Genesis 1:14-31
Man, the Glory of Creation

We have seen entire realms of time and space created in the first three days. God has created time - Day and Night, the realms of light and darkness. God has created sky and sea - the waters above and below. And God has created dry ground and covered it with plants useful to man. In each case, God has named the areas in question, establishing that he is the ruler of these realms. For the one who has the right to name is the one who has the right to rule.

In Days 4 through 6 we zero in on these realms more closely, this time focusing on their inhabitants, the ones God has put in charge. We will see even more clearly what we have said all along: this passage focuses on man, the most glorious of all created beings.

  1. The Buildup
    1. Day 4 - The Lights
      1. God creates lights and assigns to them the function of dividing the day from the night
        1. For whom?
        2. From whose perspective?
        3. Out in space, the sun moon and stars don't divide day and night
          1. The scientist tells us that our sun is only a modestly sized star
          2. If we got near one of the really big ones, it would be providing daylight, all the time
          3. "Irrelevant!" says Scripture. For man, in the land God is preparing for him, the important "star" is the sun and it alone supplies "daylight"
        4. They are "to give light on the land" (v. 15)
      2. As well, the lights are for "signs and seasons and for days and years"
        1. Again for whom and from whose perspective?
        2. From the perspective of Adam as he looks up from the garden of Eden, the stars take on different locations during different seasons.
        3. The man-centeredness is staggering
          1. Imagine a man constructing a clock for himself the size of the moon and sending it into orbit around the earth in such a way that it was always hovering over the Saddleback Valley.
          2. We'd say, "What an ego on that guy!"
          3. Yet some of the stars out there are a million times as large as this whole planet.
          4. And this is saying that the sun moon and stars exist to be Adam's watch, his daytimer, and his calendar.
      3. Why doesn't God name these lights?
        1. There are perfectly good Hebrew words for "Sun" and "Moon"
        2. Why not say, "So God called the greater light 'sun' and the lesser light he called 'moon'"?
        3. The text seems scrupulously to avoid these names
      4. Remember, we always want to read this passage, imagining an Israelite looking over our shoulder.
        1. He thinks - The Egyptians worshiped the sun and moon
        2. The Caananites worship the sun and moon
        3. But to us, God has said Deuteronomy 4:15ff. - Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16"lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, 17"the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18"the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. 19"And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
        4. To emphasize this, God doesn't even give them their proper names (which sounded too much like the names of the Egyptian and Canaanite gods)
        5. These are not gods but God's creatures.
        6. You do not exist to serve them. They exist to serve you, God is saying.
    2. Day 5 - Birds and Fish
      1. God populates the realms of day 2
        1. Birds in the waters above
        2. Fish in the waters below
      2. God created great "sea creatures"
        1. This word can also be translated as "dragon"
        2. The idea of "sea monster" is definitely being invoked
      3. Both the Egyptians and the Canaanites believed that these sea monsters were god in their own right
        1. The great Canaanite sea monster god is pictured as the eternal enemy of Baal, god of the land
        2. And the land was created by Baal overcoming and pushing back this evil force.
      4. In quiet contrast, the Bible says, no, even whatever sea monsters exist are created by God, subject to him. There is no struggle; they come into being at his command. And even of them he cans say "it is good."
      5. The Israelites have left Egypt and are about to enter Canaan
        1. They are being taught that the nations make gods out of created things and worship them
        2. But they must know, The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!
      6. Again, however, there is no section that says, "And God called the sea creatures 'fish' and the creatures of the air he called 'birds'".
      7. Why does God not name them (and thus speak of his dominion over them, his right to rule)?
      8. What is he waiting for?
    3. Day 6a - Land Animals
      1. God creates the land animals to inhabit the realm of earth he created on Day 3a
      2. They are created "after their kind" like the birds and fish
        1. Not necessarily referring to species
        2. But saying that all different kinds of animals were created
      3. Very little is said about these animals; they are not the focus.
      4. Again, God doesn't name them. Why not?
      5. What are we waiting for?
  2. The Climax
    1. God creates Adam in His image
      1. Suddenly, the language changes
        1. Not "let there be man" but "Let us make man"
        2. The simple fact of the change is enough to alert us - Something unusual and special is happening here
        3. And the effect of the change to "let us" is to say God has a personal interest in what he is about to do.
          1. He is not merely saying let it happen, he is involved
          2. And he takes counsel with himself
            1. "Let us" does not refer to the Trinity by number
            2. But it does say that with God there is a plurality to his unity, a manyness to his oneness.
      2. Man is not created "after their kind"
        1. He is unique, one of a kind
        2. If he has a kind at all, it's God
      3. He is in the image and the likeness of God
        1. Much has been written about what exactly in man constitutes the image of God
        2. And a lot of this misses the forest for the trees
        3. We are not merely saying that man has the image of God
        4. Nor are we saying that some particular aspect of him is in the image of God
        5. Man is in the image of God - the whole thing, Body and soul
        6. God is saying, I want to make a creature as much like me as a creature can be
        7. It is the highest honor he can bestow upon this creature, the highest praise he can offer this being, the greatest glory to which he can call him - to reflect accurately the way God looks.
        8. God is saying, I want to look at my creation and see something that makes me say, hey, that looks like me, that reminds me of myself.
      4. This is Adam and Eve as they were originally created
        1. For it is not man alone who looks like God, but man and woman together.
        2. And - to look at one of the trees in this forest - this unity in plurality is part of the image of God
          1. Man is both one and two
          2. He is created male and female (and Jesus says that means God has joined them together as one)
      5. Another component of that image is then explicitly stated
        1. Dominion
        2. (But, remember, this doesn't exhaust what it means to be God's image)
    2. God gives Man dominion
      1. Just as God rules over all, he gives the task to Adam and Eve to rule over the creatures he has made (in imitation of him)
      2. Here is what we've been waiting for
      3. God doesn't name these animals because he's waiting for this ruler created in his image to rule over them
      4. Man is there to bring into order every living thing God created
      5. Yet make no mistake, man is not a ruler equal to God but under God
        1. God created him
        2. God sustains him by supplying him with food
        3. And even this command "Be fruitful and multiply" is completely beyond man's ability unless God blesses
      6. Adam made this mistake, supposing he could take what God denied him. It was a costly mistake.
    3. God finishes his creation
      1. With man, creation is complete
      2. The 6th day
        1. All other days are just a first, a second, etc.
        2. But this is the 6th
        3. This day is distinct and unusual, the last day of creation
      3. It is all very good
  3. The (Re-)Application
    1. To Adam
      1. Adam is surrounded by an entire creation that points to him and exists for him
      2. He has been created God-like and thus called to reflect the glory of God
      3. He has been given everything he needs to glorify God, to subdue the earth, to fulfil his purpose
      4. How could he want the one thing God withholds?
        1. It is not as though God withholds many things, provoking Adam to jealousy or need or despair
        2. What does Adam need that God does not give him?
        3. Is he hungry when he takes that fruit? Hardly! Look at all the food provided for him.
        4. Does he need more control of things than he has? He's been given control of everything
        5. Is there some defect in the way he's made? He made in God's own image.
      5. When we understand this, we are prepared to be shocked and appalled at the grossness of his sin. There is no excuse for it. There's no understanding it. It is stupid, pathetic, disgusting, and foul.
    2. To Israel
      1. The gods of the nations are idols. There is one creator, Jehovah.
      2. Look at the land God is giving you for free, is it not beautiful. And God is giving you complete control of it.
      3. He only asks that you not turn aside and serve other gods (who did not give you the land and have never given you anything)
      4. How hard can that be?
        1. For fallen people, impossible
        2. You need a new Adam, Christ
    3. To the Church of Christ
      1. Christ is even more glorious than the first Adam
        1. He is an even more perfect likeness of God
        2. And his kingdom, his dominion, is forever and ever.
      2. Dominion over this creation continues
        1. But it is frustrated
        2. And it is ultimately useless
        3. Therefore, it is not our purpose or hope
      3. Christ is preparing a new creation
      4. The Great Commission, our new dominion

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