The Fourth Day:  The Light Bearers

 

 

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

 

 

Up until the fourth day, as pointed out in the last issue, God directly provided the light to His creation. On the fourth day, God created the light-bearers which shine forth the light that originally emanated from Him. In a similar way, God has created us to be light-bearers to shine forth His light to a dark universe, for Christ said, “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14).

God created the light-bearers with specific purposes. First, they are “to separate the day from the night.” So also we, as His light-bearers, are to separate the day from the night. Paul urges us to “put aside the deeds of darkness and to put on the armor of light” and to “behave decently, as in the daytime” (Rom. 13:12-13). Thus, by our behavior and values, we are to define the deeds of the daytime, and to do our best to keep the deeds of darkness from seeing the light of day. On this earth, there will always exist darkness and the deeds of darkness. Unfortunately, the deeds of the night are mixing more and more with the deeds of the day as people are becoming less and less ashamed of their sin. Because of the relaxation of moral standards, sins that used to be carried out in secret, in darkness, are now accepted in broad daylight. We as light-bearers should fight to keep the deeds of the darkness separate from the deeds of the daylight.

Second, the light-bearers are “to serve as signs to mark the seasons and days and years” (vs. 14).  So also we, as light-bearers, are “to serve”, carrying out our specific God-given role. Just as the light-bearers in the heavens work together to “mark the seasons and days and years”, so also we should work together to accomplish God’s purposes, each one using his God-given talents.

Third, the light-bearers are to “give light to the earth” (vs. 17). So also we, as light-bearers, are to give light to the earth. Our work as light-bearers should have the effect of making the world less dark. As Christ says, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Furthermore, as light-bearers, we should have an influence over others so that they too may become light-bearers. For, in the same way, the sun causes the moon, which is not inherently a source of light, to become a light-bearer.

Notice that God made a “greater light”, a “lesser light”, and He “also made the stars”. So we observe that just as God gave His heavenly light-bearers a variety of purposes, He also gives His modern-day light-bearers a variety of purposes. Paul says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Rom. 12:6). Peter says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (I Pet. 4:10). God works in each person’s life differently. Each person has a mix of different gifts suited to accomplish God’s predetermined purpose for his life. One should not envy someone else’s gifts and purpose, but should seek to cultivate his own gifts in order to fulfill God’s purpose for his own life.

Notice that the different light-bearers have different prominence: one light is “greater”, one light is “lesser”, and then there are the stars. The light with “lesser” prominence does not have lesser value in God’s eyes, though. The “lesser” light, by being “lesser”, is serving its purpose perfectly. If the moon shone as bright as the sun, it would not be serving its purpose. So also, God, according to His will, chooses to give some of His modern-day light-bearers more prominence than others. As Paul says, “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” (Rom. 9:21). Again, the light-bearers with lesser prominence do not have lesser value in God’s eyes, though man may see them as such. I dare say that the humble mother staying at home, giving of herself to raise a house full of Godly children, never holding a place of prominence among men, never receiving the cheers and accolades of the crowds, but saving her pennies to keep her household warm and well fed—I dare say that she will hold as great a place of prominence in the kingdom of heaven as the most visible of Sunday morning orators.

The phrase “God set them in the expanse of the sky” suggests that this was the time when the earth, planets and stars were placed in their proper positions and the universe was set into motion. The stars and other planetary bodies are clearly depicted with the purpose of serving, as it were, the earth. Indeed, the earth was placed amidst the heavenly bodies in the universe with great care. For example, self-sustaining life on earth would be impossible if the earth was any closer to the sun (it would be too hot) or further from the sun (it would be too cold); or if gravity on earth were any stronger (the atmosphere would have too much methane) or weaker (all water would evaporate); or if the earth’s rate of rotation were faster (the winds would be too great) or slower (the temperature differences would be too great); etc. Thus, the positions, movements and radiance of the heavenly bodies all serve to make life on earth possible.

The creation account seems to conflict with the possibility of extraterrestrial life within this universe (disregarding, of course, the spiritual realm). You see, the earth was created first, and the heavenly bodies, including other planets, were created on the fourth day. The heavenly bodies seem to have been created with the express purpose of serving the earth. In any case, much time, money and effort is spent by scientists searching for extraterrestrial life. Ironically, many of these scientists ignore the most important and most accessible extraterrestrial; an extraterrestrial who does not require a telescope or radar transmitter to make contact with. Rather, communication with this extraterrestrial can be opened simply with a humble heart, a bended knee, a private prayer closet. Yes, the most important and most accessible extraterrestrial with whom we can establish a relationship is God the Father, through Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

The Fifth Day:  The Filling of the Creation

 

 

20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

 

 

 

On the fifth day and the first part of the sixth day, God fills His creation with living creatures. God desires His creation to be full. God has limitless love for an unlimited number of creatures. He longs for multitudes to “be fruitful” in His work so that He may bless each one of them.

Additionally, God created a myriad of different “kinds” of creatures, from the “great creatures of the sea” to the smallest “winged bird”. Look around! God’s inventiveness and ingenuity are displayed in the variety of creatures rife throughout the creation: from earwig to eagle; from mite to mammoth; from oyster to orchid. God is full of wisdom; He has considered every contingency; He is a grand designer who has left no need unsatisfied in His self-sustaining creation. The flower depends on the bee, the whale makes use of the parasite, the hermit crab utilizes the castoffs of the snail. The existence of all is intertwined with the existence of all others. The large and the small, the great and the humble, the hideous and the beautiful all have their God-given niche in the completed puzzle of the creation. All have a purpose; all are equally important. Never consider yourself unimportant. If the grains of wheat can feed the world, what great purpose must God have for you. Seek it! In prayer, dedicate yourself to His desire for you in His grand design.

From Gen. 1:11 through the end of the chapter, the phrase “according to their kinds” (or a variant) is used ten times. In doing so, God is explicitly negating the theory of evolution. Evolution’s premise is that creatures produced offspring that eventually formed a different species; thus, evolution contradicts the statements that the creatures produced “according to their kinds”. It is interesting that God repeats this phrase, almost to the point of excess. This excess serves to emphasize the falseness of the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution is most certainly despised by God, because it encourages idolatry. The theory of evolution promotes the worship of the god of chance; it attributes the glorious design of the creation to random occurrences; it belittles the wisdom and creative genius of God by the premise that life was a product of happenstance.

 

 

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