Bible Commentaries
Genesis 2

Verses 1-3

Introduction: The Story of Creation (Predestination) God’s Purpose and Order in Creation - The book of Genesis opens with an introductory passage giving the story of the creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3). The Story of Creation in the book of Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested upon the seventh day. Hebrews 11:3 reveals the central message in this genealogy that stirs our faith in God when it says, announcing that God created all things by the power of His spoken word, saying, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” While the Story of Creation reveals God’s plan for all of creation to be fruitful and multiply, particular emphasis is given to His charge to man to multiply and fill the earth. In this introduction, God commanded the plant kingdom to procreate (Genesis 1:11); He also commanded the creatures to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:22); and He commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply in order to take dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). God created life in a progression of higher order with each order receiving a more important command. Thus, God’s original destiny for each order of His creation was to be fruitful and to multiply with the lower orders serving the higher orders. The law of multiplication is still a fundamental law governing His eternal destiny for creation. One preacher said that if a person can believe the story of Creation, then he can believe the rest of the Bible.

Everything that God does, He does for a purpose. The calling and destiny of the plant kingdom was to procreate after itself (Genesis 1:11). The calling and destiny of the animal kingdom was to be fruitful and to multiply (Genesis 1:22). Man’s calling and destiny was to be fruitful, and to multiply and to take dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). It is interesting to note that God did not command the plant kingdom in the same way He did the animals and man plants do not have a mind and reasoning faculties as do the higher kingdoms. The next section of the book of Genesis called the Genealogy of the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 3:1 to Genesis 4:26) will show how man failed in his calling and brought all of creation into vanity and travail. While each of the ten genealogies recorded in the book of Genesis open with a divine commission and end with the fulfillment of that commission, the divine commission that God gave Adam in the Story of Creation remains incomplete until the fulfillment of biblical prophecy and the new heavens and earth restore man to his original purpose and intent.

In addition, everything that God created was designed to give itself in divine service in order to fulfill its destiny and purpose. The sun serves the divine role of giving its light in order to sustain life on earth. The heavenly bodies were created to serve as signs and wonders in the sky. The land was created to serve as a habitat for creeping creature and the beasts of the earth. The waters were created to serve as a habitat for fish. The sky was created to serve as a habitat for birds. Thus, the sun, moon, stars, earth, seas, and sky were created to support life on earth. The plant kingdom was created to serve as food and shelter for animals and mankind. The animal kingdom was created to serve man. In fact, every plant species and animal species was created to serve mankind in a unique way. Finally, man was created to serve God.

In addition, life was created in order to produce life. Each plant was created to produce seed after its kind. Each animal was commanded to be fruitful and multiply. The flowers were created to give forth beauty. Mankind was created to give God fellowship. Thus, each form of life was created with a role to play in God’s overall creation.

Since Adam serves as a type and figure of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:14), the message of Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3 to the New Testament Church is for the believer to be conformed unto the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:29). Every believer is predestined to become like Jesus Christ, and the writings of the New Testament take the believer on a spiritual journey in order to fulfill this divine destiny.

Romans 5:14, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.”

The Triune God Revealed in Creation - In the Story of Creation (Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3), we have the testimony of the Father’s role as the One who has planned all things. We have the testimony of the Son’s role in John 1:1-14 as the Word of God through whom all things were created. In Proverbs 8:22-31 we have the testimony of the role of the Holy Spirit in creation as the Wisdom and Power of God. Thus, Moses, the author of Genesis, received the greatest revelation of God the Father regarding His role in creation, while John the apostle, the author of the Gospel of John, received the greatest revelation of Jesus regarding His role in creation. Solomon, the author of Proverbs, received the greatest revelation of the Holy Spirit regarding His role in creation. Note that the book of Genesis is the foundational book of the Old Testament while the book of John is the foundational book of the New Testament.

The Power of the Holy Spirit in Creation When God spoke, He released the Spirit and power of His words. When He said, “Let there be…,” the Holy Spirit was released in power to perform those words. God created man with the gift of speech in order to participate in His creation. In the same way that we release the spirit of anger when we speak words of anger, or we release peace when we speak words of peace, so did God speak creative words to release the spirit of creation. Throughout the Scriptures we find that man’s spirit and his words work together.

Job 15:13, “That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?”

Job 26:4, “To whom hast thou uttered words ? and whose spirit came from thee?”

Proverbs 1:23, “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”

Proverbs 17:27, “He that hath knowledge spareth his words : and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit .”

Isaiah 59:21, “As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.”

Zechariah 7:12, “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.”

John 3:34, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”

John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit , and they are life.”

1 Corinthians 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power :”

The Order of Creation - God had an order to His creation. Note this order as we look at a summary of each day of creation:

Day 1 Light divided from darkness, called Day (Genesis 1:3-5)

Day 2 A firmament divided from waters, called Heaven (Genesis 1:6-8)

Day 3 Earth and Sea gathered waters - Grass herbs and seed, trees with fruit (Genesis 1:9-13)

Day 4 - Luminaries - to divide night and day, to lighten firmament (sun, moon, stars) (Genesis 1:14-19)

Day 5 Swarms in water, fowl in heaven, sea monsters, aquatic life. Life in water and air (Genesis 1:20-23)

Day 6 - Earth life cattle, creeping creatures, beasts, man (Genesis 1:24-31)

Day 7 - God rested (Genesis 2:1-3)

Day 1 - We can easily see that God first created light. Since the Scriptures tell us that God is Light (1 John 1:5), we understand that He was the source of this light as the Holy Spirit hovered over the surface of the earth, for the sun had not yet been created.

1 John 1:5, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Day 2 - As this light from the Holy Spirit penetrated the dark mass of elements on this chaotic earth, energy was emitted into this mass in the form of heat. Thus, the next step on day two was the separation of vapor and liquid creating what we call a firmament, or vast sky, between these two, as the energy from the light provided the motion for such activity. The Book of Jubilees (2.4) tells us that the division of the firmament divided waters above from below. It says that half of the waters ascended above the firmament and half of the waters descended below upon the face of the earth. We could say that as the light penetrated this earth, it created energy and heat. This began to separate the vapor from the liquid water. The water vapor rose into the atmosphere and formed a dense mass of cloud cover over the earth while the liquid water descended upon the landmass. Between the vapor and liquid is the air that we breathe, which the Scriptures call the firmament. The liquid water coming down upon the land would explain why God needed to divide the liquid water from the dry land on the third day of creation.

Day 3 - As this energy continued to build within this land mass, the next step on the third day were for the liquids to separate from the solids creating the sea and the dry land. It was this combination of light, water, and solids on earth that provided the conditions for plant life to emerge. It was the creative power of God’s Word through the power of the Holy Spirit and emanating as light that caused the creation of the plant kingdom.

Day 4 - Whether we understand at this time or not how this took place, it was this enormous energy at work on earth that began to be transferred into outer space, causing addition separations of vapors, liquids and solids. These heavenly bodies were thus formed taking the shapes of the sun, moon and stars. This seems to support an ancient Jewish tradition that the earth is the center of the Universe. Carl Baugh suggests that these stars and their planetary bodies were compacted much closer than they are today, and when the earth split open at the time of the Noahic Flood, the universe actually enlarged in size, and is continuing to expand today. [53] The force of this split, which was millions of times the strength of an atomic explosion, sent these heavenly bodies shooting through space away from the earth at the speed that scientists are discovering today through modern telescopes. This would have been the time of the “big bang” that secular scientists believe was the start of the universe.

[53] Carl Baugh, Creation in the 21 st Century (Glen Rose, Texas: Creation Evidence Museum) , on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.

So, how did the plant life, which was created on the third day, receive enough light to grow without the sun, which was created afterwards on the fourth day? The best way to understand this is to see how God is going to create a new heavens and a new earth. This new earth will have no sun or moon, for God Himself will provide the light for His new creation.

Revelation 21:23, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

Revelation 22:5, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

It appears to be a mystery as to how and why God did not create the sun, moon, and stars first, but waited until the fourth day of creation, while creating the plant kingdom on the third day. We know that plants must have sunlight in order to live by photosynthesis. How does this order in the creation story make sense practically and scientifically, since science is simply the study of how God’s creation functions and operates. It appears that the light that God created on the first day was made for the purpose of creating life, while the sunlight was created to sustain that life which was already created. After the plant life was created on the third day, the sunlight was then created to sustain this plant life. We know that plants are sustained, or grow, through sunlight. Thus, These heavenly bodies were created to sustain life.

Days 5-6 - On the fifth and sixth days God created the lower and higher orders of the animal kingdom which are sustained by the plant life. They procreate, not by pollination as do plants, but by the higher order of copulation, by which they are able to become “fruitful and multiply.”

Day 7 On the seventh day God rested from His handiwork.

The Order of Each Day of Creation Another observation that we can make about the seven days of creation is that God began each day by speaking the Word and He ended each day by rejoicing in His day’s work by saying that it was good. This tells us to set our day in order by first listening to God in prayer to hear a word from Him as well as speaking the Word of God in faith each morning. This spoken word of faith sets the destiny for our day. It is how we set our day in order as God did with each day. We too are to learn to enjoy each day without becoming anxious about tomorrow; for this is God’s daily plan for our lives.

Just as God gave man the general dimensions of the Tabernacle, but He left the details up to men to create and design, so does God give us a plan and purpose for our lives, but He does not reveal the details to us, so that we can be creative and inspired and enjoy each day’s task of designing the details. God enjoyed His work of creation and He wants us to enjoy each day’s work.

The Witnesses in Creation to God’s Divine Character John 1:1-5 reveals to us the divine attributes of the Word of God. The Word is (1) eternal, (2) God Himself, (3) the medium of creation, and (4) the source of Life. Benny Hinn says that the “Word” within the context of this passage of Scripture means, “the Revelation of God.” [54] In other words, since the beginning of time, God has revealed Himself to mankind through His creation by the means of “the light,” or the revelation of Himself, that shines in the darkness of every man’s soul. Hebrew Genesis 3:1 tells us that there are two aspects to God’s being; His essence and His glory. John 1:1-5 tells us that the Word is an attribute of His essence, and Psalms 19:1 says creation reveals His glory. God’s glory is revealed to mankind through His creation, while His essence is revealed through the Word of God. God’s creation reveals to mankind a general revelation of Himself (Psalms 19:1-6), while the Word reveals specific details of God’s divine nature or essence (Psalms 19:7-10).

[54] Benny Hinn, “Fire Conference,” Miracle Center Cathedral, Kampala, Uganda, 5-6 June 2009.

Hebrews 1:3, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Psalms 19:1, To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

No one with a heart who believes in God has any problem believing that He can make the heavens and the earth in six days, for an All-powerful God could have created the world in a second if He so chose to do so. All of creation declares that there is an omnipotent Creator. One preacher said that if a person can believe the story of Creation, then he can believe the rest of the Bible. Randy Ruiz said, “Science is our servant, not our master.” [55] God created all things, and science is a tool that can be used to testify of this fact. The Scriptures tell us that creation as a whole was designed to testify to the eternal power and divine character of the One who created it (Romans 1:19-20).

[55] Randy Ruis, “Sermon,” Panama City First Assembly of God, 3 July 2011.

Romans 1:19-20, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

In God’s wisdom, we see passages scattered throughout the Scriptures revealing to us how every detail and tiny aspect of God’s creation was designed to testify of a particular aspect of God’s divine character, for this is exactly what Romans 1:19-20 is saying. We can learn of God’s ways of dealing with man by looking within the laws of nature. We see this comparison between God’s creation and our lives all the time in the form of sports and institutional logos, national emblems, etc, when they take the form of animals or other objects in nature. [56]

[56] Additional symbols of God’s divine character revealed in nature can be found in Frances Roberts, Come Away My Beloved (Ojai, California: King’s Farspan, Inc., 1973), 178-9; Rick Joyner, The Call (Charlotte, North Carolina: Morning Star Publications, 1999); and Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet.

God’s Creation - Solomon must have seen the glory of God in His magnificent creation in order to write about trees, beasts, birds, creeping thing and fish (1 Kings 4:32-33).

1 Kings 4:32-33, “And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.”

The book of Canticles uses figurative language of many aspects of God’s creation to symbolize our relationship with God.

As we go forth from our house each day, do not go with a closed mind, but look around you and behold the glory and majesty of our God.

We read in fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians about the resurrection of the dead. In this lengthy passage Paul the apostle uses the order of God’s creation to explain the resurrection of man. He tells us “there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.” (1 Corinthians 15:39-41) Paul then states that in a similar way the resurrection of man will yield a different body of a different glory.

The Heavens - As we look up towards heaven or try to look beyond the horizon, we are reminded that God’s mercy and forgiveness is likened to the width and height of His creation.

Psalms 103:11-12, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

The Sun - The Jewish day began at dusk. Therefore, as the sun sets each day and rises in the morning, so was Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected to become the Light of the World. With each new day comes God’s mercy and compassion (Lamentations 3:22-23) just as our faith in Jesus brings God’s mercy into our lives.

The Stars - We read in E. W. Bullinger’s book The Witness of the Stars how the twelve constellations in the heavens serve as a witness to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ over all of creation. [57]

[57] E. W. Bullinger, The Witness of the Stars (London: E. W. Bullinger, c1893). A number of other books have been written on this subject, including Frances Rolleston, Mazzaroth (New York: Cosimo Classics, c1862, 2008); Joseph Seiss, A Gospel in the Stars (New York: Charles C. Cook, c1884, 1910); William D. Banks, The Heavens Declare (Krikwood, Missouri: Impact Christian Books, 1985); D. James Kennedy, and Nancy Britt, The Real Meaning of the Zodiac (Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Coral Ridge Ministries Media, c1989).

Day and Night The fact that we work during the daytime and rest at night testifies to the fact that we are to serve the Lord in this life, because after we die there is no way to undo what we have done while we were alive. We will be judged based upon the works we did in this life “while it was day.” Note John 9:4.

John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Regarding the brightness of the noontime sun, Peter tells us to if we will submit our hearts and lives to the Word of God and allow it to have supreme authority in our lives, then we will begin to grow in our revelation of its meaning. God’s Word will become brighter and brighter in our hearts day by day just as the sun brightens the day hour by hour.

2 Peter 1:19, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:”

The Mountains and Valleys When John the Baptist began to prophesy out of the book of Isaiah he cried, “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low.” Within this context, the mountains are figurative for those men who are high and proud and lift themselves up in this world. The valleys represent the lowly who have been pressed down in this world. Thus, the epistle of James tells us that God will humble the proud and exalt the lowly.

Luke 3:4-6, “As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

James 1:9, “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.”

The Elements of the Earth - Ecclesiastes 1:5-11 tells us that when we observe how the basic elements of the earth, which are heat, wind and rain, continually recycle themselves and return to their origin, we can learn that there is also nothing new in the way humanity behaves itself in society. As nature has cycles, so does human history.

The Precious Metals and Gems - When we consider that the most valuable treasures on earth, such as diamonds and gems, gold, silver and brass, even oil, all must be dug out from the depths of the earth, we cannot help but compare this to the fact that God’s treasures of wisdom and understanding must also be sought out in a similar way. How often have we sought out direction from the Lord much like a miners digs and makes great efforts to finding hidden mineral ores. Note:

Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”

The Forces of Nature - His catastrophic acts in nature, such as floods, fires, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, famines and pestilences all reveal His eternal judgment (Genesis 19:0 and Jude 1:7).

Jude 1:7, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

Lakes and Rivers - We are to draw deeply out of our spirit to know His fullness and peace just as the lakes hide their secrets in their depths. We are to move ever forward on this journey of life that He has ordained for us to walk just as the brooks flow ever onward towards the sea. We are to keep this channel of water free from obstructions and debris, to straighten is course so that our journey is not hindered. The intricate and wonderful details of His creation testify to His intricate and wonderful plan that He has ordained for each of our lives.

The Clouds and Rain In his book At the Master’s Feet Sadhu Sundar Singh gives many metaphors of nature as it reveals the divine principles of God. Here are some of them:

“Just as the salt water of the sea is drawn upwards by the hot rays of the sun, and gradually takes on the form of clouds, and, turned thus into sweet and refreshing water, falls in showers on the earth (for the sea water as it rises upwards leaves behind it its salt and bitterness), so when the thoughts and desires of the man of prayer rise aloft like misty emanations of the soul, the rays of the Sun of Righteousness purify them of all sinful taint, and his prayers become a great cloud which descends from heaven in a shower of blessing, bringing refreshment to many on the earth.” [58]

[58] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “III Prayer,” section 1, part 5.

The Wind - Frances J. Roberts says that God’s voice is heard in the blowing of the wind, in the rustling of the trees, in the tumbling of the flowing streams, in the breaking of the waves. [59]

[59] Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved (Ojai, California: King’s Farspan, Inc., 1973), 178.

The Plant Kingdom - In his book At the Master’s Feet Sadhu Sundar Singh makes comments on how plants and flowers declare God’s glory.

“In the same way as climate produces a change in form, colour, and the habits of growth in plants and flowers, so those who maintain communion with Me undergo a development of their spiritual nature in habit, appearance, and disposition; and putting off the old man they are transformed into My own glorious and incorruptible image.” [60]

[60] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “III Prayer,” section 3, part 6.

The Grass and Flowers of the Field - The flowers tell us not to worry about our clothing, for He will take care of His children. The beauty in His flowers tells us that He is concerned about the little things in our lives and His desire for us to prosper and have a happy life. Just as surely the rain and snow come down and water the earth and it brings forth seed to eat and seed to sow, so will God provide for us as we do His Word (Isaiah 55:10-13). Also, there are many passages in the Scriptures that compare our brevity in life to the grass and the flowers that flourish today and are gone tomorrow (1 Peter 1:24-25). The brief beauty of the flower can reflect man’s short-lived accomplishments in this life. For both quickly vanish away and are forgotten.

Trees - As the trees grow upwards towards the sun, ever dependent upon it for life, so do we ever look upward to our Heavenly Father as our source of life. A tree being cut down is used to describe how the Lord will cut down the nation of Israel.

Isaiah 6:13, “And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leaves stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.” ( NIV)

As the trees sway in the wind, so do our hearts often sway to the circumstances that blow into our lives. Note:

Isaiah 7:2, “And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.”

The budding of the trees symbolizes the changes of divine seasons as well as telling us of the changes of the seasons of nature.

Luke 21:29-31, “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

The Animal Kingdom - The Lord revealed His majesty to Job by revealing the glories of His creation (Job 38-41), such as the mighty beasts. These four chapters in Job reveal a great amount of details of how creation declares the glory of God. The moth in the book of Job teaches us how frail our life really is without God’s divine hand of protection upon us (see Job 4:19). The animals described in the book of Proverbs reveal God’s wonders (Proverbs 30:18-19), His wisdom (Proverbs 30:24-28) and His beauty (Proverbs 30:29-31).

Creeping Animals and Florescent Light Note the following quote from Sadhu Sundar Singh regarding creeping animals and florescent light.

“There are little creatures far inferior to man, like the firefly, with its flickering light, and certain small plants among the vegetation in the Himalayas, which by their faint phosphorescent radiance illuminate as far as they can the dark jungle where they live. Tiny fish also that swim in the deep waters of the ocean give forth a glimmering light which guides other fish and helps them to elude their enemies. How much more ought My children to be lights in the world (Matt. v.14) and be eager in self-sacrifice to bring into the way of truth, by means of their God-given light, those who by reason of darkness are liable to become the prey of Satan.” [61]

[61] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “IV Service,” section 2, part 4.

Animals and Their Camouflage - Note the following quote from Sadhu Sundar Singh regarding animals and their camouflage.

“To pray is as it were to be on speaking terms with Me, and so by being in communion with and abiding in Me to become like Me. There is a kind of insect which feeds upon and lives among grass and green leaves and becomes like them in colour. Also the polar bear dwelling among the white snows has the same snowy whiteness, and the tiger of Bengal bears upon its skin the marks of the reeds among which it lives. So those, who by means of prayer abide in communion with Me partake, with the saints and angels, of My Nature, and being formed in My image become like Me.” [62]

[62] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “III Prayer,” section 3, part 1.

The Animal Kingdom and Its Sight - Note the following quote from Sadhu Sundar Singh regarding the animal kingdom and its sight.

“If they do not use these heaven-sent powers in the service of God and His creatures they are in danger of losing for ever those heavenly gifts. This is what has happened to certain fish that live in the deep waters of dark caves, also to some hermits in Tibet, for both have lived so long in darkness that they have entirely lost their sight. In like manner the ostrich, through not using its wings, has lost altogether the power of flight. Take heed, therefore, not to neglect whatever gifts or talents have been entrusted to you, but make use of them that you may share in the bliss and glory of your Master (Matt. xxv.14-30).” [63]

[63] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “IV Service,” section 2, part 5.

Bees and Honey - Note the following quote from Sadhu Sundar Singh regarding bees and honey.

“Just as the bee collects the sweet juice of the flowers and turns it into honey without injuring their colour or fragrance, so the man of prayer gathers happiness and profit from all God’s creation without doing any violence to it. As bees also gather their honey from flowers in all sorts of different places and store it in the honeycomb, so the man of God gathers sweet thoughts and feelings from every part of creation, and in communion with his Creator collects in his heart the honey of truth, and in enduring peace with Him at all times and in all places, tastes with delight the sweet honey of God.” [64]

[64] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “III Prayer,” section 3, part 4.

The Birds - In the Sermon on the Mount, the birds tell us that our heavenly Father will always provide our needs, so we are not to worry about food.

The Birds - Jeremiah tells us that as the stork knows it appointed times and seasons, so should we be able to observe them and understand that God has appointed times and seasons for man to know and to follow.

Jeremiah 8:7, “Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.”

The Beasts - As we observe how the ox knows his owner and the ass his master’s crib, so should we see how we are to honor the Lord (Isaiah 1:3).

The Ram Daniel 8:1-27 gives us the vision of the ram and the he-goat butting heads in battle. It is the natural characteristic of these animals to butt heads. Thus, as we see battles fought in nature over territory, so do we understand that there a battles being fought in the heavenly realm.

The Human Body- 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 explains how the many parts of man’s physical body is a type and figure of the spiritual body of Christ, the Church.

God created man with a nature to hunger and thirst on a daily basis as a reminder of our daily need to be feed spiritually. Note:

1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

Sadhu Sundar Singh writes:

“I have infused into man’s nature hunger and thirst, that he may not in sheer heedlessness regard himself as God, but that day by day he may be reminded of his needs and that his life is bound up with the life and existence of Someone who created him. Thus being made aware of his defects and necessities, he may abide in Me and I in him, and then he will ever find in Me his happiness and joy.” [65]

[65] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “III Prayer,” section 2, part 10.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 teaches us that the mystery of the forming of a child in the womb testifies to us that God’s ways are beyond our understanding.

Ecclesiastes 11:5, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.”

Mankind and His Inventions - Note these insightful words by Rick Joyner regarding the glory of God’s creation:

“Soon after, I awoke. For days afterward, I felt an energy surging through me making everything look glorious. I loved everything that I saw. A doorknob seemed wonderful beyond comprehension. Old houses and cars were so beautiful to me that I was sorry I was not an artist so that I could capture their beauty and nobility. Trees and animals all seemed like very special personal friends. Every person I saw was like a library of revelation and meaning, and I was so thankful for eternity so that I could get to know them all. I could not look at anything without seeing magnificence, hardly believing that I had walked through so much of my life and missed so much.” [66]

[66] Rick Joyner, The Call (Charlotte, North Carolina: Morning Star Publications, 1999), 33-4.

Human Trials The Scriptures tell us when we are tried and tested by God is it for the purpose of purifying our hearts.

Proverbs 17:3, “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.”

Human Calamities When Jesus Christ was asked about the tragedy of Pilate killing some Galileans He quickly responded by calling His hearers to repentance. Jesus then tells them a second story of human calamity when the tower of Siloam fell upon eighteen people killing them and again calls them to repentance. We learn from these two stories that refer to human calamities that such events are God’s call to repentance. God uses such tragedies to call men to repentance as Jesus Christ did so in this story.

Luke 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Comments on the Phrase “and God saw that it was good” We read throughout the story of Creation where God steps back at the end of each day to look at what He has just created and says that it was good (Genesis 1:10; Genesis 1:12; Genesis 1:18; Genesis 1:21; Genesis 1:25; Genesis 1:31). Joyce Meyer once asked the Lord why He took seven days in creation when He could have spoken it all into existence in one day. The Lord replied that it was because He wanted to enjoy each step of His beautiful creation. [67] In other words, it was because of enjoyment. This is why He ended each day with the words, “It was good.” Just imagine God enjoying each and every day of creation. Although on no single day was the work fully completed, God enjoyed each day’s accomplishments. In fact, Job 38:7 tells us that the angels of God took the time to rejoice with Him during each day of His creation.

[67] Joyce Meyer, Life in the Word (Fenton, Missouri: Joyce Meyer Ministries), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.

Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

This insight into the story of creation teaches us that God wants us to learn to enjoy each day, for this is His divine plan for us. Thus, in a similar way, when I finish a project or job after a long, hard day of work, I take pleasure in standing back and spending time looking at the work I have just accomplished and beholding how good it looks. In a similar way, God stepped back with His creation and enjoyed His handiwork.

I once walked into a mechanic shop as a young man and observed a mechanic working skillfully with his hands. Since I did not have the same skills as he did, I just stood and watched him at work. I marveled and how he controlled and how swiftly he moved about the parts that he was working on. I was simply admiring the word of his hands. How much more marvelous is God’s handiwork.

God was not only referring to the goodness of His creation as He saw at that moment, because in this present age it appears as if His creation has fallen into vanity and decay. He was also referring to His creation when it reaches perfection in the final restoration of all things; for God does not dwell in the realm of time as we do, but He dwells in Eternity, and therefore, He sees all things from an eternal perspective. In the phrase, “God saw…,” He saw the fullness of His creation when all things would be fulfilled in the beauty described in Revelation 21-22. Note these insightful words from Sadhu Sundar Singh.

“In the book of nature, of which I also am the Author, I freely manifest Myself. But for the reading of this book also spiritual insight is needed, that men may find Me, otherwise there is a danger lest instead of finding Me they go astray. Thus the blind man uses the tips of his fingers as eyes, and by means of touch alone reads a book, but by touch alone can form no real estimate of its truth. The investigations of agnostics and sceptics prove this, for in place of perfection they see only defects. Fault finding critics ask, “If there is an Almighty Creator of the world why are there defects in it, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, eclipses, pain, suffering, death, and the like?” The folly of this criticism is similar to that of an unlearned man who finds fault with an unfinished building or an incomplete picture. After a time, when he sees them fully finished, he is ashamed of his folly, and ends by singing their praises. Thus too, God did not in one day give to this world its present form, nor will it in one day reach perfection. The whole creation moves onward to perfection, and if it were possible for the man of this world to see from afar with the eyes of God the perfect world in which no defect appears, he too would bow in praise before Him and say, ‘All is very good’ (Gen. i.31).” [68]

[68] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “I The Manifestation of God’s Presence,” section 2, part 6.

As we look at creation today, we only see it in the realm of time, and in this, we only see it from the perspective of the time in which we live. We see the earth in travail and decay. We see the suffering of humanity and of creation and we ask, “Why are all of these bad things happening? Should God try and stop them from taking place?” The eye of faith see as God sees, knowing that all things will be restored into the fullness of the glory for which it was created.

Comments on the Phrase “and the Evening and the Morning” At the end of each day of creation, the Scriptures place the evening before the morning. Alfred Edersheim tells us that as a result, the Jewish day begins at evening (6:00 p.m.) instead of at midnight, as is used in the modern Western civilization. [69]

[69] Alfred Edersheim says, “It is noteworthy that in Genesis 1:0 we always read, ‘And the evening and the morning were the first day,’ or second, or third day, etc. Hence the Jews calculate the day from evening to evening, that is, from the first appearance of the stars in the evening to the first appearance of stars next evening, and not, as we do, from midnight to midnight.” See Alfred Edersheim, The Bible History Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmann Publishing Company, c1876-1887, 1984) 19.

The Meaning of the Word “Day” The development of modern science over the last few centuries have caused a number of differing views to emerge among Christian scholarship over the interpretation of the Hebrew word יום (H3117) in the Creation story. Gesenius says the word יום comes from an unused root meaning “heat,” so that יום literally means “the heat of the day.” Thus, it can refer to a 12-hour period, or a 24-hour period. Besides referring to a literally day, Gesenius says it carries the broader meaning of an event, such as a Jewish feast day, or a day of battle, or the coming judgment day of the Lord. The Scriptures also use the word יום within the context of prophecy. For example, one day ( יום ) is compared to “a thousand years” (Psalms 90:4. 2 Peter 3:8), and Daniel’s 72-week prophecy explains that one week represents seven years, so that a day represents a year (Daniel 9:24-27).

The argument surrounding the word ( יום ) in the Creation Story focuses upon whether the day should be interpreted as a literal 24-hour period of time, or as a vast expanse of time that allows the universe to be millions or billions of years old.

1. The 24-Hour Day Interpretation Conservative scholars believe the Creation Story must be interpreted as a literal six-day event. There appear to be three main arguments to support this view. Gordon Wenham says, “There can be little doubt that here ‘day’ has its basic sense of a 24-hour period. The mention of morning and evening, the enumeration of the days, and the divine rest on the seventh show that a week of divine activity is being described here.” [70]

[70] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, in Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, vol 1, eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 3.0b [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2004), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), 19.

a. The Description of Evening and Morning in the Creation Story - The description of evening and morning characterizing each day of creation supports the literal interpretation of a 24-hour day in the Creation Story. Stambaugh says the words “evening” and “morning” are used thirty eight times in the same Old Testament verse, and each time a literal day is understood (see Exodus 16:8; Exodus 18:13).

b. The Use of Numbers Combined with ( יום ) in the Creation Story - James Stambaugh believes the use of the word “yom” ( יום ) rather than the Hebrew word for “time” was intentional by the author of the Creation Story. [71] He argues that the Scriptures combine the Hebrew word ( יום ) with a number on three hundred fifty seven occasions outside the Creation Story, and on all of these occasions it refers to a literal 24-hour period of time. Therefore, he concludes that the word ( יום ) should refer to a 24-hour period within the context of Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3.

[71] James Stambaugh, “The Meaning of ‘Day’ in Genesis,” Institute for Creation Research, October 1988 [on-line]; accessed November 15, 2008; available from http://www.icr.org/article/288; Internet.

c. The Sabbath Rest in the Creation Story - Stambaugh argues that God’s declaration that He created the earth and its inhabitants in six days and rested on the seventh supports a literal interpretation, since the context of this statement in Exodus 20:11 refers to literal days, and was intended to teach the Israelites to rest on the seventh day.

Exodus 20:11, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

d. The Sequence of Plant Life and Sunlight in the Creation Story - Carl Baugh explains that the sun and heavenly bodies were not created until the fourth day, while plant life was created on the third day. He says that 98% of plants are procreated by the intervention of birds and insects, yet the birds were not created until the fifth day. This leads him to the conclusion that the six days of creation could not have taken place over a long period of time, but must have taken place within a brief period; otherwise, the plants would have quickly become extinct due to lack of sunlight for photosynthesis, and due to lack of procreation from birds and insects. [72]

[72] Carl Baugh, Creation in the 21 st Century (Glen Rose, Texas: Creation Evidence Museum) , on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.

2. The Day-Age Interpretation - Modern science has given weight to arguments that the earth is in fact ancient, and that the universe was created billions of years ago. This view has led many Christian scholars to form arguments for an ancient earth within the context of the Creation Story.

a. The Creation Story as an Evolutionary Scheme - Rich Deem believes the Creation Story reflects an evolutionary scheme. He says the universe is billions of years old, and explains how each day of the Creation Story actually describe the process of evolution and natural selection over a vast period of time. [73] He says the Spirit hovering over the primordial waters caused the creation of the first single-cell life in the oceans, and the progressive evolution of plant life, then lower and higher animal life in the Creation Story fit neatly into the evolutionary scheme. He believes the plants and trees of the third day of creation needed many seasons of years to grow and produce seeds. He believes the sun and moon and stars were not created on the fourth day, but rather, the cloud shrouding the earth was simply removed so that these heavenly bodies could light the earth. He also believes that unlike all other plant and animal life that came about through a process of evolution from a single cell, man was created by God on the sixth day, and did not evolve from an ape. He believes the fossil records of ancient ape-men are actually apes in the process of evolution. Deem’s argument weakens when he has to adjust the creation of the heavenly bodies from the fourth day to the beginning of time in order to accommodate his creation model. It is also weakened when he allows evolution and natural selection to play the leading role in determine the design of plant and animal life, meaning God took a more passive role in His creation. In contrast, those holding to the 24-hour day interpretation believe God created each plant and animal through the spoken word, as the biblical text literally states. Deem’s argument that God did make man instantly, while the beasts evolved, conflicts with the biblical text, which uses the same Hebrew word ( עָשָׂה ) for God making both man and beasts: “God made the beast of the earth,” (Genesis 1:25) and “Let us make man in our image,” (Genesis 1:26).

[73] Rich Deem, “Does Genesis One Conflict with Science? Day-Age Interpretation,” God and Science, March 3, 2005 [on-line]; accessed November 15, 2008; available from http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/day-age.html; Internet.

b. The Delayed Creation of the Heavenly Bodies in the Creation Story - One proponent of the view that the Creation story covers billions of years of time is Hugh Ross. [74] He says a literal day is relative to the rotation of a planetary body; therefore, a day could not have a literal 24-hour relevance until the sun and moon and stars were created on the fourth day. Therefore, he believes each day represents a lengthy period of several million years.

[74] “The Earth's 24-hour day (Genesis 1:14-18) took on temporal significance only when the signs, the heavenly reference points (sun, moon, and stars), became visible. There is no a priori reason to assume that the Earth's day and each of God's creation days represent the same period of time....In the strictest sense, a day is the rotation period of a heavenly body. In the time of Moses people were familiar with only one such day. But, God had some 10 26 spinning bodies in the universe from which to choose. Based on scientific dating records, each of God's creation days is several hundred millions years long.” See Hugh Ross, Genesis 1:0 : A Scientific Perspective, Revised Edition, Sierra Madre, California: Wiseman Productions, 1983, 11.

c. The Use of ( יום ) Outside the Creation Story to Represent Vast Periods of Time - The Scriptures not only uses the word ( יום ) to refer to a literal 24-hour day, but it is also used outside the Creation Story to refer to a vast period of time. For example, the word ( יום ) refers to period of time of “a thousand years” in two verses (Psalms 90:4. 2 Peter 3:8). Daniel’s seventy-two week prophecy is interpreted by the angel, who says one week prophetically represents seven years, so that a day represents a year (Daniel 9:24-27). However, many scholars do not believe such correlations can be easily justified. Wenham says “ Psalms 90:4 indeed says that a thousand years are as a day in God’s sight. But it is perilous to try to correlate scientific theory and biblical revelation by appeal to such texts.” [75]

[75] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, in Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, vol 1, eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 3.0b [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2004), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), 19.

d. The Absence of Hebrew Definite Article in the Creation Story - The absence of the Hebrew definite article with ( יום ) for the first five days suggests a longer period of time than a literal day. Against this view, Stambaugh argues that the use of the definite article in the Old Testament has more than one way of being used, so that grammar alone is not a valid argument for interpreting ( יום ) as a long period of time. [76] He believes that numbers serve the place of definite articles in the Hebrew text. Also, the sixth and seventh day are used with the definite article.

[76] James Stambaugh, "The Meaning of ‘Day’ in Genesis," Institute for Creation Research, October 1988 [on-line]; accessed November 15, 2008; available from http://www.icr.org/article/288; Internet.

The Names of God in the Creation Story In Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3 the Hebrew word used for the name of God is אֱלֹהִים (H430) (God) while the first genealogy of the Generations of the Heavens and Earth (Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 4:26) uses the double name אֱלֹהִים (H430) יְהוָֹה (H3068) (Lord God). Jerry Vine suggests the singular use of “God” emphasizes God’s “majesty and might” in the Creation Story, while the double use of “Lord God” reflects “His covenant relation to man” in the Genealogy of the Heavens and Earth. [77]

[77] Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1999), 118.

Parallel Accounts of the Creation Story in the Holy Scripture As we study the Scriptures we find that there are a number of other passages that reveal the events in the Story of Creation. As stated above, we have the testimony of the Father’s role in Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:4 as the One who has planned and foreknown all things. We have the testimony of the Son’s role in John 1:1-14 as the Word of God through whom all things were created. In Proverbs 8:22-31, we have the testimony of the role of the Holy Spirit in creation as the Wisdom and Power of God. Job 38:1 to Job 39:30 reveals the majesty and glory of God Almighty by describing the details of how His creation came into existence. 2 Peter 3:5-7 refers to the story of creation with emphasis upon God’s pending destruction of all things in order to judge the sins of mankind. Hebrews 11:3 tells us how it is by faith that we understand how the world was created by the Word of God. We can find many other brief references to the creation of the earth throughout the Scriptures.

Psalms 33:6-9, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 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.”

Psalms 119:89-91, “LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.”

Psalms 146:5-6, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:”

Proverbs 3:19, “The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.”

Jeremiah 10:11-12, “Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.”

Romans 4:17, “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”

The Power of the Spoken Word in the Creation Story - In August 1988 I packed up my belonging in an old pick-up truck and left Panama City, Florida headed to Fort Worth, Texas. The Lord had laid on my heart that He had opened up a door for me to go back to school. I had stepped out of the Southern Baptism denomination and its largest seminary five years earlier in order to join a charismatic church. I did not understand much about these new teachings, but I knew that they seemed more powerful and anointed than the teachings I had been raised on. After a few dreams, the witness of my heart, and some obvious circumstances that confirmed this decision to go to Texas, I said good-by to my family and packed my few belongings. Therefore, here I was, on the road, headed to Fort Worth in an old pick-up for which I had paid $300.00. And my personal belongings easily fit in the bed, with plenty of room to spare. I had seen in a dream that my brother, who recently graduated from the Baptist seminary in Fort Worth, would soon leave this town. So, by faith, I drove out here and stayed with him and his wife for six months, at which time, they moved back to Florida, our home state. This had given me just enough time to find a steady job and rent a one-bedroom apartment.

I did not have much materially, but I had spent the last five years learning these new "full gospel" teachings, reading books by Kenneth Hagin, John Olsten and the Scriptures and I knew in my heart that I had faith in God. So, when the manager of the apartment complex asked me to work as a maintenance man, I was desperate for a steady job. I had to pick up the grounds in the morning, and work in apartments during the day. Fortunate, this manager was a Christian who believed as I did, so I joined her church.

After about six months, I came to her and suggested that we begin the workday with prayer and give all of the employees an opportunity to join us. We had both been thinking about doing this for several months prior to starting this early morning prayer. She was in agreement. So, I began leading prayer each morning for a few minutes before we began work. About three weeks into this commitment, I was praying along nice and normal so as not to offend some of the backsliders that would reluctantly join us each morning, when these words rolled out of my mouth, "Occupy 'till I come." I had not been thinking about this passage in Matthew when I prayed it, but had learned enough about the work of the Spirit to realize that the Lord was speaking to me by quickening this verse during prayer. As I went home later that night to re-read this passage, I picked up on the idea that the Lord was wanting me to take spiritual authority over that apartment complex and begin to break the devil's strongholds off of our work place. So I began to use Scriptures and pray more aggressively than just, "Lord, bless so-and-so," or, "Lord, help us have a good day at work."

Several months later, as I was waking up, these words came into my heart, "Prophesy what the men of God in the Bible prophesied and pray for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit." Of course, I did not know what it really meant. I had heard of gifted ministers who could prophesy and certain men in the Bible and in the church today who were filled with the Holy Spirit. As I simply began to do what I felt was a word from God, this morning prayer endeavor began to take on an entirely new meaning. He seemed to say to me, “Lay hands on others to be filled with the Lord,” and, “David and Samuel, see what they prophesied to those around them and do the same.” Also, study what other men of God prophesied.

As I begin to explain what began to happen, I pray that it will somehow change your life as dramatically as it has changed my life. I did not realize until later that the Lord was teaching me how to set this time of early morning prayer in order and how to pray effectively. I studied the Scripture passages where men of God would speak a blessing over others. I studied Jeremiah, where God set him over nations and kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. All this was done simply by prophesying. All of a sudden, faith began to rise in my heart to speak the Scriptures in faith believing that they would also come to pass.

This teaching of the Scriptures began to open up to me unlike anything I had ever understood before. I began the workday calling things which were not as though they were. I began to call our apartment a delightsome land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and that nations were rising up and calling us blessed. How could I say this in faith? Because I was a tither and the Bible says that this would happen to those who tithe. Within a few months of praying this every day, the owners came and repaired and painted all of the buildings on the property. The apartment began looking like the Word of God said it should. Prospects would come into the office and comment on how nice this place was beginning to look (nations were rising up and calling up blessed). Out of Romans, chapter four, I began to call this apartment complex "filled with a multitude." I saw that the Lord began to call Abraham this name long before it came to pass, so I was doing the same.

Every time I would see a Scripture, I would add it to my list of confessions of faith. I knew that few people in our prayer group understood why I was praying like this, especially when the Christian manager and I would have to pray for months at a time with no one else joining in. I guess we looked and sounded pretty strange. However, I was on to something. I would find those passages where the priests in the Old Testament were to bless the children of Israel (Numbers 6:23-27), or where Boaz would begin the work day by saying to his workers, "The Lord be with you," and they would respond by saying, "The Lord bless thee," (Ruth 2:4). Or, out of Isaiah, I would call every desolate apartment inhabited. Where the Bible says, "there is none to say restore , " I began to prophesy restoration, for all of the years that this property had been under the curse and the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar and the palmerworm had consumed, I said, “Restore.” I would call to the north to give up, to the south to hold not back and to the east and west to bring good prospect from afar. I world rejoice when people would come from out of state to rent these apartments and they became filled with a multitude with high occupancy. During the mornings when I did not feel like prophesying, I would speak Joel 3:10, "Let the weak say, I am strong."

Also, I would pray for God to fill each of us with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, and of the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, for the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him... that we might know what is the hope of his calling, what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe. I prayed for wisdom out of James 1:5. I prayed for days, weeks, months, even years before seeing some of these things come to pass. When we are filled with the spirit of God and his wisdom and strength, we can do a better job at work each day. We will have inspired ideas, health and the courage to have a good attitude.

About one year into this commitment, the Lord spoke to me two verses in order to help me understand why the things that I were praying for were coming to pass. He spoke to me John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word." The Lord said to me that everything begins with the spoken word. And He gave me Genesis 1:2, "and the earth was without form, and void: and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said..." The Lord began to say to me that this is what many people's lives are like, their lives are without form or purpose and their heart are void and empty, that they walk in darkness each day groping about trying to find peace. The Lord also said to me that He would not have asked me to do something that He Himself would not have had to do also. You see, no one has ever faced a worse world of circumstances that God. And the way He handled it was that He began to prophesy and say, "Let there be..." When God spoke, life and circumstances began to conform to the word of God, and life began to take on purpose and direction. We too, are created in the image of God, even down to our tongue and our words. I saw that I no longer had to be ruled in life by circumstances, but rather a confession on faith in God's word, when spoken in faith, would prevail over any circumstance.

For four years I called Brown Trail Apartments the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. Finally, our property won the "best-overall-property-of-the-year" award and the most-improved-property-of-the-year award. I saw those two awards as a testimony to the power of God's word mixed with faith. At that time, in May of 1993, I was given a promotion into the regional office where the Lord set me over ten properties to prophesy. Jeremiah 29:7 says, "...seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." I had sought and prayed for peace where I worked and was used to walking in that peace. I will never forget the change of atmosphere from a property where God's presence prevailed to a new office of honky tonk music, swearing and cigarette smoke. No believers worked in this office. So after hours, I would walk my new "city" and take authority over it. All but one of those employees are gone now, there is no worldly music, nor cigarette smoke here, because God's word prevails.

During the three years that I have been here, the Lord has continually given me favor with the president and vice-president of the company. God is teaching me how to be a Godly leader in this company and has given me much authority. I now have the authority to prophesy over every property in Texas. I have been calling DMJ Management Co. filled with a multitude of residents and new properties. This past year has seen the highest overall occupancies and income in history, and this coming year will be a time of buying more income properties.

I worked under two godly men who lift up my hands each day as I endeavor to lift up their hands. And this journey has taught me that there is nothing in my life that I cannot do or attain, if I base it on God's word mixed with faith in His word. I live in victory, and not defeat. I have more dreams and visions that I have time to pursue. Life and circumstances are not overcoming me, but rather I have learned to overcome life's circumstances. Praise be to the glorious name of Jesus.

Verses 4-25

Ten Genealogies (Calling) - The Genealogies of Righteous Men and their Divine Callings (To Be Fruitful and Multiply) - The ten genealogies found within the book of Genesis are structured in a way that traces the seed of righteousness from Adam to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and the seventy souls that followed him down into Egypt. The book of Genesis closes with the story of the preservation of these seventy souls, leading us into the book of Exodus where we see the creation of the nation of Israel while in Egyptian bondage, which nation of righteousness God will use to be a witness to all nations on earth in His plan of redemption. Thus, we see how the book of Genesis concludes with the origin of the nation of Israel while its first eleven chapters reveal that the God of Israel is in fact that God of all nations and all creation.

The genealogies of the six righteous men in Genesis (Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) are the emphasis in this first book of the Old Testament, with each of their narrative stories opening with a divine commission from God to these men, and closing with the fulfillment of prophetic words concerning the divine commissions. This structure suggests that the author of the book of Genesis wrote under the office of the prophet in that a prophecy is given and fulfilled within each of the genealogies of these six primary patriarchs. Furthermore, all the books of the Old Testament were written by men of God who moved in the office of the prophet, which includes the book of Genesis. We find a reference to the fulfillment of these divine commissions by the patriarchs in Hebrews 11:1-40. The underlying theme of the Holy Scriptures is God’s plan of redemption for mankind. Thus, the book of Genesis places emphasis upon these men of righteousness because of the role that they play in this divine plan as they fulfilled their divine commissions. This explains why the genealogies of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12-18) and of Esau (Genesis 36:1-43) are relatively brief, because God does not discuss the destinies of these two men in the book of Genesis. These two men were not men of righteousness, for they missed their destinies because of sin. Ishmael persecuted Isaac and Esau sold his birthright. However, it helps us to understand that God has blessed Ishmael and Esau because of Abraham although the seed of the Messiah and our redemption does not pass through their lineage. Prophecies were given to Ishmael and Esau by their fathers, and their genealogies testify to the fulfillment of these prophecies. There were six righteous men did fulfill their destinies in order to preserve a righteous seed so that God could create a righteous nation from the fruit of their loins. Illustration As a young schoolchild learning to read, I would check out biographies of famous men from the library, take them home and read them as a part of class assignments. The lives of these men stirred me up and placed a desire within me to accomplish something great for mankind as did these men. In like manner, the patriarchs of the genealogies in Genesis are designed to stir up our faith in God and encourage us to walk in their footsteps in obedience to God.

The first five genealogies in the book of Genesis bring redemptive history to the place of identifying seventy nations listed in the Table of Nations. The next five genealogies focus upon the origin of the nation of Israel and its patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

There is much more history and events that took place surrounding these individuals emphasized in the book of Genesis, which can be found in other ancient Jewish writings, such as The Book of Jubilees. However, the Holy Scriptures and the book of Genesis focus upon the particular events that shaped God’s plan of redemption through the procreation of men of righteousness. Thus, it was unnecessary to include many of these historical events that were irrelevant to God’s plan of redemption.

In addition, if we see that the ten genealogies contained within the book of Genesis show to us the seed of righteousness that God has preserved in order to fulfill His promise that the “seed of woman” would bruise the serpent’s head in Genesis 3:15, then we must understand that each of these men of righteousness had a particular calling, destiny, and purpose for their lives. We can find within each of these genealogies the destiny of each of these men of God, for each one of them fulfilled their destiny. These individual destinies are mentioned at the beginning of each of their genealogies.

It is important for us to search these passages of Scripture and learn how each of these men fulfilled their destiny in order that we can better understand that God has a destiny and a purpose for each of His children as He continues to work out His divine plan of redemption among the children of men. This means that He has a destiny for you and me. Thus, these stories will show us how other men fulfilled their destinies and help us learn how to fulfill our destiny. The fact that there are ten callings in the book of Genesis, and since the number “10” represents the concept of countless, many, or numerous, we should understand that God calls out men in each subsequent generation until God’s plan of redemption is complete.

We can even examine the meanings of each of their names in order to determine their destiny, which was determined for them from a child. Adam’s name means “ruddy, i.e. a human being” ( Strong), for it was his destiny to begin the human race. Noah’s name means, “rest” ( Strong). His destiny was to build the ark and save a remnant of mankind so that God could restore peace and rest to the fallen human race. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning, “father of a multitude” ( Strong), because his destiny was to live in the land of Canaan and believe God for a son of promise so that his seed would become fruitful and multiply and take dominion over the earth. Isaac’s name means, “laughter” ( Strong) because he was the child of promise. His destiny was to father two nations, believing that the elder would serve the younger. Isaac overcame the obstacles that hindered the possession of the land, such as barrenness and the threat of his enemies in order to father two nations, Israel and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “he will rule as God” ( Strong), because of his ability to prevail over his brother Esau and receive his father’s blessings, and because he prevailed over the angel in order to preserve his posterity, which was the procreation of twelve sons who later multiplied into the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, his ability to prevail against all odds and father twelve righteous seeds earned him his name as one who prevailed with God’s plan of being fruitful and multiplying seeds of righteousness.

In order for God’s plan to be fulfilled in each of the lives of these patriarchs, they were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. It was God’s plan that the fruit of each man was to be a godly seed, a seed of righteousness. It was because of the Fall that unrighteous seed was produced. This ungodly offspring was not then nor is it today God’s plan for mankind.

Outline Here is a proposed outline:

1. The Generation of the Heavens and the Earth Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 4:26

a) The Creation of Man Genesis 2:4-25

b) The Fall Genesis 3:1-24

c) Cain and Abel Genesis 4:1-26

2. The Generation of Adam Genesis 5:1 to Genesis 6:8

3. The Generation of Noah Genesis 6:9 to Genesis 9:29

4. The Generation of the Sons of Noah Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:9

5. The Generation of Shem Genesis 11:10-26

6. The Generation of Terah (& Abraham) Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 25:11

7. The Generation Ishmael Genesis 25:12-18

8. The Generation of Isaac Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29

9. The Generation of Esau Genesis 36:1-43

10. The Generation of Jacob Genesis 37:1 to Genesis 50:26