Psalm 8

God Creates Everything

Genesis 2:1-3

God Creates Everything

In my opinion, the entire reason that creation is organized into six days is to spotlight the seventh day. In the first story of the Bible, the seventh day is set apart for rest and Sabbath. Before the Ten Commandments, before any law is on the books, the template for a week is to work six days and rest on the seventh. I find this to be the most applicable point to our lives for the creation story in Genesis 1:1-2:3. God rested on the seventh day, so we should rest as well.

Sabbath rest will look different for different people at different stages of life. My rest involves going for a long run and also taking a short nap. My rest involves playing with the kids and talking with my wife. My rest even includes some yard work because that is so different from my daily life and cooking dinner for the people I love. You will enjoy other activities that help you rest and center your life and heart upon God. That’s ok. No two people’s Sabbath will look the same. The Sabbath day is a day set apart to enjoy God. How are you going to spend your next Sabbath?

Genesis 1:26-31

God Creates Everything

How does it make you feel to be different than the rest of God’s creation? How does it make you feel to know that you are made in the image of God? 

In what ways are we in the image and likeness of God? It seems unlikely to me that this is simply a statement on our physical bodies. Maybe our physical features are similar to how God looks, but look at how verse 26 continues. Being in God’s image leads to humanity ruling over the earth. As God rules over the universe, God has given us the task to rule over the earth.

So, then, let’s ask another question. How does God rule over the universe? God is a god of love, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. It is God’s love that led him to create the universe; it is with love that God rules. Since we are made in that image, we are supposed to rule over the earth with that same love, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. We are given the task to care for the earth and all that is in it, just like God cares for the universe and all that is in it. God has given humanity the task of being his hands and feet on this earth. This task will come up again as we look at Genesis 2 next week.