DAY TWELVE - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE CREATION
“And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures..”
Genesis 1: 24
Reading: Genesis 1: 24-26
At the beginning of Day 6, God filled the land with the Earth creatures identified in our main reading for today. There are three categories of creatures mentioned - cattle, creeping things and beasts of the earth. This was the final touch as God was preparing a home for man.
Almost all Hebrew scholars agree that the word translated cattle in English speaks of animals that can be tamed and domesticated for man’s use. The second category, creeping things, includes the whole world of insects as well as rodents, snakes and amphibians. The third category, beasts of the earth, refer to the four-legged animals that are generally not tamed – animals like lions, giraffe, elephants, rhinos, hippos and tigers. I sometimes think it’s a shame that we give our children lifeless plastic toys to play with, whereas God gave us living, loving animals as our ‘toys’.
Note that they were created according to their kind – a phrase that’s repeated ten times in Genesis 1.
This implies limitation of variation, in contradiction to evolutionary thinking. Dogs were dogs. Horses were horses. Dolphins were dolphins. Barracuda were barracuda. Ants were ants. Spiders were spiders. Snakes were snakes. Frogs were frogs. Although there are variations and adaptations within each category, there are definite limitations on that variation. One species does not evolve into the other. God is fully in control of His creation.
Prayer
Lord God, thank You for thinking of every last thing we could want or need on Planet Earth. Glory to Your Name.
For the family
Explain
Share with them what God made on Day 6.
Younger kids
Play that all-time favourite game “What sound does a (insert name of animal) make?”
Older kids
Be entertained with
about some of the weirdest insects on Planet Earth
