Creation Week—Continued

Notes

Readings.

"The Creation," "Patriarchs and Prophets," pp. 44-48. "Gospel in Creation," pp. 134-169. "The Lord's Day the Test of the Ages," pp. 9-21.

1. The word, "after his kind," in verses 11, 12, 24, and 25, refer to the different species of plants and animals, showing that there was order in the work of creation. There could be no more simple, accurate, general, and therefore scientific classification of plants and animals than that given in these verses. Scientific facts are always in harmony with the record of Inspiration. The Word of God deals only with facts,—truth and its underlying principles. Its language is always positive. It does not give expression to opinions or theories or hypotheses, as do the words of men. The story of nature since the fall is not a perfect story of creation. The curse rests upon the face of nature and upon man; and he who, independent of divine revelation, undertakes to account for creation, falls into various absurd theories of the evolution of man, or hypotheses as to the origin of the world. The Bible is the most scientific book ever written; for it contains truths, facts, and principles which, when sought for by the divine enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, will guide into all truth. This is the science of salvation, which is the science of sciences.

2. "Let Us make man in Our image," indicates a consultation of the Father with the Son, and shows that both alike were engaged in the work of creation. The fact that man was made in the image of God, constituted him the rightful ruler of the world, under God, so long as he retained that image.

3. When the pure eye of God looked down upon His handiwork at the beginning of the seventh day, it beheld the earth full of His riches (Ps. 104:24), full of His goodness (Ps. 33:5), full of His knowledge (Isa. 11:9), man upright, in His own image, the face of nature reflecting the light of His own countenance, so that "the earth shined with His glory" (Eze. 43:2); and then He whose glory is above the earth and the heavens (Ps. 148:13; 8:1), exclaimed, "Exceeding good." And then it was that "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7); and Adam and Eve, enlivened by that shout, enraptured by that song, and encircled by that glory, could but cry out in the fulness of their souls, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty" (Rev. 15:3); "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee" (Ps. 73:25). Thus was given to Adam and Eve an example of how they should observe every Sabbath day from that time on throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, to the praise, honor, and glory of Him whose right it is to reign. There is no subject of study which so arouses all the energies of the being as that of creation and redemption. He who with the simple trust of a little child accepts the record of creation as given in the first chapter of Genesis, will even now in this age of infidelity and atheism, believe every word of the Book of books.

4. "The world before the flood reasoned that for centuries the laws of nature had been fixed. The recurring seasons had come in their order. Heretofore rain had never fallen; the earth had been watered by a mist or dew."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 96.

Additional Study.

1. How many commands in all were made during the six days?

2. Who only is in the express image of His Father's person? Col. 1:14, 15; Heb. 1:2, 3.

3. For whom was man made? Isa. 43:7.

4. When and for whom was the Sabbath made? Was it, then, for Adam in Eden? By what three acts was it made?

5. What was it to commemorate? When, then, should man most earnestly study the works of God? Ps. 92:4, 5. See title of the psalm. What work does God perform on all days alike? John 5:17; Heb. 1:3.

6. For what did God bless and sanctify the day? Why did He bless Adam and Eve? Why did He bless Abraham? Why does He bless us?

7. What did God pronounce man when He made him? Gen. 1:31; Eccl. 7:29.

8. Did God become weary as Creator? Isa. 40:28.

9. Show that the days of creation were literal days of twenty-four hours each.

10. What do the words "generation" and "day" mean in Gen. 2:4?

11. Note the order of creation: (1) Inorganic matter; (2) vegetable life; (3) lower order of animal life; (4) man, the crowning work of creation.