An Ancient Record-Can You Trust It? -Conclusion of The Fifth and Sixth "Days"

What  a climax it was when God assembled some of the elements of the earth to form his first human son, whom he named Adam!  (Luke 3:38)  The historical account tell us that the Creator of the globe and life  on it put the man he had made in  garden-like area "to cultivate it and to take care of it."  (Genesis 2:15)  At that time the Creator may still have been producing new animal kinds.  The Bible says: "God was forming from the ground every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call it, each living soul, that was its name."  (Genesis 2:19)  The Bible in no way suggests that the first man, Adam was merely a mythical figure.  On the contrary, he was a real person- a thinking, feeling human-who could find joy working in that Paradise home. Every day, he learned more about what his Creator had made and what that One was like-his qualities, his personality.

Then, after an unspecified period, God created the first woman, to be Adam's wife. Further, God added greater purpose to their lives with this meaningful assignment:  "Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth." (Genesis 1:27, 28)  Nothing can change this declared purpose of the Creator, namely, that the whole earth should be turned into a Paradise filled with happy humans living at peace with one another and with the animals. 

The material universe, including our planet and life on it, clearly testify to God's wisdom.  So he obviously could foresee the possibility that, in time, some humans might choose to act independently or rebelliously, despite his being the Creator and Life-Giver.  Such rebellion could disrupt the grand work of making a global paradise.  The record says that God set before Adam and Eve a simple test that would remind them of the need to be obedient. Disobedience, God said, would result in their forfeiting the life he had given to them.  It was caring on the Creator's part to alert our first ancestors to an erroneous course that would affect the happiness of the whole human race. -Genesis 2:16, 17. 

By the close of the sixth "day," the Creator had done everything necessary to fulfill his purpose  He could rightly pronounce everything he had made "very good."  (Genesis 1:31) At this point the Bible introduces another important time period b y saying that God "proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made."  (Genesis 2:2)  Since the Creator does not tire out or grow weary,"  why is he described  as resting?  (Isaiah 40:28)  This indicates that he ceased performing works of physical  creation; moreover, he rests in the knowledge  that nothing, not even rebellion in heaven nor on earth can thwart the fulfillment of his grand purpose.  God confidently pronounced a blessing upon the seventh creative "day."  Hence, God's loyal intelligent creatures -humans and invisible spirit creatures-can be certain by the end of the seventh "day," peace and happiness will reign throughout the universe. 

Next time: An Ancient Record-Can You Trust It? - Can You Trust the Genesis Record?

From the book Is There a Creator That Cares About You?