Lesson Aim: To cause a greater understanding and appreciation of the events of creation days four and five.

Monday: Genesis 1:1-4. Job 38:14
Tuesday: Genesis 1:14-19
Wednesday: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Thursday: Job 38:31-33
Friday: Genesis 1:20-23
Saturday: Job 41:1-34
Sunday: Psalm 74:14, Psalm 104:26, Isaiah 27:1

I. DAY FOUR: THE SUN, MOON AND OTHER HEAVENLY BODIES (Genesis 1:14-19)

A. The sun, moon and stars were made by God on day four of creation to give light to the earth and to regulate the seasons.

1. God had made intrinsic light (owr in Hebrew)¹ on day one and had established the day/night cycle. (Genesis 1:3-4) The earth, formed into a sphere by the energizing magnetic power of the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2) and rotating on its axis before a light source (apparently God Himself) similar to clay turning to a seal, would result in alternating periods of darkness and light. (Job 38:14) The making of a sun and moon would continue this routine and rhythmical division of darkness and light.

2.On day four, God made light-givers (ma-or in Hebrew). On day one, God made light itself; on day four, He made the generators for light. Prior to this creative work, He generated the light waves; at this point, He made generators and reflectors for light. In terms of their functions relative to earth, both the greater light for day, the sun, and the lessor light for night, the moon, are light-givers, though the sun actually generates and the moon only reflects light.

3. By creating light before creating light generators, God assured that it would not take billions of light-years for the light of far-away stars to reach the earth. The light trail was already there, placed there personally by Him. His newly made sun and star generators needed only to be hooked to or attached to the light trails to perpetuate the flow of light to earth from even the most distant point.²

4. Another major purpose of the sun, moon and stars was "for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years." (Genesis 1:14) Fall, winter, spring, summer, tides, the body rhythms of animals and many other activities are directly affected by the movements and positions of the heavenly bodies. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is a detailed listing of specific times and seasons. God refers to the "influences" of certain constellations. (Job 38:31-33)

B. God made the heavenly bodies to benefit the earth.

1. In size, the earth is very small when compared to the Sun and stars, yet it is multiplied millions of times more complex than the largest or most complex star. The simplest organic cell consists of many very complex proteins and acids, while stars are made up mostly of helium and hydrogen. It appears that with God, organization and complexity are much more meaningful measures of significance than mere size. That seems to account for why they are mentioned almost incidentally in the events of the fourth day.³

2. From God’s perspective, the earth is the center of the Universe. The earth is the only heavenly body which is inhabitable. (Isaiah 45:18) Everything in the universe relates to the earth and everything on earth relates to man. As day six will reveal, man is the crown of God’s creation.

II. DAY FIVE: MARINE ANIMALS AND FOWLS (Genesis 1:20-23)

A. Not one, then another over great aeons of time, but suddenly, multitudes of marine animals, all at once, came into being.

1. Genesis 1:21 says that at the word of God, the waters brought forth "great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly...." In the same manner, the fowls were brought forth.

2. Secular cosmologists, who attempt to explain existing phenomena apart from God, reason that life first appeared in the oceans. They contend that small marine animals appeared long before land plant life, which preceded birds. They also argue that the first to appear were the very small varieties, which evolved into larger varieties over great periods of time. As previously indicated, none of these gradually evolving "links" between species appear in the fossil record, and their position is clearly refuted by God, who lists land plant life first, followed by marine animals, followed by fowls. Furthermore, when they first appeared, they were very large.

3. The origin and existence of very large marine animals is recorded in this passage. The word "whales" (Genesis 1:21) is from the Hebrew word tanniym meaning "a marine or land monster, i.e. sea-serpent or jackal; dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale." ⁴

This biblical language accounts for the multitude of marine dinosaurs recorded in the fossil record and through the folklore and art work of many of the world’s past civilizations. "Leviathan" is a word used in describing this same category of marine creatures, some of which were able to emit fire. (Job 41:1-34, Psalm 74:14, Psalm 104:26, Isaiah 27:1)

B. The origin of conscious life.

1. "Every living creature that hath life" is a reference to consciously living creatures. Plants live, but not consciously as do animals, both marine and land animals. These animals were not merely "brought forth" (organized from previously created materials), they were also "created." "Create" is from bara in the Hebrew. As in Genesis 1:1, God again used the word which indicates something brought into existence which had no prior existence. Before this point there had been no conscious mortal life. By using both "brought forth" and "create," God reveals the fact that He made the bodies of these marine animals and fowls from the materials He had earlier created, but that He also added a dimension to them which had never before existed.⁵

2. God is careful in this revelation of origins to again point out that He included the DNA molecule in each of the marine animals and fowls. Each had the capacity to "bring forth" (reproduce), but only "after its kind." (Genesis 1:21) The truth of this statement is an observable fact of life. Not only can it be seen without a single exception in the living world around us; it can also be found universally in the fossil record.

These animals were also given God’s blessing and commanded to be fruitful and multiply, which they have done in spite of the frequent interferences of man. (Genesis 1:22)

 

FOOTNOTES

1. Strong, James, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, New York: Abingdon Press, 1958, page 9, reference 216.

2. Morris, Henry, The Genesis Record, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976, page 65.

3. Ibid., page 67.

4. Strong, page 125, reference 8577.

SUMMARY

Though the sun, moon and other heavenly bodies were not made until day four of Creation, light had already existed from day one. A sun or other such generator is not necessary for light. God can personally make light, which He did on day one without any generating source except Himself. Neither is a sun necessary to establish a night/day cycle. As the earth rotated on its axis into the constant light of God, the rhythmic night and day cycle occurred until God removed Himself as the source of light in favor of the sun and other heavenly bodies.

Light is not the same as the generator of light. God in His infinite power was able to make intrinsic light first and then added generators four days later. This act on His part dispersed light into the universe. When He added generators at distant points, many light-years of time was not necessary for the light from them to reach earth. The light trail was already there, reaching to the earth. He simply connected the generator on the other end, keeping a continuous flow of light waves to earth.

The sun was made to rule the day and the moon was made to rule the night. These were not established merely as sources of light to the earth and to continue the night and day cycle; they were also made to establish conditions favorable to man. They were for "signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." Many aspects of life and the natural world such as tides and the feeding habits of animals are directed by the locations and movements of the heavenly bodies, especially the moon.

The overtones of the description of day four make it clear that the earth is the center of the material universe. It is the only place in the universe which is inhabitable. It is also multiplied millions of times more complex than any other heavenly body. It not only has far more chemical elements and chemicalcompounds, the earth alone has organic or living materials. Materials must not only be chemically bonded in many complex ways to form organic material, they must also form systems. No mortal yet understands the secret of life, how an arrangement of chemicals lives, but mortals do understand that for an organism to sustain life, many systems are necessary, systems such as a nervous system, a circulatory system, a reproductive system and numerous others, depending on the particular specimen of life. The earth and its phenomena is complex indeed, especially when compared to a huge star which is composed mostly of only helium and hydrogen. God made the earth with, all its phenomena, the most complex material place in existence. It is clear that size is not nearly as significant to Him as organization and complexity.

The first thing God made on day five was marine animals. He did not make them over millions of years, beginning with very small and simple marine animals and slowly and very gradually working them up in size and complexity to current conditions. To the contrary, He made them all at once; and He made them fully grown. The biggest of the marine creatures is mentioned first in God’s accounting of the events of day five. He made these marine creatures in great abundance in both numbers per specie and numbers of species. No gradual evolution was involved. He followed by making fowls in the same manner.

The word "whales," as used in the Hebrew, can mean very large land or aquatic animals. This word can easily encompass and explain the large marine dinosaurs documented in the fossil record. God discusses these huge creatures at great length in Job 41. Some of them emitted fire.

Day five of Creation marks the beginning of conscious life. Plants are alive but not consciously so. The marine animals and the fowls made by God were aware of themselves and others. This conscious life marks a new beginning. No such mortal life had previously existed. Thus, God used the "create" again, which is bara in Hebrew. It is the word used only of God and it speaks of bringing into existence that which has no existence. What God brought into being was conscious life. He made the bodies for these marine animals and fowls from the pre-existing materials which He had created on the first day.

QUESTIONS

1. What did God make on day four of Creation?

2. How was the universe, including the earth, lighted prior to day four?

3. Explain the difference between intrinsic light and the generation of light.

4. Explain the function of the sun, moon and stars as to light.

5. In addition to giving light, what other purposes did God have in mind by   establishing the heavenly bodies?

6. Name several earthly activities which are directly impacted by the heavenly bodies, especially the moon.

7. Explain how the earth is the center of the universe.

8. Compare the complexity of earth with other heavenly bodies.

9. Discuss God’s affection for order and complexity.

10. Describe how marine life first appeared.

11. Name two senses in which marine life was "abundant."

12. Explain how God’s accounting of the order of life’s appearance on earth contradicts the evolutionary hypothesis.

13. Discuss how the absence in the fossil record of any fossils indicating any gradual movement of one specie to another specie refutes the evolutionary hypothesis.

14. In what way does the Genesis record of origins account for marine dinosaurs?

15. Discuss God’s Job 41 description of large marine creatures.

16. In what sense did God "create" marine animals and fowls?

17. In what sense did God "make" marine animals and fowls?

18. How did God guarantee the perpetuation of marine animals and fowls?

19. How did God prevent the vertical evolution of marine animals and fowls?