We do have a certain amount of development.

This does not mean that everything came from one little cell but that God made one of each creature and there has been development from each one.

God commanded the fish and fowl to be produced.

This command He Himself executed.

Insects, which are more numerous than the birds and beasts, and as curious, seem to have been part of this day's work.

The Creator's wisdom and power are to be admired as much in an ant as in an elephant.

The power of God's providence preserves all things, and fruitfulness is the effect of His blessing.



Our scripture will be coming from:



Genesis 1:20-25 KJV

[20] And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

[21] And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

[22] And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

[23] And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

[24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

[25] And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.



Now it is time for our verse break down:



Genesis 1:20
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

The ancient person sees the world in three parts: the watery world of seas, lakes, and rivers; the habitable world of dry ground; and the above-ground world of the atmosphere.

The word “kind” does not mean species, but it means more than that.

The word is phylum.

Phylum is a synonym for “kind.”

If you will look up that word in the dictionary, you will see that it means a direct line of descent within a group.

For instance, it would include not just one horse but every animal in the horse family.

God created one like that, and there has been development from each one, tremendous development.

Also there has been devolution—that is, there has been development, then later there has been degeneration.

Day five of creation begins, as the others have, with God speaking.

On this day, God speaks into existence the living animals for the watery world and the sky.

As before, this is presented from an observational perspective—what the author or any reader could see.

The signs of animal life appeared in the waters and in the air.

moving creature meaning, all producing young by means of eggs that are hatched after they have been laid by the parent.

Animals, both among the finny and the feathery tribes - remarkable for their rapid and massive increase.



Genesis 1:21
And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

The unpolluted and unfished waters of the ancient world teem with life.

This includes water creatures of massive size, something the author (Moses) is aware of on some level.

Has he heard of great whales that have breached the surface of the ocean or washed up on a beach?

God’s creation has variety that is barely imaginable for us.

After hundreds of years of study, scientists are still discovering and classifying new water creatures.

The author also acknowledges creation of the creatures of the atmospheric world, the birds.

He knows that most creatures do not have the capability of flight—only those with wings.

These make up a special and wonderful category of God’s good created animals.

The author also gives another insight into the wonder and awe of the ancient person when it comes to beholding God’s created order: the reproductive capability of water creatures and birds.

This is their ability to produce offspring after his/their kind.

Why does a sparrow always reproduce sparrows, not eagles sometimes?

Why does a trout always reproduce trout, not barracudas sometimes?

This is part of God’s created order as observed by the author, and it is marvelous for Him.

As we appreciate the enormous variety of God’s creatures, we should also understand the boundaries for variation He has built into each one.

fowl, meaning every flying thing: The word rendered “whales,” includes also sharks, crocodiles, etc..

So that from the countless shoals of small fish to the great sea monsters, from the tiny insect to the king of birds, the waters and the air were suddenly made to swarm with creatures formed to live and sport in their respective elements.



Genesis 1:22
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

How many of each type of fish or bird does God create to get things started?

We don’t know, but we do see that His plan includes multiplication of these creatures.

He intends that the salt waters and fresh waters be filled with appropriate creatures.

God intends that His created variety of birds multiply and spread throughout the earth.

It is a tragedy when a species becomes extinct because of human behavior.



Genesis 1:23
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

As the day ends by marking the cycle of the evening and the morning, the sustaining earth has been stocked in its waters and its air.



DAY SIX—FERTILITY OF ANIMAL LIFE

A farther advance was made by the creation of terrestrial animals, all the various species of which are included in three classes:

(1) cattle, the herbivorous kind capable of labor or domestication.

(2) wild animals, whose ravenous natures were then kept in check, and

(3) all the various forms of creeping things — from the huge reptiles to the insignificant caterpillars.



Genesis 1:24
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

God speaks again, on day six, to call into existence specific components of His overall created order.

On this day God addresses the dry land, the earth itself.

This will be the home of God’s ultimate creation, human beings, later in this same day (Genesis 1:26–30).

There are three general categories of land animals presented.

The first, cattle, is a generic term that means more than cows.

It generally refers to herded animals, and here it has the sense of domesticated livestock as distinct from wild animals (see below; also see the distinction in Leviticus 25:7).

This may include goats and sheep, which are popular choices among cultures dependent on herding.

Later in the history of Israel, it will be animals from this category that are considered ritually clean for food or sacrifice (see Leviticus 11).

The second category, the creeping thing, refers to creatures that live on the ground, including reptiles and snakes.

Such animals will not be considered clean when the food laws are instituted for Israel (Leviticus 11:42).

It is also likely that the tempting serpent of a coming story (Genesis 3:1) is included in this category.

The third category, the beast of the earth, refers to wild animals.

We might divide these into carnivores (example: lions), herbivores (example: gazelles), and omnivores (example: bears).

Such animals might be hunted for food, but they are not part of a nomadic herd or a located farm.



Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

As with the creatures of the sea and air, the land creatures are made with the capacity to reproduce after his/their kind.

Again, God finishes creating these three categories and sees His work as good.

We should notice there are many missing, undiscussed animals.

These categories are quite general and not intended to be exhaustive.

What about rodents—are they creeping things?

What about insects?

What about worms?

Or, some might ask, what about dinosaurs?

The silence of the text on such matters is just that: no information.

It does not imply ignorance or avoidance.

The author tells the story he wants to tell; and just as he does not divide the “stars” into planets, comets, meteors, and distant suns, he does not give more than a brief description of the creative activities of God on each of the days.



All right get those phone lines buzzing by the mighty dozens and let us know what you think of today's episod