Genesis 1:6-13 Psalm 145:8-13

Genesis 1:6-13

Then God said, 'Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.' And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space 'sky." And evening passed and morning came, marking the second. day. vv. 6-8

The waters of the heavens, above the sky, are thought to have been a canopy of moisture which kept the humidity and temperature consistent and eliminated storms and winds. In other words, the earth was like a huge green house. We know that it did not rain until Noah went into the ark, and so this canopy provided mist for the coming creation. The waters of the earth included reservoirs under the earth. Along with the rain coming for the first time, these reservoirs opened up during the Great Flood of Noah's day.

Then God said, 'Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.' And that is what happened. God called the dry ground "land" and the waters "seas." And God saw that it was good. vv. 9-10

Perhaps a great upheaval of earth caused the continents to rise and the waters flow into the low places making the seas and other great bodies of water.

Then 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. The land produced vegetation--all sorts of seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day. vv. 11-13

Here God set in motion the principle of reproduction. The seeds of each plant would maintain the characteristics of its particular species. The same phrase is used when describing the perpetuating reproduction of animals. Each one would produce after its kind. Think about this. We are growing a few tomatoes this summer. Very few actually! But if I were to save the seeds from a tomato and plant it next year, with a little luck, I would get a tomato plant. If I did this over and over, each year I would always get a tomato plant. It would never begin to change into a bell pepper or any other species. We witness this law of nature all around us, and evolutionists can't really explain their working theory of reproduction across species lines.

(I consulted John MacArthur's notes from the MacArthur Study Bible, p. 16, for a little help with these Genesis verses today.)

Psalm 145:8-13
Oh, Wow! We have some wonderful characteristics of our Heavenly Father in these verses! I will list what I see. If you see more, let me know.

• He is merciful. We can be thankful that we often don't get what we deserve. v. 8
• He is compassionate. 8
• He is slow to anger (thank you, Lord!) 8
• He is filled with unfailing love. 8
• He is good to everyone 9
• He showers compassion on all His creation. (Here is an example of another place in the Bible where God is assumed to be the creator.) 9
• He is everlasting. v. 13
• He keeps His promises. v. 13
• He is gracious in all He does. v. 13

And so what should our response be?

• We should thank Him. v. 10
• We should praise Him. v. 10
• We should speak of the glory of His kingdom. v. 11
• We should notice and tell examples of His power. v. 11
• We should tell about His mighty deeds. v. 12
• We should tell about the majesty and glory of His reign. v. 12

What beautiful words for our meditation and comfort!

The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone.
    He showers compassion on all his creation.
10 All of your works will thank you, Lord,
    and your faithful followers will praise you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;
    they will give examples of your power.
12 They will tell about your mighty deeds
    and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
13 For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
    You rule throughout all generations.

The Lord always keeps his promises;
    he is gracious in all he does.