The Creation Completed

January 19, 2013

Larry R Evans

Sabbath School Study

Introduction

Have you ever picked up a book and read the last chapter first?  Sometimes the anticipation is a bit overwhelming so we rush to the end.  While doing so has some advantages, there are also some real disadvantages. We can miss some critical insights if we only focus on the outcome. So there are some pitfalls if we take the same approach when reading the biblical account of the Creation Week. The end has greater significance when we understand how we got there in the first place!

In Genesis 1:4, for example, we discover that God saw that the light was good and throughout the week He pronounces other creations as “good” and “very good.”  While in our rush to get to the description of the creation of man and/or the creation of the Sabbath experience, we must not conclude that God is only interested in the “spiritual realities.”  H. Ross Cole points out that “The Black Death wiped out up to half the European population in the thirteenth century and can be ascribed in large part to an utter absorption in the spiritual at the expense of the physical.” (see “Genesis: Introduction to the Canon and to Biblical Theology” in In the Beginning, edited by Bryan W. Ball, p. 56—Pacific Press)  Nature is not independent of God’s purposes or plans.  The order and description of creation has value and deserves our attention too!  This becomes apparent when we see that man is given authority to subdue (rule) over all the creations of the earth that preceded his own creation. (Gen. 1:26).  But we must not miss the qualifying statement.  Man was created in the image of God.  This begs the question:  “How much care and interest did God give to the creation prior to the creation of man?  We soon see that Adam does for the animals what God had done earlier for the light and darkness (Gen. 1:5) and the expanse of the heavens (v.8). Is naming the animals really just a matter of classification? Being “named” throughout Scripture has personal and special significance.  Perhaps we get an insight to our role with nature when we see how Noah relates to the creation in preparation for the flood.  Noah, with the obvious involvement of God, brings animals into the ark for safety.  As Cole points out, Noah becomes the first conservationist! This point is pressed even further when we read that it is only then because of the pressing emergency that God gives permission for humans to eat animals, but prohibits the eating of blood, out of regard for the sanctity of life (Gen. 9:3,4)!  In Jonah we see how God reverses things and uses nature, “a great fish,” to save a reluctant prophet.  Then we see God’s agonizing concern for the animals as He views  the pending destruction of Nineveh. (Jonah 4:11). I am struck with my on arrogance when I realize just how much I think the world and the universe is “only” interested in “my human” well being.  By rushing to the end of the Creation Week in our reading to see our own creation, it is easy to minimize the importance of earlier creations.  How we care for our earth and “all” that inhabit it is critical if we are ever to fully realize the meaning of being created in the “image of God.”   This week’s lesson gives us that opportunity.    We have dedicated a coming issue of the Dynamic Steward to the important issue regarding our role as “Stewards of the Earth.”  You will appreciate the insights shared by Dr. JoAnn Davidson and others regarding this important concept. (www.adventiststewardship.com)  

Reflective Quiz

1.              Day 4 is a repetition of Day 1 – light was created?  (Gen. 1:3-5, 14-19)  True or False?

2.              The moon is designed to give support to life. (Gen. 1:14-19)  True or False?

3.              The creation account, in contrast to the evolution model, reveals that there is no single ancestor from which all other species have descended.  (Gen. 1:20-23)  True or False?

4.              Animals were created to be eaten and sacrificed. (Gen. 1:26, 29) True or False?

5.              The Creation Week reveals a sanctity for all life and its  environment  (Gen. 1:26).  True or False?

6.              The Creation account indicates that there would be no changes in species. (Gen. 1:11, 21, 24,25)  True or False?

7.              God worked hard creating and, therefore, needed a rest which is the reason both He and we need a rest.  (Gen. 2:1-3; Mk 2:27,28)  True or False?

8.              The six days of Creation were 24 hours each but the seventh day was not limited to 24 hours because it symbolized rest as indicated by the omission of the phrase “the evening and morning.” (Gen. 2:1-3) True or False?

9.              God did not create animals and man out of nothing. (Gen. 1:24, 25; 2:7; Jn 1:1-3)  True or False?

10.          The word “advent” means the arrival of a notable person.  When was Christ’s first “advent?” (Gen. 1:1; Gen. 2:1-3; Jn 1:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 21:1-4) How many “advents” are there?

11.          In the Creation story, we find the meaning of marriage and family, of responsibility and work, and of Sabbath rest.  True or False?

Reflective Conclusion

[Study/teaching notes and conclusion to be sent out later today]