‌God’s Revealed Purpose in Creation

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth He had a very specific purpose. Throughout the Bible that purpose is clearly defined and we need to keep this in mind as we read. Without a clear understanding of God’s plan, reading the Bible can become confusing—it is like a person looking at a road map but not knowing the final destination. God’s purpose is summarised for us in the following places:

• “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:18). In this statement God declares that He did not create the earth without a purpose in mind. He formed it to be inhabited by people who follow His ways.

• God foretold that “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). Here the prophet Habakkuk speaks of the great moral transformation that is to take place when all people will know and understand God and His ways. He swore by an oath: “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD” (Numbers 14:21). This is His ultimate purpose in creation.

• “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalm 37:10–11).

• Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

From these statements we clearly see that God had a determined purpose in creation. Those who humbly submit to God’s ways and strive to live after the example of Jesus Christ will be given immortality to live on the earth, filling it with the glory of God.

Creation Proves God Exists

It is Foolishness to Deny the Existence of God. Sadly there are those who refuse to face up to the fact that God exists, or to acknowledge that He has created all life. This class of person is spoken of in the Bible. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1).

Paul spoke of those who “professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Of these people Paul says: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18–25)

The Theory of Evolution

There is no scientific evidence that can be advanced to prove evolution. For the evolutionist it still remains a theory of how life came into existence on the earth, and today there are many eminent scientists who disagree with the theory because of the obvious “intelligent design” that underlies all forms of life.

The Bible has no conflict with true science. The earth and the solar system which supports life upon it bear evidence of remarkable design. Evolution theories do not have the answer to the intricate structure of life and the marvels of reproduction “after their kind” of the myriad of independent species that live on the earth. All that we see both in life on earth and in the remarkable solar system around us must have at its origin a rational, wise and intelligent first cause—a Creator. The honest and logical observer will realise that this could not be the result of random chance.

In reality there is no difference between the theory of evolution and the theories of the pagan Greeks who, trying to give an explanation of where they and life came from, concluded that Zeus, Atlas and other mythological gods were responsible for maintaining the earth and life upon it.

God’s Creation

The beginning of God’s creation (Genesis 1:1–2)

We will now examine the record of Genesis 1, noting some of the important points associated with God’s creative acts that are recorded here.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning” We are not told when the beginning was. It was some period prior to those specific acts of creation recorded in Genesis. What we are told is that God existed before this point of time (Psalm 90:1–2).

Genesis 1:2 “The earth was without form and void” It is pointless to speculate how or why the earth was in this state, as the reason is not specifically revealed in the Bible. The Hebrew word for “without form” means “waste” (Deuteronomy 32:10), or “an empty place” (Job 26:7). “Void” in Hebrew means “emptiness”. Both these words occur together in Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23.

“darkness was upon the face of the deep” Light did not penetrate to the earth’s surface. In Hebrew “deep” speaks of “an abyss” or “a surging mass of water”. The word occurs in Psalm 33:7 and Genesis 7:11.

“the Spirit of God” The Spirit is the power of God by which He performs His mighty works and sustains His creation (Psalm 104:30; Job 26:13; 33:4; Psalm 139:7–12).

The six days of creation (Genesis 1:3–31)

There are six days in which God performed specific acts of creation. Each activity commenced with the expression, “And God said…” As we consider these events we are compelled to agree with the words of the Psalmist: “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches” (Psalm 104:24).

Verse 3 “And God said” When God speaks, His will is then done (Psalm 33:6,9; 2 Peter 3:5; Isaiah 55:10–11). The angels in heaven always do His will (Psalm 103:20).

“let there be light” God is the source of light, both physical and moral light (1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 1:5; 2 Corinthians 4:6; John 3:19). His word is our source of enlightenment (Psalm 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19; Isaiah 8:20).

Each Day a 24 Hour Period

At the end of each day’s activity we read: “And the evening and the morning were the… day (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). This is the Jewish method of describing a day, from sunset through to the following sunset. Therefore the evening from approximately 6 pm, through the next morning and up to the next sunset is the period spoken of.

There is no reason to reject the view that the six days are literal days of 24 hours. This is established by the Sabbath Law which God gave to Israel. We read: “In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11; 31:17).

Living Creatures

What does it mean when the birds, fish and beasts are called “living creatures”? (Genesis 1:20–25). The two Hebrew words used simply mean “a living, natural, animal body”. These words are:

nephesh from a Hebrew root meaning “to breathe”. It means a breathing frame. It is translated “creature”, “soul”, “life”, “person” and is used both of animals and man. It is also used to describe a body that is no longer alive (eg Joshua 10:28; Ezekiel 18:20)

chayim from the root meaning “to live”.

Used together nephesh chayim is translated “living creature” or “living soul”. The phrase is used of the natural life of birds (Genesis 1:20), fish (1:21), animals (Genesis 1:24; 2:19) and man (Genesis 2:7).

A “Very Good” Creation

“And behold it was very good” (Genesis 1:29–31)

In these last few verses of chapter 1 we observe that man, the animals and birds were given the herbs and fruit for their food. We know that since the entry of sin into the world this placid state has changed and now both man and many other creatures kill and eat meat. This change is specifically mentioned in Genesis 9:3. However, the Bible reveals that when the Kingdom of God is established this situation will be reversed. Then “the lion will eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:7; 65:25).

The statement “Behold, it was very good” (1:31) indicates that the creation was in perfect harmony with the Creator. However, when sin entered the world, this “good” state was disrupted and now “the whole creation groans” (Romans 8:22-23). Harmony will only be restored when Jesus Christ returns.

The Sabbath

The word “ended” in Genesis 2:2 is the same as “finished” in Genesis 2:1. It means “to end something because it is completed or finished”. The work of organising the earth from its state of chaos into a beautiful place where life could be sustained was finished. Vegetation was abundant and fish, birds, animals and finally man inhabited these delightful surroundings. We therefore come to the seventh day and look to the lessons that this day set forth.

“And he rested on the seventh day” The Hebrew word for “rested” is shabath from which is derived the word “sabbath”. Its meaning is “to cease, or desist”. God did not need to rest from labour because He was weary (Psalm 121:4; Isaiah 40:28–31).

The sabbath points forward to “the rest” that God has in store for all His faithful children (Psalm 95:11; Hebrews 4:4–11).

Adapted from “The Exploring the Bible Course” by David Evans