The Maker of Creation
Since the dawn of the universe, created beings have stood in awe of the creatorial genius of God. At the commencement, angelic beings burst forth in spontaneous praise (Job 38:7), and at the end, we find them bowed in worship (Rev 4:11). The river from Eden’s garden, parting four ways, was undoubtedly encouraging mankind to make enthralling discoveries; and who of us wouldn’t heartily sing, “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the works Thy hand hath made …”
The Bible unceasingly declares the wonderful works of God, and although numerous words are used in the original languages, the English term “wonderful [or wondrous] works of God” is mentioned some 20 times in Scripture. In this series, we will attempt to grasp something of the grandeur of God, first noting that what God created with His hand was an expression of His heart. What was brought about by divine power is a revelation of divine persons. Psalm 19 tells us that stencilled into the heavens is the glory of God, affirming that creation itself preaches the Creator in every language of planet earth!
Romans 1:20 states that creation itself is a revelation of God’s eternal power. The ticking clock means that we live in a capsule of time, the material universe bearing witness. At just over 93 million miles away, the closest star to planet Earth is our sun and, like most stars, is primarily made of burning hydrogen gas, with composition and mass determining the length of its life. Secular scientists freely acknowledge that the sun won’t burn forever. Knowing that this all had a beginning, we understand that our Creator must dwell outside of time, bringing it into being and commencing the clock. Of Him it is revealed, “He is before [prior to] all things, and by him all things consist” [openly displayed as being held together] (Col 1:17).[1] Further, Romans 1:20 declares that in creation we see a reflection of the triune Godhead. Mankind standing at the pinnacle of this world, made in the image of God to represent Him and after His likeness to resemble Him, proves this truth beyond doubt. Truly humanity is without excuse. How sad, then, that having been given the inestimable privilege of being made in His image, we gave God the ignominious putdown of attempting to make Him in ours, as corruptible man, or even as a bird, beast or base animal.
The Marvel of Creation
“And God said …” Just 127 Hebrew words, and in six 24-hour days God transformed an uninhabitable planet into a world of wonder, brimming with life, ready for mankind to possess. We cannot read the creation account of Genesis 1 without being thoroughly impressed. The chapter contains 31 short verses, simple enough for a child to read, but with actions too profound for the greatest mind of Adam’s race.
The existence of God is never in question, and He requires no reason to “prove” His being. In seven sublime Hebrew words the Spirit of God records an act of such incredible power that we shudder at the very thought. Our Lord commands the entire universe into being from nothing! (Psa 33:6-9; 148:5). Mankind may have its theories as to why the evolution of the world must have taken billions of years, but as children of God, let us not imagine that He needed any more time or effort than what we read in the Bible’s first verse. The writer of Psalm 33 appreciated this when exclaiming, “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (vv8,9).
Imagine for a moment one of the disciples sitting with our Lord on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The night is clear and crisp, and the billions of galaxies and countless myriads of stars sparkle like diamonds against the black canvas. Our Lord points and says in a hushed tone, “I made those in a quarter of a verse on a Wednesday!” (Gen 1:16) – I smile as I visualise the look on the disciple’s face!
The Mystery of Creation
“Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen!” (Rom 11:34-36). As we trace the creation week, we see a greater message unfolding before our eyes, and it’s of no surprise to learn that it all began on the Lord’s Day (Sunday). God begins and ends with His Son, who is Himself “Alpha and Omega, the first and the last” (Rev 1:11). Whenever we study the Scriptures, let us look for Christ, and we will find treasures galore.
Day 1 – The light of God pierced the darkness of this world, bringing divine illumination. Could we not think of the Incarnation, the Son of God appearing as the Light of the World (Joh 1:5; 8:12; 9:5)? How solemn that “men loved darkness rather than light” (3:19)!
Day 2 – A globe was covered in restless water (Isa 57:20), from which God removed a portion, reserving it above the atmospheric heavens, prepared to be unleashed in judgment upon an ungodly world in Genesis 6-8. Does this not point to the truth of Propitiation, when God set forth His Son as the perfect sacrifice, able alone to endure the waters of divine wrath for sin (Psa 42:7; 69:1-2; 88:7; Jon 2)? Interestingly, it’s the only day that God doesn’t regard as good.
Day 3 – The entire world was still buried beneath water, so God returned, parted the waters and commanded life to appear from the sod. Undoubtedly, we see the Resurrection of Christ. Is it a coincidence that it was the third day? Twice God expresses it as good – No wonder! And we receive our first clue as to why God requires baptism to be in the element of water.
So there we have it – salvation’s story painted by the God of eternity into the first three days of creation. But wait, there’s more, so much more. But for that you’ll have to keep digging. See what treasures you uncover in the next four days concerning Christ. Line up the days of the creation week with the dispensations and see what you find. Compare these things with other Scriptures, such as Psalm 104, Job 38, Isaiah 40, and from the unlimited mines of sovereign wisdom will come copious treasures for you to enjoy. Eternity will not exhaust the wonders of our God!
[1] All Scripture quotations in this article are from the KJV.
