Days 5, 6: And God said, “Let the waters abound

... with an abundance of living creatures, and birds fly above the earth across the face of  the heavens.” So God created ...  (Genesis 1:20, 21). This is only the second time the word “bara” (create) is used, with its  emphasis that something absolutely new that is brought forth. The word Genesis of course means beginning, or origins.  Science,  with its primary methodology of repeatable experiments, is not well equipped to study the origins those things   the Bible classifies as created. But in any case,  evolution (change over time) cannot say anything about the origin of what is changing. The descriptions science uses (note they are descriptions, not explanations) are interesting. I am thinking, for example, of the big bang, and the Cambrian explosion, but there are many more sudden beginnings. The Cambrian explosion is the relatively short time when most of the major groups of animals first appear in the fossil record. Another description that is not an explanation is  “punctuated equilibrium.” It is (internet) the “theory that proposes that once a species appears in the fossil record, it show little evolutionary change. Again the cause of the appearance is not addressed.

Excluding humans there are three other kinds of animals mentioned on days five and six.  They are  “sheres,” “nephesh (living creatures) and “op.” Here Sheres  refers to swarms of small minute animals, they later they refer to small animals that are neither birds nor mammals.  Interestingly Ross comments  “water dwelling’s ferries  require the visibility of the heavenly bodies to regulate their biological clocks” (The Genesis Question p47). The nephesh (living creatures) are both land and sea creatures (verses 20, 24), and are “soulish,”  capable of expressing emotions,  will and self-awareness. “They are  creatures uniquely capable of  forming relationships with human beings. As such they can be influenced for either good or evil” (ibid p. 49). A dog treated kindly can be affectionate,   some can  be trained to kill.  Leaving aside the op creatures, we note  that the list is not exhaustive.  Ross comments “the focus seems to be narrowed to the most important preparations for the introduction of mankind” (ibid p 47).

As is my habit I asked the Lord for application, and  heard the word “responsibility.”  I will likely say more when we come to the subject of stewardship in Genesis 2:15, but responsibility is a word this generation seems to need to hear.  Since from our reading we are learning that we live in a universe that God created, rather than one that came about by random undirected chance, we know instinctively that we have responsibility. And since we have influence over creation, and over the nephesh creatures in particular,
it seems a good place to start to talk about this.  And while I think that animal activist go too far at times, I do think they have a point.

Father, Your Word make is very clear that there is coming a day when we will be held accountable for what we have done, and even for every idle word  (i.e 2 Corinthians 5:10; Mathew 12:26). For those who are coming to the Bible for the first time with these posts, there is much to learn about Your Mercy,  salvation and justice. Taking responsibility however, is the first step towards the repentance that leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10) and Your unconditional acceptance (Romans 8:1). So draw us all this morning Lord,  into Your incredible, healing,  unconditional love (Romans 5:8, 9). And we will give Your the glory in Jesus Name Amen.