LIFE ON EARTH

Gloria Phifer

Ps. 57:5 “Be exalted O God above the Heavens. Let Thy glory be above all the earth. “Psalm 104.

We have been experiencing how God (Elohiym) has taken this dismal earth and brought forth order and Light.

Lab footnotes: The vast galaxy we live in is spinning at the incredible speed of 490,000 miles an hour. Even at this breakneck speed our galaxy still needs 200 million years to make one rotation. God did not need to create the universe; He chose to create it. God is love and love is best expressed toward something or someone else. God created the universe because He loves us. (Gals can you believe we are spinning at this incredible speed...Wow!) Also, if we were any farther from the sun, we would freeze. If we were any closer, this earth would burn up.

The waters are in their boundaries…God named them “seas”. Dry ground has appeared and God named it “earth”.

Genesis 1:11-13. Can you smell the vegetation? See the trees loaded with fruit…flowers…color…the beginning of life. He was preparing this earth for us…mankind. What are your thoughts about these being seed bearing plants and trees with seed-bearing fruit?  (Hebrew says producing, yielding seed, to be sown.) I thought of self-sustaining…to produce more.

And God SAW that it was good. Evening passed and morning came, marking the 3^rd day. I love that God was watching His creation come into being. How satisfying. What joy!!!

Vs 14-19. When God said…”said” in Hebrew it is active and powerful…when God speaks it is explosive!!!  “Amar” “With great latitude. Challenge, command, declare, demand, desire, expressly.” I would have loved to hear God’s voice commanding everything into existence. To watch this creative process.

“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night.  Lights “maowr” (maw-ore) a luminous body or luminary light. Cheerfulness; specifically a chandelier…bright. Break of day. Glorious, kindle, set on fire, shine.” We know our sun is a ball of fire.

Hydrogen generally determines a star's nuclear lifetime because it is used as the main source of fuel in a main sequence star. ... As an example, the Sun's nucleartime scale is approximately 10 billion years. Wikipedia

Vs. 14 what was their purpose?  The greater light ruled the day. The lesser light ruled the night.  Stars “kowkab” “in the sense of rolling. In the sense of blazing. Star…Messiah.” I thought it was interesting that Messiah was in this description.

And the evening and the morning were the 4^th day.

Vs 20—22. Now we have sound. There are fish filling the waters and birds flying, landing in the trees. Life. I love life. I love to hear the birds singing. I am amazed at the fish in the sea. A friend and I visited an Aquarian in Florida…there were fish with big Blue eyes. Also saw dolphins etc. I love the Omaha Zoo with the large fish tank. I am always amazed at the colors in God’s creation.” According to the best estimates of scientists, there are 3,500,000,000,000 (3.5 trillion) fish currently living in the ocean.”

New Study Doubles the Estimate of Bird Species in the World

https://www.amnh.org/about-the-museum/press-center/new-study-doubles-the-estimate-of-bird-species-in-the-worldNew research led by the American Museum of Natural History suggests that there are about 18,000 bird species in the world—nearly twice as many as previously thought. The work focuses on “hidden” avian diversity—birds that look similar to one another, or were thought to interbreed, but are actually different species.

And the evening and the morning were the 5^th day.

Vs. 24-25 every kind of animal. The beast of the earth. The only thing I’m not sure about it is the creepy things (lol). Oh there went a butterfly.  More life. More sounds. The lion roaring, the cattle mooing, (even the purring of my cat (J And God saw that it was good.

MANKIND vs. 26-31. To create “bara” “To create, shape, form, fashion. God created man in His Own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created he them.”  Man in Hebrew is “Adam” ( aw-dawm). A human being.  To show blood in the face. Flush or turn rosy be (dyed, made) red (ruddy).

Image “Tselem” (tseh’lem) meaning to shade. Resemblance. A representative figure. Semblance.

Male…”to record, to make a memorial, make remembrance. A male of humans.”

Female “from the sexual form. Woman.

LAB footnote: “God made both man and woman in His image. Neither man nor woman is made more in the image of God than the other. From the beginning the Bible places both man and woman at the pinnacle of God’s creation. Nether sex is exalted and neither is depreciated.” Thoughts?

And God blessed them. “To be blessed, be adored”. I loved that He blessed them and He adored them. .  

Vs. 28 God blessed them and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.

LAB footnote: “To “reign over” something is to have absolute authority and control over it. God has ultimate rule over the earth and He exercises His authority with loving care. When God delegated some of His authority to the human race, He expected us to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share our planet. We must not be careless and wasteful as we fulfill this charge. God was careful how He made this earth. We must not be careless about how we take care of it.”

They were given dominion.  “To tread down. To have dominion. Prevail against. Dominate, rule, subjugate. “So all dominion on this earth was given to mankind. God made him ruler over this earth. Thoughts?

There was another time when Jesus gave us the dominion over the enemy (who will soon show up in this story).  Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Vs. 29-31. Notice what the man and the woman were given to eat. A vegetarian diet. They did not eat meat until after the flood. Vs. 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the 6^th day. So mankind was created on the 6^th day.

Gen. 1:1-3. What did God do on the 7^th day?  He blessed and sanctified (set apart as holy) the 7^th day. +

Rested “Shabath” (shaw-bath’) “To repose, desist from exertion. Celebrate, be still.” To keep the Sabbath holy is one of the 10 commandments.

Notice vs 31 “And God saw everything that He had made and behold, it was very good.”  Hebrew “towb”. “Good, beautiful, bountiful, best, cheerful, at ease, be in favor, graciously, joyful, kindness, pleasant, pleased, pleasure, prosperity, wealth, welfare, well favored. To be good, be pleasing, be joyful, be beneficial, be happy, be right.” This is how God saw and felt about everything He had created!!! Once again I am struck with the thought that God loved the experience of what He had created…He was very pleased with it. Thoughts?

1^st day….Light (so there was light and darkness)

2^nd day…sky and water (waters separated)

3^rd day…Land and seas (waters gathered): vegetation.

4^th day….Sun, moon and stars (to govern the day and the night and to mark seasons, days and years.

5^th day…fish and birds (to fill the waters and the sky)

6^th day…animals (to fill the earth.) Man and Woman (to care for the earth and to commune with God.)

7^th day…God rested and declared all He had made to be very good.

THE BREATH OF LIFE.

A LIVING SOUL

The first four days Elohim made the earth habitable. Gen. 1:20-23 on day five He created fish and birds. Can you see the whales and dolphins jumping? The eagles, hawks, geese flying? The sparrows, hummingbirds, cardinals, and parrots…are filling the trees! Do you hear the chirping and the splashing?

Let's read Genesis 1:24-26.  On day six, Gen1:24  Elohim said let the earth produce every sort of animal…As someone who loves animals I would love to have seen the earth covered with all different kind of animals.  The earth was coming alive!

How do you picture the activity?  Can you hear the sounds?

 Can you hear the roar of the lion, the trumpet call of the elephant? Hoof beats of a herd of horses? The elk as he lifts his head and heralds his call to his mate?  The wonder of it all.

On day six Genesis 1:26 "Elohim said let Us make man in Our image after Our likeness.

Make (Hebrew -asah )(aw-saw) Accomplish, appoint, bear, bring forth, execute, fashion, furnish, govern, grant, labor, be occupied, warrior, work, man, yield, use.

What stands out to you in this Hebrew word for "make"?

Image...Hebrew- tselem ( tseh-lem) to shade, resemblance, a representative figure, and image.

Likeness - demuwth ( dem-ooth)  resemblance, model, shape, like fashion, likeness, manner, similitude, to compare, to resemble, liken, consider, compare, devise, think, be like, similitude's.

What are your thoughts on image and likeness?

I was taken with "A representative figure and resemblance"…I can't think of anyone I would rather resemble than God.

In chapter 1:26 "Let them have dominion." Dominion - Hebrew -radah (raw-daw) a prim root. To tread down, subjugate, specifically to crumble off.  To have dominion, prevail against, reign, bear, rule, make to rule, ruler over, take ruler ship.

            Wow! Man was made to rule; to have dominion.

What do the words "rule and dominion" mean to you?

I see responsibility.  A trust given to one. A responsibility to be a representative of the

Creator.  His trust, to use this responsibility in the right way.  This very day we bear His resemblance, His likeness, His dominion (through Christ). We have this trust to be a representative of our Creator. (There is a saying "To whom much is given, much is required.)

What are your thoughts on being a representative of the Godhead in this world?

            There are two things that stand out to me about what we just learned about Adam, he was a warrior and he had dominion.  But did he know he had an enemy? Did he know he was the "Keeper" of Eden? (Awe the mysteries of God.) I always have so many questions.

Let's read Genesis two: 3-8.

 God blessed the seventh day and set it apart and He rested. There is a Rest of God for our souls…when we get into the" I Am's "of Jesus…we will look at the finished work of Christ in whichwe  rest. In the Ten Commandments He commands mankind to have a Day of Rest. we rest.

This might be a good thought to meditate on this week…resting in the finished work of the cross.

Rest is Shabath (shaw-bath) to repose, desist from exertion, celebration, still.

            In verse four… Elohim becomes Lord God.  Jehovah Elohim (or haw-yaw. Elohim.)

He goes into greater depth on the creation of man.
Jehovah means Lord...Lord Elohim. Jehovah is a Covenant God. It is only when Genesis speaks of mankind that Elohim becomes...Jehovah Elohim.  Lord God.

Vs. 7 The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground…

Formed -Hebrew- yat-sar (yaw-tsar) squeezing into shape, to mold into a form, especially as a potter. To determine, earthen fashion, form, frame, make, potter, purpose, press.

 Have you ever felt that God is the potter and you are the clay?

Is. 64:8, Jeremiah 18:6, and, Revelation 2:27.

Man- Adam ( aw-dawm) ruddy, human being, mankind, person, to show blood in the face, flush or turn rosy, to be dyed red, ruddy.

Adam was made from dust - aphar (aw-fawr) dust (as powdered or gray) hence-clay -earth, mud, ashes, dust, earth, ground, mortar, powder, rubbish.

            As I was doing this study I had an experience with the Lord.  Perhaps because I am a visual person and learn visually I see in my minds eye as I study. I would like to share it with you.

            I was standing at a distance and I saw the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Adam lay on the ground…all his systems were in place (he was a "Go" as they say when a shuttle is ready to launch into space…"It's a go") There was no life in Adam, because there was no breath.

            I approached (and remember that word, "approached") Father God. "Papa God (which is what I call Him) can you hold back the breath?  You know what this is going to cost the Godhead…what Jesus will have to endure if this breath is given. Can't we spare Jesus this suffering?"

            I approached Jesus, my Savior, my Best Friend, and my Lord. "Lord, do You have to give Adam breath…the suffering, the abuse, the cross. Lord, I don't want you to go through that." (I sound like Peter don't I)?

            I approached the Holy Spirit, my Helper, my Comforter, my Teacher, the One Who lives within my spirit. "Dear Holy Spirit could you hold back Your breath…you know the cost."

            Then I was at a distance again. Looking at the three of them. If the breath wasn't given then I would not be able to approach each one.  They would no longer be my God.  Papa God would not be my Papa.  Jesus would not be my Lord, Savior and Friend.  The Holy Spirit would not be my Teacher, Helper, Counselor, the One Who lives in my spirit.

And I would not Be.  I would have no being.

I saw that it would be a loss for the Godhead.  There would not be Gloria, there would not be you!  The breath had to be given. We were the price of that breath.  They longed for us.  In the foreknowledge of God (which is beyond my comprehension) they knew each one of us and we are Their Joy!  More then we long for that intimacy and fellowship with our God.  They longed for intimacy and fellowship with us and put the plan into place, before the foundation of the world: "The Lamb which was slain from the foundation of the world." Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the Right Hand of the Throne of God." Oh God, the wonder of Your love for us. Let the Lord be praised!

Do you know you are His joy? God so loved......that He gave His Only Begotten Son that if.......
would believe in Him, you would not perish but have everlasting life. (Put your name in the spaces. That is the Love of God for you and me. He gave so we could live.

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into His nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.   NKJV "A living being."

AMP notes: The same chemical elements are found in man and animal life that are in the soil. This scientific fact was not known to man until recent times, but God was displaying it here.

Life Application Study Bible..." From the dust of the ground" implies that there is nothing fancy about the chemical elements making up our bodies. The body is a lifeless shell until God brings it alive with His "breath of life".  When God removes His life-giving breath, our bodies once again return to dust.  Our life and worth, therefore, come from God's Spirit.  In reality, our worth comes not from our achievements but from the God of the Universe, Who chooses to give us the mysterious and miraculous gift of life. Value life, as He does.