How You Were Made

If you were to sit down in front of my computer and wait for the screen saver
to start up, you'd see picture after picture of the wonders of the universe: the
majestic Orion Nebula; the beautiful Whirlpool Galaxy; the ice-enshrouded
Enceladus, moon of Saturn. As telescopes get better, the beauty of God's
universe only becomes clearer.

And the Bible agrees. Psalms 19:1 says. "The heavens declare the glory of
God;
and the firmament shows His handiwork." (NKJV) But let's see what the
Bible says is God's ultimate creation.

What Does the Bible Say

Genesis 1:16 tells us about creation, "He
made the stars" (NKJV). It's seems, however, almost as if the
Author of Genesis is trying to hurry forward to something more important.

We don't have to read much further before we find out what could possibly be
more important than the stars.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'"
(Genesis 1:26,
ESV). And from here on, Genesis
1:26 to Revelation
22:21 (the last verse), everything in the Bible talks
about God and His relationship with man.

Here are a few ways we see God interacting with Adam and Eve, the first
couple:

"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and
fill the earth'" (Genesis 1:28,
ESV).

"And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed...You
shall have them for food'" (Genesis
1:29, ESV).

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and
keep it" (Genesis 2:15,
ESV).

"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will
make him a helper fit for him'" (Genesis
2:18, ESV).

"And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman."
(Genesis 2:22, ESV).

Now, there are a lot questions we may have about the universe that the Bible
simply doesn't address. But for every question you have about how to live your
life, how to relate to each other and, most importantly, how to relate to God,
the Bible is the only book you ever need.

My Thoughts

As you read Genesis 1 and 2, think about the following
questions:

• In what different ways does God provide for us?
  
• What responsibilities do Adam and Eve have?
  
• Why do you think that God prohibited access to the tree of the knowledge of
  good and evil?

My Part

If you look carefully at Genesis 1 and 2, you'll notice two
different names of God used. In Genesis 1:1-2:4, the word is elohim
(translated as God in your Bible), which is a generic term for a deity. But
in 2:5 and on, the personal name for God, Yahweh, is
used (translated as Lord). As you pray and meditate on the Scriptures today, try
to picture God, not holding the universe in His hand but holding you by the
hand, listening to you and caring for you. If one message is clear from His
Word, it's that you and I are more important to Him than all the stars of the
heavens.

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