God’s Gift of Love: Creation part 2
Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was [a]formless and void, and darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the [c]surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
That was the first day of creation. Then we jump to verse 7 for the second day.
7 So God made the [e]expanse and separated the waters which were below the [f]expanse from the waters which were above the [g]expanse; and it was so.
Down to 9 for the third.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [i]vegetation, [j]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [k]their kind [l]with seed in them”; and it was so.
Verse 14 for the 4th.
14 Then God said, “Let there be [r]lights in the [s]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;
Jump to 16.
16 So God made the two [v]great lights, the greater [w]light [x]to rule the day, and the lesser [y]light [z]to rule the night, and also the stars.
Verse 20 describes the 5th day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ac]across the face of the [ad]expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Verse 24 the 6th.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [ae]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [af]their kind”; and it was so.
Jump to 26.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [ai]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [aj]sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth.”
Jump to 31
31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Last week we began this message; God’s love gift of creation. And I compared it to a surprise party. Like a surprise party, God flipped on the lights, and unveiled the wonder of His creation as a gift for us. Creating light was the first day of creation.
I. The first day, God created light.
Then on the second day…
II. The second day, God created the atmosphere.
We talked about all that the atmosphere does for us. It contains the oxygen we need to live it protects us from harmful ultraviolet solar radiation, and it creates the pressure without which liquid water couldn't exist on our planet's surface. It warms our planet and keeps temperatures habitable for our living Earth.
Then, the third day…
III. The third day, God caused some of the water covering the earth to recede and form dry land. And He created plant life.
He caused the water to recede. Raising the continents and deepening the water basins. On the third day, God caused some of the water that still covered the earth to recede, and dry land was exposed for the first time.
He caused the earth to sprout vegetation trees of all kinds. And that’s where we left off last time.
Now, I started thinking about that illustration of the surprise party. God turns on the lights, the atmosphere, and land. And I got to thinking about what this gift from God was comparable to. It’s like a terrarium. You know, those self-contained little worlds. Like an aquarium without the water. It’s got plants, small reptiles etc. And that’s what was presented at creation. Later God says,
“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [ai]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
And in chapter 2…8 And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden, toward the east; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
He gives mankind this world…our own terrarium. Now I don’t know about you, but receiving a living world as a gift, doesn’t always feel like a gift. I’ve had some personal experience, and heard about other’s attempts at sustaining life, and the idea is fraught with peril. The closest I got at being successful was when we set up an aquarium when the kids were younger. And you know that your kids getting an aquarium to take care of, is you getting an aquarium to care of. So, I did some things to make this as easy as possible. I got the sucker fish that cleans the sides of the aquarium. But one thing I didn’t like putting water into the aquarium. Because you have to treat the water ahead of time and the water evaporates so you have to fill the aquarium regularly. We have to dechlorinate. But I read something at the time, that said that chlorine is a very unstable chemical. And, from what I read, it practically evaporates just pouring tap water from one container to another. So, the wheels started turning. I remembered that the people of my household drink ice water and leave it out on the counter. I always thought that was such a waste. So, I started taking those water cups, when I found them, and pouring the water into the aquarium. And it worked great, for a while. Until one day I picked up an opaque cup, you couldn’t see its contents, filled with Kool aid, and poured it into the aquarium.
So, God giving us a world to care for, doesn’t seem like a gift. But what we have discovered is that the world that God gave us is self-sustaining. God made a very resilient world. He made the atmosphere and earth to be self-sustaining. So let’s continue today by looking at the fourth day of creation.
IV. The fourth day, God created the sun, moon and stars.
Genesis 1:14-19 Then God said, “Let there be [r]lights in the [s]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for [t]lights in the [u]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 So God made the two [v]great lights, the greater [w]light [x]to rule the day, and the lesser [y]light [z]to rule the night, and also the stars. 17 And God placed them in the [aa]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and [ab]to rule the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
It is remarkable to think about God’s power here.
First, on day one, two, and three God created light, the atmosphere, and plant life in the same way. And notice how He did it. This verse begins with the words, “Then God said,” Every time that God creates something in chapter one of Genesis, these are the words that describe how He creates whatever it is. He just spoke, and it was. That truth is repeated in other verses of Scripture.
Psalm 33: 6 By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. 8 Let all the earth fear Yahweh; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was; He commanded, and it [b]stood.
He just speaks, and light, or plants, or animals, or even sun, moon, and stars are made.
And notice a second thing about God’s power. Not only does God create, just by speaking but His power is demonstrated because He uses no building material. The official theological words for that are “ex nihilo.” He created “out of nothing.” He didn’t have a pile of material to build from.
Just think of the power that was demonstrated when God spoke! Only God could call anything He wished into existence- by simply commanding it to appear.
And there is a third thing that demonstrates His power.
God created the sun, moon, and stars and all the heavenly bodies, fully functional from the start. The whole universe was created so that it was fully functioning on the day that it was created. In other words, God created the sun on the fourth day, but He did not have to wait for the light of the sun to get to earth so He could make animals and man who would need the heat of the sun to live.
This is remarkable. God created sun, moon, and stars, fully functioning by the end of that day of creation. And, they were God’s gift to us, as it says, for signs, seasons, days and years.
Look at what that means. God created the sun, moon, and stars, “for signs, seasons, days and years.” That means He created them for us. Now we know what these heavenly bodies do for our survival but we often only consider the heavenly lights in regard to their basic function, providing light. But Scripture says that God gave them to us for signs, seasons, days and years. Those are functions for humanity. Do any members of the animal kingdom look at the heavenly bodies for signs, seasons, days and years? No, that a completely human function.
They are for signs: A sign gives us direction. It tells us where to go. A sign could tell us which way is north, south, east and west. And that’s what the heavenly bodies do. The position of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky have been giving directional signals to mankind back to earliest man. From the simplest sign, knowing east and west from the position of the sun, to the position of the stars which have guided sailors through past millennia.
They are for seasons: The movement of the sun and earth bring about spring, summer, winter, and fall. The gravity created by the moon not only creates the tides that are essential for our survival but it also regulates the earth’s tilt to maintain our seasons. Why do we need the seasons? The seasons are a cycle that facilitates watering the earth through rain and snow, drying the earth for a season of harvest, and fertilizing the earth through the death and decay of winter.
No other planet has this cycle that can sustain life.
https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/08/18/spinach-rice-and-tobacco-these-are-the-plants-we-could-grow-in-outer-space#:~:text=Most%20planets%20can%20not%20sustain,leafy%20green%20vegetables%20could%20thrive.
Most planets cannot sustain life, mostly because they’re way too hot. Venus, as an example, gets as hot as 471℃ - even metals melt at that temperature.
Well, what about the moon? I’ve heard that NASA grew plants in lunar soil. Yes, they did. But here’s what you have to remember. They grew the plants here, on earth. They brought soil back from the moon, planted seeds from the earth, watered it with water from the earth, in a controlled lab, and grew a plant in moon soil. So, yes, you could grow plants on the moon, if you transported seeds, and water, and periodic fertilizer in a rocket ship, 238,900 miles to the moon’s surface. Had astronauts stay there for weeks to harvest a crop to load back on the ship to return to earth. But no, the terrarium of the moon doesn’t have what is needed. The earth is already pre-packaged to function as a growing machine.
They are for days: The sun marks each day. The moon marks each month. Years: the stars mark out the years. And the cycles of the sun and moon tell us about the length of years. I know you know this, but it is no arbitrary thing that our year is 365 days long. Or should I say, it takes365.256366 days (365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, 10.0 seconds) for our earth to go around the sun. God gave us the sun moon and stars for many reasons, among them is the ability to count time.
And day in and day out, we can count on them to do what they have always done.
Psalm 104:19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Romans 1:20 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
So, this remarkable terrarium was created as a self-sustaining world for us to live in.
V. The fifth day, God created all marine life and flying creatures.
Genesis 1:20-23 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ac]across the face of the [ad]expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
God spoke, and the waters were filled with living creatures, and the sky with birds. God created numerous kinds of aquatic creatures and birds of countless designs and shapes. Imagine the beauty that suddenly filled the oceans and skies. The more man searches the ocean depths and the remote places of the earth, the more kinds of marine life and birds are discovered.
And He did for the sea and sky animals what He did for the plants; they reproduce “after their kind.”
The DNA of each organism was created and programmed by God so it can only guide in the reproduction of the same kind. Although great variations within each “kind” are possible, the evolution of new “kinds” is impossible.
What a wonderful gift fish and birds have been for humanity. And we could look at the wonder of this gift from many angles. We could talk about the food variety afforded us in birds and fish. Breakfast would not be the same without the chicken. We can talk about the balance God created in nature. Some birds are the garbage disposals of the world, as are some kinds of marine life. Birds keep down insect and mosquito populations. We could talk about the use of animals by humans; we’ve trained pigeons to send messages. Falcons have been trained to hunt. Or we could talk about the beauty that we see in birds and marine life.
But what fascinated me this week was an article I read about biomimicry. What is biomimicry?
Put simply, biomimicry is design based on the study of something found in nature. God not only gave us these creatures of the sky and sea for the previous reasons but also for biomimicry. For example, the study of shark skin and its low-drag force inspired the invention of modern swimsuit materials. Termite dens are studied for their ability to regulate internal temperature, and the findings are used to design energy-efficient buildings. And the next time you unfasten Velcro, thank those pesky burrs that attach themselves to you when you walk through brush—they’re the sticking power (literally) behind the invention.
People were inspired to invent things by looking at birds and fish. I found an article online about that very thing.
https://chirpforbirds.com/nature-advocacy/biomimicry-and-birds/
“Airplanes, of course, are one of the most obvious examples of biomimicry and birds. A bird’s shape, the way it uses its wings to produce lift, how it glides through the air—all of these details were meticulously studied and reproduced in the modern airplane. Scientists and researchers have also studied the “V” formation of flying geese, which helps them save energy by catching the updraft of the bird in front of them and applied it to military squadron formations.
Hummingbirds and dronesKingfishers and bullet trainsWoodpeckers and shock absorbers“Soft Manipulator Inspired by Octopus SuckersStrong, Durable Composite Technology Inspired by the Mantis ShrimpClog-Resistant Filtration System Inspired by the Giant Manta Ray
It’s not hard to see the similarity between a flitting hummingbird and a hovering drone. That’s because the hummingbird—with its ability to quickly dart in any direction and hover over a colorful flower to drink it’s nectar—is the muse for this relatively new technology. Scientists studied hummingbirds and their high wing-beat frequency—made possible by their long chest bone, strong wing muscles, and figure-eight wing beat patterns. They’ve used this unique combination to design drones with the same precise and quick maneuvering ability.
Ever seen a Kingfisher dive gracefully into water in search of food—and without making a splash? That’s due to the streamlined design of its long, pointed beak. These expert divers have not gone unnoticed—in fact, they’ve inspired the design of one of the fastest trains in the world. Engineers of Japan’s 500 series Shinkansen train designed its nose after the Kingfisher’s wedge-shaped beak. This allowed it to slice through the air at a faster rate—a top speed of 186 mph, to be exact. The nose design also reduced energy consumption due to less air resistance, and reduced sonic boom noise in tunnels, resulting in a faster, quieter, more cost-effective train requiring less gas and fuel.
It’s a remarkable sight: woodpeckers hammering away at a tree (or your house) without breaking a sweat. In fact, they hammer at a rate of 100 times the g-force that would cause a concussion in a contact sport like football. How can they hammer with this high force of impact with no damage to their beak or head? The answer lies in a combination of spongy bones and a tough beak. Their hard but elastic beak and spongy skull bones create the perfect shock-absorbing effect that protects them from harm. The combination is so effective that researchers have patterned shock-absorbing technology after it. This tech is used everywhere from airplanes and cars to—you guessed it—football helmets.”
What about marine life? Have we imitated marine life to inspire invention?
Octopus tentacles are able to grip a range of objects even smaller than the suckers themselves due to tiny projections called denticles. Inspired by these suckers, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign developed an electrothermal manipulator with a layer of soft hydrogel that is temperature-responsive and can handle fragile, thin tissue for medical treatment, regenerative medicine, and surgery. By replicating this biological strategy, the temperature-responsive hydrogel can grip a thin tissue sheet in just 10 seconds, thereby providing efficient and safe transfer, and avoiding the risk of wrinkling or tissue damage. This also has potential applications in robotics and the automation of manufacturing processes.
The mantis shrimp is known for its incredibly strong and light exoskeleton, which is formed from ‘helicoid’ layers of chitin that are offset from each other by 15 degrees. This helps prevent cracks and damage propagation, providing protection from blows that the shrimp delivers at speeds faster than a .22 caliber bullet. Now, this same ‘helicoid’ structure is being utilized by Helicoid Industries, and applied to composite materials. This technology allows these materials to be lighter and stronger with improved impact resistance while using less material, helping to reduce overall costs and providing a more efficient and effective product for the composite material industry. This innovation can also be applied in infrastructure, safety equipment development, and transportation.
Manta rays are able to filter plankton-rich water for food using an incredibly efficient method that allows them to resist clogging. Their ingenious filtering system consists of an array of leaf-like lobes that bounce food particles away from the filter and create a current flow. This allows the fish to retain food particles even smaller than the pores, and concentrate them in the mouth cavity in order to easily ingest them. This efficient filtration system has been adapted to create a variety of high-flow filters that resist clogging for applications such as hydrosol filtration and cyclonic filtration, HVAC systems, bagless vacuum cleaners, and more.”
And the list could go on and on. What a wonderful creation we live in. It was God’s gift to us.
VI. The sixth day, God created the animals, and humanity.
Genesis 1:24-25 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [ae]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [af]their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after [ag]their kind, and the cattle after [ah]their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
God created and inconceivable number and variety of animals, and each produces after their kind.
Now, why did God choose to make all these different types of animals? I mean, some of them He would later authorize our eating; Thank God for cows, and chickens and domesticated animals. But what about the elephant? Why make an elephant? Two things; wonder and balance. Let’s look first at balance. The balance of nature. Our world is created to be self-sustaining, to be balanced. In school we learn about the cycle of life; animals eat plants, they breathe in Oxygen, they breathe out CO2, the plants take in CO2 and convert it back to oxygen. And that cycle exists in other ways. The ground that the plants grow from are fertilized by dead things decaying into the ground. In turn the animals eat the plants and fertilize those same plants. God created a system, and it is fascinating to consider
Have you heard of a aquaponics? Aquaponics is a combination of Aquaculture (fish-growing) with Hydroponics, creating a mutual environment between plants and fish, where fish grow and feed your garden. You choose a fish, such as blue Tilapia, and add them to a tank, and the tank then pumps water into a bed where your garden floats above the water. Your fish fertilize the water, and the plants let down roots into the water and begin to THRIVE. It is a very simple, and increasingly popular solution to gardening and self-sustainability.
It is an ingenious way of creating a self-sustaining system for the production of plants and fish. And people are getting very elaborate, and beautiful in their construction. Can you imagine a place like that? Where beautiful plants and animals grow, sustain each other, and provide for their caretakers? I can, because God was the original designer.
But why else does God create the elephant? Not only as a part of the self-sustaining ecosystem, but as an object of wonder. God created everything that is, so that mankind would wonder and marvel at God’s creation.
The whole universe continues to reflect the work of the Master Designer.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
14 “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?
Daily we are surrounded with evidence of God’s existence, His infinite power, knowledge, love orderliness, and goodness.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.Psalm 8:1 (NIV)
"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens."Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
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