We are looking at God creating the world. This devotional reading looks at Day 3, when God created dry land by organizing the seas and began creating things necessary for sustaining life.
Nuggets
- The waters on the earth were corralled so that dry land could appear.
- Think of the sight of the emerging land.
- God populated the dry ground with plant life.
Creation is now really getting going. Substantial changes will now be increasingly evident.
Think about it. Day 1 and 2 could be considered building the foundation on which the rest of the creation would be built.
The seas and the dry and could be seen as foundational. “The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too” (Ps. 95: 5 NLT).
But creating the vegetation really gets the party started.
Let's Put It into Context
To read devotions in the Creating Everything theme, click the button below.
Devotions in the Celebrating Creation’s Story series
The Seas
“Then God said, ‘Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.’ And that is what happened” (Gen. 1: 9 NLT)
The waters on the earth were corralled so that dry land could appear.
In my mind, I see the gathering of the waters created the oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and creeks. True, erosion and force of the water probably created some as the world aged.
But God would have placed everything where He wanted it and set boundaries for them. “I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations, I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence” (Prov. 8: 29-30 NLT).
How did God decide where the seas would be located? Exell thought this was accomplished through volcanic action.
Resource
Maybe.
But we didn’t want to focus on the how. We want to stay focused on the Who – and the why.
Seas are important in providing for both plant and animal life. We all know what happens in a drought period. Just think of what would happen if the seas were smaller or even non-existent.
We know that God follows patterns throughout His Word. Is this pulling back of the seas so dry land would appear the same way He parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could pass over on dry land (Ex. 14: 15-31)?
Dry Land
“God called the dry ground ‘land’ and the waters ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1: 10 NLT)
Think of the sight of the emerging land.
However the seas were corralled, they succeeded in making room for land. I am assuming the ground was brown.
Vegetation was made on the same day, but Moses’ account doesn’t say the ground, the grass, and trees showed up at the same time. I am also assuming that the land had to dry out before the plant life was created.
I wonder of the mountains appeared then. How about caves and beaches?
We can learn a lot from the forming of the land. Exell made an excellent connection of the appearance of the dry land with our spiritual condition. It includes a learning curve.
True, it had been created verses before. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1: 1 NLT).
But it had long been under water and not being used to its full potential. It needed to change — it needed to grow.
Exell talked about that. He wrote,
“Even when things are created, when they merely exist, the Divine call must educate them into the full exercise of their utility, and into the complete manifestation of their beauty. So it can remove the tide of passion from the soul, and make all that is good in human nature to appear.”
Resource
- Age has nothing to do with it. You can be a thousand years old — and not living up to your potential.
- We aren’t created to merely exist, even the seas and land.
- We are created to work in the tasks in which God intends.
- We are created to grow.
- If God calls us, He will equip us.
- We are called to do God’s work.
- It is all a part of the sanctification process.
Look at these two verses.
- “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2: 10 NLT).
- “Their responsibility [pastors] is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Eph. 4: 12 NLT).
We will be equipped to do the job God has for us regardless of what season we are in at that point in our lives. This is in spite of whatever God has to scrape away in order to get to that which is useful for Him.
God is committed to doing just that, even if it takes Him thousands of years.
Vegetation
“Then God said, ‘Let the land sprout with vegetation — every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.’ And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation — all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind …” (Gen. 1: 9-12 NLT)
God populated the dry ground with plant life.
Okay. Here is something weird. Verse 11 can be handed several different ways.
The King James Version — and a few more modern versions — have the list of plant life made as being grass, seed-bearing plants, and fruit-bearing plants. “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so” (Gen. 1: 11 KJV).
More modern versions translate the list two different ways. Some make it a list of three items. “And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so” (Gen. 1: 11 ESV).
Others look as vegetation as the overarching description, then break it up into seed-bearing plants and fruit-bearing plants. “Then God said, ‘Let the land sprout with vegetation — every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.’ And that is what happened” (Gen. 1: 11 NLT).
Well, grasses do bear seeds if you don’t keep it mowed down. Vegetation is an overarching term for plant life.
I can see the difference between grass and flowers.
But I think we’re just chasing a rabbit here. What is important is God made them all. They are alive and verdant. They supply our needs for nutrition.
No life forms – animal or humankind – could be created until there was a food source supplied.
Also, they can be self-sustaining. True, they need us to care for them, but if left alone, they don’t die off immediately.
Judgement and The Work of the Third Day
“… And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day” (Gen. 1: 12-13 NLT)
God again saw the work as good.
In case you missed the last two devotions, we talked about how the New Living Translation makes it sound like we are just talking about a 12-hour time period — evening passed, and morning came.
What about the rest of the day?
This is not how it was originally written. “… And the erev (evening) and the boker (morning) were Yom Echad (Day One, the First Day, Mk 16:2” (Gen. 1: 5 OJB).
We can’t let the version we use lead us away from God.
Let’s recap the physical creation so far.
- Light has come to make the darkness known and counteract it.
- Conditions were put in place so that life could be sustained.
- A place was made for this life to occupy, and a way to sustain it was provided.
- Then, food was provided to support life.
Let’s recap the spiritual creation so far.
- The Plan of Salvation was introduced to the world in the form of the Light.
- Salvation and sin coexisted.
- Just as the emerging earth must change and grow, so must mankind.
Making the Connections #1
I can see the dry land appearing after the dome was created. What I struggle with is the vegetation being created before the sun.
One option could be that – even though they were created on Day 3 – they didn’t become alive until Day 4.
Since they had to wait to be created until after the land was, maybe there wasn’t much time between their creation and the creation of the sun. We aren’t told anything about timing.
But God can do anything He pleases.
Making the Connections #2
We are halfway through looking at creation. God moved from forming the canvas to painting the masterpiece. The whole purpose was to make it a suitable place to live.
It is definitely no longer empty and dark.
Isn’t it wonderful to start seeing God working in our lives? Oh, He has always been there. He has either been working behind the scenes – working everything out – or we have just been unable to see Him working.
How Do We Apply This?
- Look at the Who, and maybe the why, but not the how.
Father God. You had a plan for creation. It was a progression that You worked through at Your own speed. We thank You, Lord, when we begin to see Your work. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.