. Green

Land and plants with fruit and seeds – Day 3

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Janice D. GreenApril 22, 2012

On the third day God spoke commanding the waters below the sky to gather in one place and he called up the dry ground. He then created the plants with fruits and seeds. Read Genesis 1:9-13. This link will allow you to pick your translations. Read it in more than one translation for fuller understanding.

The earth began to take shape on the third day as God brought the waters below the sky together and produced dry ground. He named the waters the sea, and he named the ground land or earth depending on the translation you read.

Now that God had created all the required elements needed for them to survive (water, light, air, and soil), he created plants that would bear fruit and seeds.

God’s plan was very specific. Seeds were designed so that they produced new plants of the same kind as the parent. You would not expect to plant bean seeds and have corn plants grow from them.

The chlorine in plants made it possible for them to create food from light, water, soil, and air. These plants, their fruits and seeds would become food for animals and people to eat.

Look for activities to go with Day 3 of creation on this link.

The Creation, a Bible storybook for children by Janice D. Green

God made the sky – Day 2

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Janice D. GreenApril 17, 2012

On the second day God separated the waters and created the sky. It requires a little imagination to try to figure out what these verses mean. We may still not get it exactly right, but that’s OK too. God didn’t give us these verses to burden or confuse us, they were intended to give us understanding.

I’m left with these questions: Did God take just enough of the water mass to make the earth, leaving the rest to make everything else in the universe? Or did he separate just enough water to make clouds and leave the rest to become the earth and it’s oceans and rivers? We can’t speak with authority on this since the information is not complete – nor was it intended to be.

The book of Genesis was never intended to be a science book. One chapter in a book can’t scratch the surface as it describes the process God used to create the earth. It was given to people who only knew a few forms of agriculture and the basics in making clothing, shelters, and housewares. There were no people with science degrees at the time. As we progress through the days of creation we will be able to recognize a progression that is firmly founded in scientific reason, however. This is a progression that I don’t believe early people had the ability to produce out of their own imaginations.

Back to day two – We read that God created an “expanse” between the waters and he called it sky. Since God hasn’t yet created the Sun, moon, stars & planets, I prefer to entertain the idea that God started the earth inside a huge bubble of air which God named “sky.” The rest of the water mass could be used to start the Sun, moon, and stars.

Our sky is not empty and void. It has volume and mass. If you blow up a balloon, it increases in size according to the amount of air you blow into it.The air inside the balloon and the air we breathe was created by God to support both plant life with carbon dioxide and animal life with oxygen. This would all need to be in place before God could introduce plants and animals on the earth. The sky supports the clouds.

Take a deep breath of air and enjoy a glass of cold fresh water. Isn’t God good!

The Creation, a Bible storybook for children by Janice D. Green