January 2, 2023

Order to Chaos

Genesis 1

Blake Holmes
Monday's Devo

January 2, 2023

Monday's Devo

January 2, 2023

Monday's Devo

January 2, 2023

Monday's Devo

January 2, 2023

Big Idea

We can trust God when we don’t know how things will turn out

Key Verse | Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Genesis 1

The Creation of the World

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse 1 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made 2 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16 the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. 3 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, 4 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants 5 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, 6 1:14 Or appointed times and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds 7 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:1920 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man 8 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27  So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Footnotes

[1] 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20
[2] 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16
[3] 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1
[4] 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1
[5] 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29
[6] 1:14 Or appointed times
[7] 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20
[8] 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam

S2:001 Genesis 1

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Genesis 1

Abraham Kuyper famously stated: "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"

As we read Genesis 1, we are reminded that the Lord is our sovereign Creator. In the first three days, He created the earth, and in the final three days, He filled it. On the sixth day, He made man in His image. In other words, we were created to know Him and reflect His glory through every aspect of our lives. 

Theologians commonly refer to Genesis 1:28 as the cultural mandate. As God's vice-regents made in His image, we are called to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. This means that we are to cultivate the social world by starting families and building schools, cities, churches, and governments. We are also to be stewards of the natural world by planting crops, developing technologies, creating artwork, composing music, exploring the seas, developing medicines, and anything else to sustain the earth's resources.

Sadly, too many Christians have no understanding of this call on their life, or they simply choose to ignore it. We have been wrongly taught that there is a sacred and secular divide and never shall the two ever meet. Biblically, however, there is no such divide. All that we do is to be done for the glory of God (Colossians 3:17, 23-24).

Wherever you find yourself today, whether you are parking cars, mowing yards, teaching school, practicing medicine, raising kids, or fishing with a friend, you have the opportunity to do each of these to the glory of God. To do so, we must first recognize our absolute dependence upon Him and that everything we have been given is a gift from His hand (James 1:17). We must also recognize our responsibility as stewards of God's resources and blessings. 

As an elder and pastor of Watermark, I want to thank each of you who call Watermark home and who so faithfully use your God given gifts to the glory of God and betterment of our city.

This month's memory verse

We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

– John 1:45b

Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever stopped to consider the implications of the cultural mandate?

2. Given God's call to cultivate the social and natural world, how might you view your social life differently? Your education? Your responsibilities at work? 

3. Do you tend to divide your life between the secular and the sacred? What would happen if you saw all of your life as an opportunity to participate in the sacred work of God?

4. Discuss the cultural mandate with your community group. Explore ways you can use your work place or school as an arena for expressing the goodness of God.

Identity

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Hugh Stephenson

A few years back I was taught this simple but powerful question.   What stirs my affections for the Lord more?   Walking down Park Avenue in NY.   Kayaking through a salt marsh at low tide.   In my answer I find the path I am called to walk.  As God conveys in Genesis 1, He desires unity with me.  Engaging in those practices that stir my affection for Him are, perhaps, the best way to to move closer to Him.  I know that these practices will result in a greater understanding of Him and His purpose for me.   Back to my choice…   For all of my adult life pre-2014 I would have said “both”.  I love doing both.    This is no longer my answer and hasn’t been.   In NY City I see the works of man.   In the salt marsh I see the works for God. 
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Hugh Stephenson

So now I see, paraphrasing the notes, “Only foolish pagans worship the works of man.”   More on this…   In verse 1 the text says God “created”.  The Hebrew word is “ḇârâ’”.  In the OT it is only used when referring to God.   I am in awe of so much of what I see of God’s earthly creation.  All of it.    What is even more mind-blowing is the stars.    From the notes-   “God’s creating the stars would have been awe-inspiring even in ancient Israel, where about 5,000 stars were visible at night.”   “Astronomers now estimate, however, that there are more than 400 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and that there are 125 billion galaxies in the universe. The total number of stars is estimated at 1x1022 or 10 billion trillions.”
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Hugh Stephenson

Moreover, the God who created all of these, the Holy One of Israel, even calls them all by name and ensures that “not one is missing.” Such a God will surely never forget even one of his people.”   In this chapter I center on the “Cultural Mandate’ in Genesis 1:26-28.  God created me for a purpose.  He empowers and equips me to serve others and proclaim Him.    In Prodigal, one of the first exercises is to develop a Person Life Mission Statement; a PMLS.  As I walked through the detailed exercises  I began to see what mine would be.   What could possibly give me more focus and a clear mission that that?    Nothing.    “Thus only Israel’s God is worthy of worship, for he created, controls, and preserves what the pagans foolishly worship.”
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Chris Landry

Never thought too long on Cultural Mandate…Got Questions had this which helped me: The second way in which cultural mandate is used is in pairing the creation mandate with the Great Commission. In this sense, the cultural mandate implies that part of our “good stewardship” of the earth includes making an effort to influence culture and politics toward attitudes that reflect God’s will. That is, everything—including our personal lives and interactions with government and society—should be seen as part of our responsibility to enact the will of God. — Happy New Year!
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Alan Beam

1:1-3 shows us the Trinity. The Father (God), the Son ("said"/the Word), and the Spirit (hovering over the waters). 1:27 tells us that we were made in His image. Like a pagan idol or a pagan king supposedly imaged false gods, all humans image the true God. We are a kingdom of priests, from the very first chapter of the bible. This should affect how I view and treat others. No matter how frustrating or hurtful someone's actions might be, that doesn't change their value. (Particularly true of how I interact with my kids.) 1:28 is the Cultural Mandate. Good stuff on this, Blake. I wonder sometimes if I will ever fail to be convicted about my attitude at work. It's so easy to view that as something I just need to power through until I can get back to my family or serving at Watermark. But God has placed me in the job I'm at "for just a time as this." No moment should be wasted. How I work, my attitude and work ethic, and how I interact with my co-workers, is just as much a part of my ministry as the times I am sharing the gospel or reading the bible to my kids.
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Michael Scaman

Some big things are seen fast forwarding to the rest of the Bible. (I note that it doesn't say 'it is good' on Monday' perhaps to pick up speed in the narrative?) 1) God made the world saying 'it is good' about 7 times but for the first couple used much more personally invested language. "let us make' 'in our image' and even 'very good'. Mankind and marriage having a special place in creation. Isaiah will say we are a crown to God and God is a crown to us in the sense of a special treasure and there are hunts of that here in creation. 2) Holy only occurs 1 time in Genesis on the 7th day. God holds off on fleshing out what holy means until Exodus and Leviticus. without holiness no one will l see the Lord but this important concept not rushed into. Exodus will show holiness in pictures and Leviticus will show holiness thematically in worship and life. 3) God made the world out of nothing. He made a people and nation out of nothing. He makes light to shine out of the darkness in hearts, creating new hearts.
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Michael Scaman

more points from Genesis that show up later 4) Psalms has 5 books where each represents a book of Moses. Psalm 1-41 is poetically Genesis. A couple reasons. Psalms starts with a man like a tree of life like Genesis in Psalm 1 and ends with a man who is betrayed as part of a plan of God to save the world like Joseph in Psalm 41 and quoted by Jesus at the Last Supper. We also see the inheritance of the world through Abraham in Genesis and in Psalms 2 the Son inherits the earth, then in Psalm 37 the meek inherit the earth (in the Son in God). 5) John 1:1 will give clarity to God crating the world with his word 'let there be' and it is Jesus, the word.
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emma dotter

Great devo, Blake! I think you’re right that, “too many Christians have no understanding of this call on their life, or they simply choose to ignore it.” In a world that says defying the culturally popular mindset is to be “hateful,” it seems to be of more and more pressing importance that we don’t forget God’s original design for humanity.
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Sue Bohlin

Bless you today, Blake! Thank you for this marvelous devo! Having just finished Revelation, that talks about believers reigning with Christ, it is a joy to read the very beginning of the story where mankind is charged to "have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." That includes people! And in Revelation we see where our dominion, which fell apart when sin exploded God's perfect creation, is redeemed and perfection is restored. I am LOVING these bookends!
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Amy Lowther

1. The cultural mandate encourages us to be true to God’s values and to practice them in essential areas of life. This helps us to be more resourceful and more confident in things we do. 2. God wants us to be level, knowledgeable, and living “the whole picture” in life not just “part of the picture.”. In education, we need to remember God defines us not education. At work, God reminds us he believes in each of us not just the boss. God helps us to know our value, the value of our responsibilities, and the value of helping fellow associates while getting work done. 3. I do not divide my life between sacred and secular. To participate in the sacred work of God would be an honor. It would be a chance to get healthier, smarter, and more successful. 4. To improve scheduling work and scheduling things outside of work To reduce working without a purpose and increase working with a purpose To increase profits and money made (salaries, hourly wages, paychecks) with less effort and less stress
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Michael Sisson

Re: Gen 1:3 See also Jn 1:4-5,9; 8:12; 9:5; Col 1:15
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Sarah Hasley

Sorry this is coming so late, I’m just getting started for the year. Can I ask what might be a dumb question that I’ve always wondered and don’t understand. When God makes the heavens he separates the expanse from the waters above (v 6-8) and those below. I’ve always thought the expanse was the sky and that the “waters below” referred to the oceans/seas and literal waters on the earth. What are the waters above the expanse/sky? Am I taking this part too literal, am I not understanding this correctly, or are the waters above something we might not see till resurrected with Christ? Thank you.