I don’t know about you, but I enjoy watching the Discovery channel. I especially like watching the series called “Planet Earth” and “Planet Earth II”. I can’t get over how God masterfully created our beautiful planet and the incredible creatures that inhabit it. Those shows never cease to amaze me. The only thing about those shows that I dislike is that they never give God the credit. They seem to believe that all creatures evolved over millions of years, by chance, no Designer required. It seems as though all those nature related shows like Nova and those on National Geographic support the belief of evolution and the idea that our planet has been in existence for many millions of years and more.
So what am I supposed to think? When I read God’s Word, in particular, Genesis chapter 1, it seems to contradict the ever-pervasive beliefs that life evolved and that the earth is many millions of years old.
Day 1
Let’s review what the good Book has to say about the beginning, the beginning of time, that is.
Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
OK, according to God, after the first day all that existed was the earth, the heavens, light, and the earth was covered with water. On the second day, He creates the earth’s atmosphere, which is not like ours today.
Day 3
Genesis 1: 9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.11Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened.
On the third day, we see dry ground, the seas, then vegetation.
That pretty much sums up the first 3 days of history. Can you imagine it? No people, no animals, and what else is absent? Let’s continue…
Day 4
Genesis 1: 14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them mark off the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
Ahhhh, of course, on day 4, after the light and after the vegetation, He made the sun, moon, and stars. Their purpose is to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness.
Day 5 sees the creation of birds and sea creatures. Sounds like a pretty easy day, for the Lord at least.
Then of course, last but not least…
Day 6
Genesis 1: 24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. (remember this for later)
It’s on day 6 that God created His masterpiece, saving the best for last:
Ephesians 2: 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Do you see the significance of the order in which He created our planet? He created the earth for our use!
Other than a simple, plain reading and interpretation of Genesis 1, how can we know that this is over six literal days? I’ll give a few reasons:
Context:
Genesis 1: 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Here we see the words “day and night” together with “evening and morning” and that it’s the first of six days.
God’s Word:
Is it OK if I quote from the 10 commandments?
Exodus 20: 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
God modeled the six day work week for us. Isn’t that awesome?
Let’s read what Jesus had to say:
Mark 10: 5 But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts. 6 But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation.
I think we now know where Jesus stands on the subject if we didn’t already.
God’s character:
Mark 10: 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
The more I seek God, the more I firmly believe that the simpler, the better. For it is the simple ideas and teaching that reach the masses. I truly believe that the devil is using the “wisdom of this world” to trip up many people and to undermine God’s truth and His great plan of salvation.
1 Corinthians 3: 18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,
“He traps the wise
in the snare of their own cleverness.”
20 And again,
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise;
he knows they are worthless.”
In the world’s eyes, is it wise to believe that a man came back to the dead? Do we take this seriously?
Matthew 28: 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.
If I can believe these verses in Matthew, shouldn’t I also believe this verse in Exodus:
Exodus 20: 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
I find it interesting that it is mostly the first 11 chapters of the Bible that are attacked in our culture today. What better way to discredit a book than to cast doubts on the first chapters of it by undermining their credibility. What’s disturbing is that there are many in the pews today that are indifferent or even stand with those that can’t accept God’s Word for what it says.
What’s really incredible is if Genesis 1 did not happen in 6 literal days, it simply makes no sense. For “everyone knows” that the stars and sun were here first though not according to God’s Word!
Why it matters
If a friend that does not know Jesus asks you how old does the Bible say the earth is, what do you tell them? Do you tell them “You can’t really trust Genesis 1 for what it says, it’s not written plainly.”?
Do you see where I’m going with this? This is a foundational issue and we need to be able to stand on the authority of God’s Word, for that is solid ground!
2 Samuel 22: 31 “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. (NIV)
I know what to think, do you?
“Dear God, thank you for your Word, for I know that it is Truth and that I can place my trust in it fully. Please help me with my doubts. Please give me knowledge and understanding of those issues that I’m uncertain of. I know that I will never completely understand your ways, but at least I can continue to get to know you more and understand more as a grow in You. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Photo by Adam Smith on Unsplash