Jump Start # 410 

Genesis 1:20-23 “Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.  God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.”

  Day five, the fifth day of creation happened on a Thursday. Up to this point God has made the world, the solar system, land, sea, atmosphere. On day three, God started filling the earth. He started with vegetation and trees. On day four, God filled the skies with the sun, moon and stars.

  Now on day five, God fills the water and the sky with animals—birds and fish. I like the translation here that says, “swarms of living creatures.” Not just a few, here and there, but “swarms.” 

  Like Day Three, with the plants and trees, we find here the expression, “after it’s kind.” Fowls and aquatic life originated at the same time, on the same day. That flies in the face of evolutionary thinking. These living beings were told by God to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. God being the Creator, can command His creation and it will obey Him.

  Our text includes the “great sea monsters.” What’s that? Many theories abound. Some think whales, others, some form of sea dinosaur that is now extinct. Remember, Moses is writing Genesis through inspiration. He wasn’t there to witness these things. He is writing many, many years after the fact. A world flood has taken place between the creation and the writing of Genesis. Yet the way this reads, Moses’ audience, Israel, would have some understanding of the “giant sea monsters.”

 There is a common thread in these final days of creation: God said, God blessed and God saw that it was good. We are see the power, the creativity, and the goodness of God.

  Birds—there are all kinds of birds, and every size of birds. I’ve seen eagles in Alaska. Out my window I see a hawk nearly every day. His scream is unique and I often hear it before I see him. Have you noticed how different and colorful birds are? Have you also noticed that each kind of bird makes a unique sound. Early in the morning, often just at dawn, the birds start singing. They can be very loud. That used to annoy me because it would wake me up before I wanted to. I started listening to them. They seemed so happy and cheerful. Glad to be alive. I didn’t always wake up singing…some days I am grumpy and not in a good mood. They start the day singing. It’s God’s choir singing to the world. I listen for the birds now. Instead of letting it bother me, I see it as God’s music, awakening a new day.

  God’s creation is complex, diverse and functional. Like an orchestra piece, God is building and building until His final and last creation, mankind—who alone is made in God’s image. Only God witnessed the creation. Only God knows how He did it. Only God understands it.

  Roger