God has almost created all that He planned to create. This devotional reading looks at God creating animals.
Nuggets
- Starting on Day 5 and continuing on to Day 6, God created animal life.
- Birds, too, are also a large number of species.
- God blessed the fish and the birds.
- Next on God’s to-do list was creating a lot of big as well as small animals.
As we are closing in on the culmination of creation, God created the animals.
We again see how God completed His plan in an orderly manner.
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
Creating Fish and Birds
“Then God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.’ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird — each producing offspring of the same kind …” (Gen. 1: 20-21 NLT)
Starting on Day 5 and continuing on to Day 6, God created animal life.
Let the Waters Swarm
God is the creator of all life. The oceans, rivers, streams, and creeks teem with life, as God ordered.
Seventy-one percent of the planet is water covered. There are 30,000 species of fish in the world. There are also reptiles, mammals, plants, alga, plankton, sharks, and rays.
Talk about variety and diversity!
Bradford helped us understand what swarming meant. Unlike fish that group in schools, swarming also carries with it the concept of randomness. They tend to dart about.
Resource
If a census was taken of each species, the numbers would be staggering as marine life is prolific.
The psalmist agreed. “O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small” (Ps. 104: 24-25 NLT).
It is interesting that fish have the same senses that we have. What we would call reasoning would be their instinct.
Let the skies be filled with birds
Birds, too, are also a large number of species.
Birds are amazing. While they do have instinct, I would say they have some sort of intelligence. Being able to build a nest without much – if any – instruction is mind boggling.
Gaussen noted their relationship with God. He wrote, “In all their doings and movements, the guiding finger of their Creator is clearly seen.”
Resource
We can certainly tell that from God’s Word.
- “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? (Mt. 6: 26 NLT).
- “What is the price of two sparrows — one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it” (Mt. 10: 29 NLT)
- “I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine” (Ps. 50: 11 NLT).
I like what Glaussen summarized those verses. Through His love and care for the bird’s, we see an authentic illustration of God’s goodness.
We can’t gloss over the middle part of verse 21. “… each producing offspring of the same kind …” (Gen. 1: 21 NLT). This debunks evolution.
Judgement and The Work of the Fifth Day
“… And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.’ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day” (Gen. 1: 21-23 NLT)
God blessed the fish and the birds.
It may seem strange that a blessing is put in here. Well, it is easy to forget it occurred.
God didn’t bless everything that He had made up to this point. But the fish and the fowl wouldn’t be able to survive — or even be created — if Day 1-5 creations hadn’t happened.
We’ve already talked about how abundant the fish and fowl are. Let’s talk about the blessing itself.
Gaussen had an interesting take. He wrote, “This ‘blessing’ is to be regarded, not simply as a solemn word of command, but the imparting of reproducing energies to the varied tribes of the deep. … Nothing can exceed that ‘abundance’ brought forth.”
Resource
Gaussen made a good point that many of the bird’s eggs don’t hatch. They become food for other predators. They could be destroyed through natural causes, such as through tornadoes or even just a heavy rain that takes down a tree in which the nest was built.
When we add in the migratory nature of many of the fish and fowl, that make their instinctive ability even more impressive.
All this while being low on the food chain. They needed the blessing!
I know I am sounding like a broken record, but I don’t know when people might read this devotion without reading the others. 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.
- The sun, moon, and stars were hung in the sky to show God’s control over everything that happens on earth.
- A multitude of fish and fowl were created to help sustain humans.
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 humankind.
- We must approach God with humility, not pride.
- Life comes from God in abundance — and, as Exell said, “There was no lack of life-giving energy on the part of God.”
Resource
Creating Ground Animals
“Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind — livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1: 24-25 NLT)
God finished creating the universe.
Next on God’s to-do list was creating a lot of big as well as small animals.
It was a progression: sea animals, air animals, land animals, and (we shall see) humankind. God always intended a hierarchy.
As we said with the fish, animals’ intellect comes out as instincts. They know how to protect themselves.
Exell was right. He wrote, “We should treat the animal world with humane consideration. Surely, we ought not to abuse anything on which God has bestowed a high degree of creative care, especially when it is intended for our welfare.”
Resource
Animals should be given humane consideration, but as Exell also said, they were created for the service of humankind. And used they have been and still are.
No, we no longer need horses to pull the Pony Express and oxen to pull the plow. Horses are still used to round up cattle. Cows still give milk, and steers still provide meat. Clothing still comes from animals.
Morris made a good observation. We use animals, especially domesticated ones, to practice our parental kindness on them.
Resource
Animals are very important to us.
Making the Connections #1
I love what Exell said. He wrote, “Life was not an education. It was not the result of combination.”
Resource
We can study all we want. We can be scientists, physicists, geoscientist, astrophysicist, biochemist— and a lot more.
We will never understand how God created the heavens and earth, so we will never be able to do it ourselves.
God didn’t have the building blocks there to put them together to make all He made. He spoke, and it was made.
We can’t reconcile the order that science says the creation occurred in (fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals). One is right; one, wrong. God’s Word is not wrong.
We can never do what God did.
Making the Connections #2
Priscilla Marie, our two-and-a-half-year-old cat, is our problem child. We love her. God loves her, too.
“For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being” (Job 12: 10 NLT).
How Do We Apply This?
- Tend to the animals.
Father God. You have created animals and love them as Your own. Yet you allow us to use them as food and allowed our sins to be transferred to them when sacrificed to You. We will take care of them for You. 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.