Genesis 1:1-31
God Saw What He Made and It Was Very Good
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered water she called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Job 38:1-41
The LORD Speaks to Job
1 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
2 Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.
19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?
31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons
or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom
or gives the rooster understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?
39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions
40 when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in a thicket?
41 Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?
Job 39:1-30
God Speaks of His Animal Creations
1 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland as its home,
the salt flats as its habitat.
7 It laughs at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.
8 It ranges the hills for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will it stay by your manger at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
25 At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”
Job 42:1-6
Job Replies to God
1 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
God is Almighty...God completely understands...God is eternal...God is infinite...God is complex and complete...God is universal...God's eyes sees the universe and everything in its wholeness, and in it He sees its great goodness...
I think it would be a stretch to think that science will fully understand with our limited knowledge all there is to know about creation...Even those who believe and are assured through science that creation happened fifteen billion years ago, must believe there will be more and more questions...Man cannot fully explain all that took place during creation week...Only by keeping an open mind and continuing looking and trying to understand the entire universe, will we be better understand what happened those first few days in the beginning, even if you believe that on the sixth day of creation, a one celled animal or being was placed upon the earth from dust...
The event of creation cannot be replicated, and we were not there when the earth's foundation was laid, as the One marked off its dimensions...We missed the morning stars singing together, as the angels shouted for joy...We were not there when the seas and clouds were given their boundaries...We missed the very first dawn taking place, and missed that first sunset...We missed the circling and roundness of the earth taking place like a piece of clay being formed in a Gentile Potter's hand...We do not know of the different gates of death, as we make our way toward home...It is hard to know these things in the approximate fourscore plus years, we are given to look at these things...And we think we know a lot about the weather, but we do not know how the channel is cut for the torrent of rains, or how and when the paths of each thunderstorm is determined...Certainly the rain has a Father and He gives birth to the frost and dew of the morning...This Father gives us the beautiful stars each night and their constellations each season...Our Father in heaven knows the laws of heaven and has dominion over the earth and the universe...There are places in the universe where abodes of lights are known, yet we as man, have not yet seen them...The mind by itself has no understanding, and the heart by itself has no wisdom...The God of Nature gives us this understanding and wisdom, because how we reason and think is truly a miracle...The expanding universe is the work of God...And in the universe a Spirit lives and works and controls these things, and somehow connects us with this Spirit of Light in the sky...Let us not forget the great care He has for the animals and birds and wildlife that He has made and all these things...For we can miss and forget many and all these things when we get overwhelmed...
When Job had question after question about his suffering for God, God came...God LOVES us...But in His coming, God did not address Job's questions on his suffering...God makes no mention of Job's troubles...Job's thoughts rightfully had him completely preoccupied with his health...He was self-absorbed...Job, pretty much, could think of few other things, except his suffering...And Job wanted to talk to God about his sufferings and pains...
Since God did not address Job's suffering, but did come to see Job, I wonder why God would say and ask what He did ask Job...Are there times in suffering and pain that God wants to look beyond the personal pain and suffering?...Our lack of complete understanding of the universe as a whole keeps our thinking more stuck on the personal pain and suffering...The pain and suffering seemed to dominate Job's life at this point in his life...His self confidence from chapter one, seemed to have left him...Job's suffering seemed to make him a little bitter and he could not see God's justice or any justice for that matter, as he talked to his friends...Job's earlier questions, with his pain, were giving him a narrower and narrower view of life around him...What was previously important to Job was less and less important to him...Job was getting stuck in his pain and suffering and could not get out of it...The lengthy dialogue of Job and his friends tell us about this rut, that he was in...And yet, Job did get out of it...He got out of it by hearing the word of God...He got through his pain and suffering by listening to God...Job' s limited knowledge had him stuck in his suffering, and it took God with complete understanding to bring him out of his suffering...Maybe God wanted Job to view life differently, and from this complete, wholeness, this larger than my life, my suffering, my pain-type view...We are really not told what did happen, but we see Job has changed...When Job was able to feel God's Presence and reconnect with Him, something happened...Job must have felt something different...Job's perspective had changed...What God spoke about was mostly questions of the whole universe and how it functions, and where was Job, when all these things of creation had happened...
Job's lack of knowledge darkened and affected his thinking and reasoning...He thought God had become his enemy, during his pain...There was this lack of true knowledge, and suffering can darken one's own thoughts and counsel...But there is a True Knowledge of all things around us...There is this Light in the Sky that cannot be darkened by our thoughts, no matter how dark our thoughts are...And God never belittled the suffering of Job...But in all what God spoke, and God's questions to Job, we can see His effort for Job to try to take this overwhelming preoccupation of his suffering, which has imprisoned him, and to try to look around, as best as he could...The universe has this wholeness, this connectivity...And there is this connectivity with the Spirit that lives and works and controls these things of the universe...And Job in the end is reconnected to this Wholeness of the Universe, his Father...There is this Great Goodness out there, that wants to put things right again...