Transcript Lesson 3 for January 19, 2013 “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide.

Lesson 3 for January 19, 2013
“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the
firmament of the heavens to divide the day
from the night; and let them be for signs and
seasons, and for days and years; and let them
be for lights in the firmament of the heavens
to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then
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. God set them in
the firmament of the heavens to give light on
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. So
the evening and the morning were the fourth
day” (Genesis 1:14-19)
There are several theories that make both days compatible:
1. Sun and daylight are inseparable from our point
of view, but there are other light sources, “The
city had no need of the sun or of the moon to
shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The
Lamb is its light” (Rev. 21:23). So the light on the
first day could have come from God or other light
source; the Sun was not created until the fourth
day.
2. Sun, Moon and stars could have been created by God
“in the beginning”, but they took on their task on the
fourth day, “to rule over the day and over the night,
and to divide the light from the darkness” (Gn. 1:18)
3. The Sun already existed but was darkened by clouds
or volcanic ashes so it was not visible or functional
until the fourth day. Something similar happens
nowadays with the planet Venus.
“Then God said, “Let the waters
abound with an abundance of
living creatures, and let birds fly
above the earth across the face
of the firmament of the
heavens.” So God created great
sea creatures and every living
thing that moves, with which the
waters abounded, according to
their kind, and every winged bird
according to its 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 birds multiply
on the earth.” So the evening
and the morning were the fifth
day”
(Genesis 1:20-23)
The text explicitly states that God created “great sea creatures”, so they were great, adult
animals which could be fruitful and multiply.
God said that all the created animals were “good”; that is, they were well designed, goodlooking, without any defect and ready to fulfill their purpose.
Were the first living
beings created as adult
animals or as embryos
or individual cells that
needed to grow?
“Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the
living creature according to its kind: cattle and
creeping thing and beast of the earth, each
according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to
its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according
to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our
image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over
the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping
thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of
God He created him; male and female He created them… Then God saw everything that
He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the
sixth day” (Genesis 1:24-27, 31)
God created a great variety of
species when He created the land
animals. He also created different
kind of beings within each species
with an ability to adapt to the
environment.
Some specimens have changed –
mostly after sin entered the
world–, but none has broken the
barriers God placed in each family
of the animal world.
There are a lot of different dogs,
tigers or bears nowadays. But no
tiger could ever evolve to become
a bear.
God created the animals and gave them amazing qualities. He cares
for each one of them and takes care of them. Wouldn’t He also take
care of the masterpiece of His Creation, the human being?
“In one of his most impressive lessons Christ says, “Behold the fowls
of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much
better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one
cubit to his stature?” The great Teacher is here leading out minds
to understand the parental care and love which God has for his
children. He directs them to observe the birds flitting from tree to
tree, or skimming upon the bosom of the lake, without a flutter of
distrust or fear. God’s eye is upon these little creatures; he provides
them food; he answers all their simple wants. Jesus inquires, “Are ye
not much better than they?” Then why despond, or look into the
future with sadness and foreboding?”
E.G.W. (Pamphlet “The Sanitarium Patients at Goguac Lake”, p. 14)
“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the
host of them, were finished. And on the seventh
day God ended His work which He had done, and
He rested on the seventh day from all His work
which He had done. Then God blessed the
seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He
rested from all His work which God had created
and made” (Genesis 2:1-3)
Why did God rest on the seventh day if He is
never weary?
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God,
the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor
is weary. His understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28)
“God looked with satisfaction upon
the work of His hands. All was
perfect, worthy of its divine Author,
and He rested, not as one weary,
but as well pleased with the fruits of
His wisdom and goodness and the
manifestations of His glory.
After resting upon the seventh day,
God sanctified it, or set it apart, as a
day of rest for man.”
E.G.W. (Patriarchs and Prophets, cp. 2, pg. 47)
“Following the example of the Creator, man was to rest upon this sacred day,
that as he should look upon the heavens and the earth, he might reflect upon
God’s great work of creation; and that as he should behold the evidences of
God’s wisdom and goodness, his heart might be filled with love and reverence
for his Maker”
E.G.W. (Patriarchs and Prophets, cp. 2, pg. 47)
Humans needed the communion with their Maker in order to understand their place in
the universe. We need the Sabbath rest in order to prevent us from losing sight of God
and getting caught up in materialism and overwork.
Were the days in Creation literal 24-hour days
as we live them nowadays?
“For in six days the Lord made the
heavens and the earth, the sea,
and all that is in them, and rested
the seventh day. Therefore the
Lord blessed the Sabbath day and
hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11)
“Six days shall work be done, but
the seventh day is a Sabbath of
solemn rest, a holy convocation. You
shall do no work on it; it is the
Sabbath of the Lord in all your
dwellings” (Leviticus 23:3)
There is an obvious parallelism:
1. Six days of Creation for God  Six days of work for man.
2. One day of rest for God  One day of rest for man.
We work and rest in 24-hour days, why should that be different from the
divine work and rest in the week of Creation?
In order to emphasize this, God numbered the days, 1st, 2nd… 7th. Each of
those consecutive days was divided in two, the dark period (night) and the
light period (day) as in our current week.
“Like the Sabbath, the week originated at
creation, and it has been preserved and
brought down to us through Bible history. God
Himself measured off the first week as a
sample for successive weeks to the close of
time. Like every other, it consisted of seven
literal days. Six days were employed in the
work of creation; upon the seventh, God
rested, and He then blessed this day and set it
apart as a day of rest for man”
E.G.W. (Patriarchs and Prophets, cp. 9, pg. 111)