WINTER 2019
JEHOVAH'S CREATION
By Elder Kenneth W. Clevenger
The Old Path Contender, Vol. 16, No. 4, Fall 2012.
God said to Moses and Aaron, "I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them (Exodus 6:3). He said to Moses in in Mount Sinai, "And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mind hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen" Exodus 22, 23.
God would manifest His presence to Moses and Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night; the Jews spoke of this as God's Shekinah Glory. God didn't shew Himself in such a way to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the Mount God showed Moses his "back parts." He revealed to Moses and to the succeeding ages, the record of His creation of the earth and all that is in it, to it, and about it, including man. In reference to all of this God calls Himself, (all capital letters) JEHOVAH! God commands us, in Exodus 20:11: "For in six days the LORD (all capital letters) made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD (all capital letters) blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Note:God proclaims that after His finished work of creation, He then, and only then, rested, blessed the day, hallowed it and named it "Sabbath." This was His Sabbath, the Jews (Pharisees) also had their Sabbath, but it wasn't God's. Thus He (Jesus) had no respect to the Jew's Sabbath so often spoken of. God' Sabbath is in respect to His finished work of creation. Much more could be written concerning this, but we pass on.
There are 7 (the number of perfection) distinct stages in God's work of creation. They are light of day, the firmament with our life sustaining atmosphere, the dry land and seas, the plant life (grass, herb, tree), the lights in the firmament (sun, moon, and stars), the living things from the waters; creeping things, fowl that fly, the whales, and every creature that moveth which the waters brought forth abundantly. He created the living creatures from the earth, including the cattle and creeping things and the beasts of the earth. Last of all He made man in his own image; male and female, created He them and called their name Adam; see Genesis 5:1-3.
The perfection of God's handiwork and His stamp of approval for His work appears 7 times (7, the number of perfection): His stamp of approval is "And God saw that it was good," as in Genesis 4, "And God saw the light, that it was good," see verses 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, and 31. Note these words of approval were set down only after each stage of creation was completely finished. He is the God of finished work. Jesus said concerning His work, "It is finished," (see John 19:30).
Our remarks on creation will, for the most part, be limited to that which is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. This chapter contains an account of the creation of the universe and all things in it. It asserts the creation of the heaven and earth in general and describes the state and condition of the earth in its original production.
We will comment on each verse or group of verses in numerical sequence, but we will endeavor to avoid being lengthy with our remarks. Before we consider these verses, I would like to suggest that the reader read Job chapter 38 (God's monologue concerning creation) and Exodus 33:12-23; we will not use space to copy these here.
In Exodus 33:23, we read: "And I (God) will take away mind hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." God informs Moses here: I will show you what I have done concerning My creation (My back parts) and from this you may be encouraged to have your faith bolstered, but concerning the future, these things belong to God. This is the same with all of us: we are to look at God's providence of the yesterdays of our life and find courage to press on into our tomorrows.
Thusly, we understand that the first five books of our Bible were given to Moses when God revealed His hinder parts (Back parts) to him in Mt. Sinai. Man had no record of "God's Creation" before this time. Who else but God could have informed him of the creation and the manner in which every creature was brought into being? The design of which is to lead us into knowledge and worship of the One True God, the creator of all things.
Yet, we read that the worldling is held blamable for their sin (of unbelief) because, "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 2:20). And yet for us who believe, we do so by faith alone and such faith, brethren, is the fruit of the Spirit, which we have received only by the Grace of our blessed Lord. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:3).
Finally, the Apostle Paul admonishes Timothy: "Oh Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vane babblings and oppositions of science falsely so called." (1 Timothy 6:20).
VERSE 1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Notice that these are not eternal, but created. These words represent the visible heavens and the terraqueous (solid parts mixed in the water) globe in their chaotic state, as they were first brought into being by almighty power. Not owing to the fortuitous motion and conjunction of atoms as the evolutionists say, but to the power and wisdom of God the first cause and sole author of all things. Also that there was not anything created before the heaven and the earth were, hence those phrases before the foundation of the world and before the world began are expressive of eternity. We should note also that God the Father in Genesis 1:1, The Word, that is the Son of God, in John 1:1-4, and the Spirit in Gen. 1:2, moved together as one in purpose in creation.
VERSE 2. "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The earth was a fluid matter; the watery parts were not separated from the earthy (solid) parts. It was not in the form it i now, with the sea apart and the earth by itself, but they were mixed together. It was a waste and desert place, empty and destitute of men and beasts. It may be added that there were no fishes, fowls, trees, herbs or plants. It was an undigested mass of matter. And all of this was in darkness without any light or motion until an agitation was made by the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters.
VERSES 3, 4, 5: "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and morning were the first day." Light is the immediate result of molecular activity and is one of the most mysterious and glorious works of creation. Modern science does not yet know what light really is, but Jesus tells us He is the light of the world. He is the light, both natural and spiritual. Notice also in verse five, the darkness preceded the light, so with all who are born of the Spirit, the darkness precedes the light, natural then spiritual. Also the declaration here is that God divided the light from the darkness. This singly has always been the work of God, who by His spirit creates light within His saints that separates them from darkness.
According to Divine arrangement, gravitation now began to act with the rotary motion of the earth around its axis begun and so that part of the earth that turned toward the source of light had day and as the earth continued to rotate, the same part had darkness in some passing hours, for the evening and the morning were the first day. Note there was no sun to give the light of day until the fourth day of creation. This light was of God's own glorious being, "and it was good." Thi concluded the first stage in seven distinct stages of creation.
VERSES 6, 7, 8: "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament and divided the waters, which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." The firmament is the name given to the wide extent reaching from the earth to the third heaven. The lower and thicker parts of it form the atmosphere, which we breathe, and the air in which the birds fly. The higher parts are the ether or sky in which the sun, moon, and stars are placed. All of these are said to be the firmament, see verses 17 and 20.
God divided the waters, which were below, as there was no dry land as yet, from the waters or clouds, which are above from whence rain would descend upon the earth. The pressure of the atmosphere causes the rain to gently fall upon the earth, without this providence the rain would be as bullets when it fell, destroying plant and flesh alike.
Many believe that the pressure or gravity formed in the creation of the firmament acted in a compressing way, compressing the matter that is in the earth and by its compression preserves them and retains them in their proper places.
We should notice that the words, "And God saw that it was good," are not used at the close of this day's work. This is because the work of the waters was not finished. It was begun on the second day and perfected on the third, and therefore the phrase is twice used in the account of the third day's work. This is constant in the order of God: He never says, "And God saw that it was good," until His work is complete. This also follows to be true with His work of salvation, because it is a finished and approved work.
VERSES 9, 10, 11, 12, 13: "And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself after his kind; And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day."
The Psalmist asks, "Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place, which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not out again to cover the earth" (Psalm 104: 5-9).
God asked Job, "Who shut up the sea with doors when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it, and broke up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed" (Job 38:8-11).
So it appears that at the command of God, the solid parts of the terraqueous (solid and watery parts) globe were formed together to form the surface of the earth and all that i sin the bowels of it and to form the channels, great and small, which now contain the ocean and streams. Perhaps there was a clap of thunder and an earthquake and a vast cavity of the sea, as well as mountains, hills and valleys were formed and the waters hasted to their places. Just a thought, I don't know.
At the command of God, the atoms that make up all things responded to form themselves into light, the firmament with the clouds and the atmosphere about us and above us, the dry land beneath u, and the ocean which was gathered into one place, with which all other waters have a communication, and so are one (see verse 9). Yet there are many seas (see verse 10). The ocean and seas are divided and sometimes named by the shores they wash.
Now the earth being fit with sufficient moisture, the atmosphere properly prepared with the necessary gases, etc., the light with the proper elements in it, and which also contained heat within it, and the earth impregnated by the Spirit of God; He then commanded the earth to bring forth the plant life, all whose seed was in itself after his kind.
In great abundance and at once, the hills and vales were clothed, and a rich provision was made for the beasts and cattle of the earth, as well as for man, before they were created. Wholesome and healthful herbs, plant and delicious fruit to be food for man, before he was created. (See verses 29, 30).
Although the dry land retained sufficient moisture in it and was fit to produce vegetables, etc., and especially as it had the advantage of the expanded air about it and the warmth of the light about it, all this would have been sufficient to produce plants and trees to full growth with their seed in them, yet without the interposition of almighty power, there would not have been any plant, herb or tree.
Note: God created the plants, herbs, and trees, yielding fruit with its seed and power of procreation to reproduce itself after his kind. This stands to answer the question, which came first, the chicken or the egg? The plant with its seed; the chicken with it seed (egg). God created all things with a power to reproduce after its own kind.
Finally we should note that according to all human observation, each species of vegetable and animal life is distinct, is permanent reproductive, variable only within narrow limits, but incapable of permanent intermixture with other species. We learn from Genesis 2:4-5, that God, the author of life, created the life of each plant before it was in the earth. "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew." And now the third day and third stage of God's creation being complete, then God "saw that it was good."
Verses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night: and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good."
God demonstrates for us here, His divine ability to see all things, from ancient times to the times which have not yet come. God saw the day when men would worship these heavenly bodies, setting them forth as gods and goddesses, so with this short account concerning these heavenly bodies, God tells us of their being, as they are His handiwork and they declare His glory.
God made these lights to be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; for signs of good and bad weather; for times for plowing, sowing and reaping; for the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter; for days He makes by the earth's constant and exact circular and rotary motion and for years by its annual motion during the space of three hundred sixty-five days and some hours. All these are constant and exact in their orbits without variance, a feat no man has yet attained to with anything he has ever made.
God made these two great lights. They are His own work, which He Himself did and may be particularly observed to express the folly of idolaters in worshiping these luminaries, who are the creatures of God; they were placed by Him in their places to serve purposes on earth beneficial to men, but not to be worshiped. These two great lights are the sun and the moon; the greater and the lesser lights.
The greater light to rule the day, not to rule men (many have worshiped it under the names of Moleck and Baal, which signify king and lord) but to rule the day, to preside over it, to give light to it, in which it (the sun) rules alone.
The lesser light to rule the night: the moon, which receives its light from the sun. To give light at night, though in a fainter and dimmer way, by reflecting light it receives from the sun, in the night it rules alone. The pagans worshiped the moon also.
He made the stars also to rule by night (Psalms 136:9). God not only made the planet, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus, but the vast numbers of stars with which the heavens are bespangled with, the several constellations and the yet to be counted galaxies. These many stars innumerable to man, yet each is different from the other and known by name by their Maker (See Psalm 147:5 and 1 Corinthians 15:41). And all of this is recorded as if a footnote, like P. S. I made the stars also. Man would have written volumes if he had made but one star.
And God set all the above in the firmament of the heaven, most notably the sun, set in such a particular position to be beneficial and not hurtful: had it been set more near the earth, its heat would have been intolerable; had it been set farther away, it would have been of no use, in the one case we should have been scorched with its heat and in the other frozen for want of it.
They were hung like so many lamps to send forth light unto the earth, to the inhabitants of it that they may see to walk and work and do all the business of life, as well to be warmed and comforted thereby; to signal the earth to bring forth its fruits for the use of the creatures on it. And God saw that it was good and would be exceedingly beneficial to the inhabitants of the earth; therefore we have reason to be thankful and praise the wisdom and goodness of God. "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day," and the fourth phase of creation.
Verses 20, 21, 22, 23: "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day." (Genesis 1:20-23).
It would seem that the waters were impregnated by the Spirit of God when He moved on the face of the deep so that by the Divine order bring forth abundance of creatures. Vegetables, or such that have vegetable life, were made on the third day, but those that have a sensitive and animal life not until this fifth day. The lower sort of these creatures were first produced, even such as move and creep, which is applied to fishes as well as creeping things, as reptiles on the earth.
The fowls were produced out of the waters also, it may be observed that some fowls live on the waters and others partly on land and partly on water, but there is always an abundant number of fowl near the waters. The fowls and fish bear some resemblance to each other. Some fowls fly and swim and what wings are to the one, fins are to the other, both steer their course by their tails.
And God created great whales, which are not fish or reptiles, but the largest of mammals. God seeing the day when men would set forth the God-denying "theory of evolution" carefully sets down exactly where each species came from. Note: He created creeping things that came out of the waters and they continue to creep as they were created and whales, the largest of mammals continue to be king of the seas and never come out of the sea. Yes, God created each to hi place and purpose, and they remain the same. Question: Don't you suppose, God God also saw the day of Jonah, when he made the whale? Why some folks would rather be a descendant of a monkey than a Son of God, continues to be a marvel to me. This work of the fifth day also completed the fifth phase of creation.
Verses 24, 25: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after hi kind; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and God saw that it was good."
It might seem that God is repeating Himself here and so it is by purpose that we should note that these creatures were created, as they seem and their species continue as they were created. Again thi i a strike by God against the evolution theory, thousands of years before its appearing.
God brought forth all sorts of living creatures that live and move upon the earth, and it was from the mother earth both body and spirit (life) they came forth at the command of God and were formed into their several distinct species.
God show His omnipotent hand here in the sixth phase of His creation, although He gives us little detail concerning the creation of the beasts, etc. He does set forth emphatically that they are His creatures (creation) and He is satisfied with His work and therefore seals it with, "And God saw that it was good." Thee brute creatures, like the creatures from the waters and the vegetable kingdom, were made to serve and provide food for the man that He would finally make and to which we shall now proceed.
Verses 26, 27, 28: "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
"And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness." These words were not directed to the earth from which man came or to the created angel, but they are spoken by God the Father to the Son and Holy Ghost, who were collectedly (the three oneness) concerned in the creation of all things, particularly of man. Man being the principal part of the creation and for the sake of whom the world and all things in it were made, and which now being finished, he is introduced into it as into a house ready prepared and furnished for him. There seems to have been a consultation held between the Divine Persons about the formation of him, not because of any difficulty but expressive of his origin, of his honor and dignity. God's elect were chosen, before the foundation of the world, see Ephesians 1: 3, 4. This answers the purpose for JEHOVAH'S creation.
It was proposed that he should be made not in the likeness of any of the creatures already made, but as near as could be in the likeness and image of God. We repeat, not in the likeness of the creatures already made.
This is in agreement with the idea of the body prepared in covenant for the Son of God, and which it was therein agreed that He should assume in the fullness of time. The immortality of man' soul, intellectual powers, the purity he was created with, as well as his dominion, power and authority over the creatures; in this he was (in likeness) as God and resembled Him. "In the image of God created he him." This is repeated for the certainty of it that all should see, that it is from God and not apes that man receives his likeness. Special measure is taken to show man's superior glory and dignity to the rest of the creatures. However in sin, man brought himself lower than these brute creatures.
Notice: that only one man and one female were created, to show that a man was to have no more than one wife (see Matthew 19:4).
It is a common saying among Jewish writers, "Man was made on the evening of the Sabbath to show that he did not assist in the work of creation, and that if he be elated in his mind it might be told him that a fly was created before him." It can be said, if man had been made first, instead of last, he would have said, "Look what we have done," sharing at most, only a part of the glory with God, and then only grudgingly. The evolutionist, in an attempt to explain the origin of himself and the world about him, gives no credit to God, but in fact denies the whole Genesis account of creation.
"And God blessed them." The man and the woman He had made, with all the blessings of nature and providence, with all the good things of life in a natural way and particularly with the power of procreating their species.
"And God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." This would seem to be an express command for marriage and procreation of children, indicating what was proper and convenient for the increase of mankind setting forth marriage as an ordinance of God instituted in paradise and that procreation is a natural action.
God told them to "Subdue it:" to take possession of all they had dominion over to make good use of it and to manage it well, being fully capable to do so, having received such intellectual powers from God, and thusly they were made to be responsible creatures to God as to how they managed their environment.
Verses 29, 30, 31: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." "And God saw every thing that he had made and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Here God tells Adm and Eve that they and all the lower creatures have been provided for, with provisions they could never supply for themselves. The same is true today because God continues to provide all these things. He continues to divide the loaves and fishes to us.
"And God saw everything that he had made and behold it was very good." It had been said of everything else at the close of each work that it was good, and as such saying, this work is sufficient and I am pleased with it just the way I have made it and it does not need to evolve to other forms and it has continued as originally created.
Of the chief and typical work of God is man, He says "It (including man) was very good;" his being made upright and innocent, bearing the image of his Creator upon him and in such circumstances he should be happy, satisfied and comfortable and thusly glorify God. For all of this God seems to have complacency and delight therein, every thing being made for Himself and for His pleasure.
