Genesis 1_A World “Very Good” in God’s Eyes

Praise the Name of the Lord
Do you love pets and animals? Have you ever kept one? You prepare various pet supplies for your new pet.
But what about when you have a baby?
You look over your prenatal preparation list and, with excitement, prepare all the baby supplies.

What was our loving God's intention when He created this world?
And what kind of God is described in the Bible? Can we really trust Him?

Today, let's begin with Genesis 1.

Genesis 1 systematically describes the story of God's creation. This chapter is a grand-scale account of God's transformation of the world from chaos and his declaration that all of His creations are "good."
God's first words were, "Let there be light." Creation begins with words.
On the first day, there was day and night.
On the second day, a vault.
On the third day, the sea, land, plants, and trees appeared.
On the fourth day, the sun, moon, and stars appeared.
On the fifth day, underwater creatures and birds appeared.
On the sixth day, land animals appeared. Then, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness."
God created humankind as male and female and commanded him to "rule over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
The story depicts the process of arranging things in an orderly manner. Everything was deemed "good," and order and beauty were born.

Genesis 1:1-3 tells the story of God's creation.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The original Hebrew text reads: "Bereshit baala Elohim 'et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz."
The story of creation, which begins with these powerful words, teaches us about God's nature and the wonder of the created world.

God is revealed in the New Testament as a God of love in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. The Christian doctrine that there are three persons (personas) but one essence. The Hebrew word "Elohim" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) is plural.

In the singular, El (אֵל) means "mighty one" or "strong one," and is often combined with the name of God.

For example, El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי) means Almighty God,

El Elyon (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן) means Most High God.

El Shaddai first appears when God appeared to Abraham and promised him descendants (Genesis 17:1).

When Abraham was 99 years old and childless, God called himself "Almighty God" and guaranteed that his promise would come true. For this reason, "El Shaddai" is understood to be a God who transcends human limitations and always fulfills his promises.

Genesis 14:18-22 (Melchizedek and Abraham) After Abraham's victory in war, King Melchizedek of Salem blessed Abraham, and he praised as "God Most High, creator of heaven and earth."

This title confirms God's unique supreme being, who reigns above the earth and all other gods.

These names are used differently depending on the context of Scripture to convey God's various attributes to believers.
Let's look at the word "good" in Genesis 1.

Verse 4: God saw that the light was good.

Verse 10: God called the dry ground “land,”, and the  gathered waters he called “seas”.

God saw that it was good.

Verse 12: The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.
And God saw that it was good.

Verse 18: to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.
God saw that it was good.

Verse 21: God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.
 And God saw that it was good.

Verse 25: God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. 
 And God saw that it was good.

Every single thing that God created had meaning, beauty, and was pleasing to God. What's important here is that the standard of what was deemed "good" was not based on human convenience or evaluation, but the standard of God himself, the Creator.

Just as we feel relieved when we accomplish something and think, "This is good," God also looked at each part of the world he created and rejoiced, saying, "This is good, this is perfect."

The word "good" is "ki tov" in Hebrew.
The conjunction "ki" (כִּי־טֹ֑וב) is used. It means "because," "so," "verily," "indeed," or "even though."

"Tov" (טֹוב) means "good" and is almost always translated as "good" in English. It means that the Lord is good and can only give us good things. The Lord delights most in giving good things.

In the Psalms, this formula is used as a reason to "give thanks to the Lord," meaning "for the Lord is truly good (gracious)."

By the way, what was the very first thing God created?
---Thinking Time---

The answer is "light" (all), not "heaven and earth."

This method of expression is called "melisma," and it uses two extreme words to describe everything within that category. So, "heaven and earth" refers to everything in the heavens and on earth, both visible and invisible. It can be seen as an introductory description of the concrete creation that is to come.

Genesis 1 is full of things that our thought patterns cannot comprehend. In other words, it is filled with Hebrew ways of thinking, perspectives, and sensibilities.

Historically, the Christian church has long rejected Hebrew thinking and sensibilities by persecuting the Jews. However, today, God is guiding us to understand the Bible from a Hebrew perspective.

There are seven passages that God deemed acceptable.
On the first day of Creation, verse 4, he created light, a key tov (כִּי־טֹ֑וב) in the first place.
On the third day, verse 10, he created the earth and the sea, a key tov (כִּי־טֹ֑וב) in the second place.
On the second day of Creation, verse 12, he created grass and trees, a key tov (כִּי־טֹ֑וב). 3rd Place
On the fourth day, verse 18, God created the sun, moon, and stars, a key tov (כִּי־טֹ֑וב) 4th Place
On the fifth day, verse 21, God created the creatures of the water and the birds of the sky, a key tov (כִּי־טֹ֑וב) 5th Place
On the sixth day, two, verse 25, God created the land animals, beasts, and livestock. God created all the creatures that move along the ground, a key tov (כִּי־טֹ֑וב) 6th Place

Genesis verses 26-27 state that God created humankind in our image, in the "image of God." The specific process of creation is described on the seventh day of Creation, chapter 2, verse 7.
There, "the Lord God formed man (ha 'Adham) from the dust of the ground (ha 'Adham) and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," and he became a "living thing" (nefesh hayyah, נֶפֶשׁ הַיָּה).
While other living creatures are also "nefesh hayyah," only man ('Adham) was breathed into with the "breath of life." It was only by being created as a being in relationship with God that man became a "living thing" (nefesh hayyah), and he is a completely different being from the other created things.

Verse 31: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

This was after God had provided everything necessary for humankind to live, and then, at the very end, he created us humankind.

Before humankind were created, every single created thing was deemed "good."

However, after God created humankind—male and female—in His own image, blessed them, and gave them dominion over all things, He evaluated all of His creations, including the light, sky, earth, sea, and even us humankind, as "very good" or "very good."

"Very good" in English.
However, the original Hebrew text uses the word "tov me'od."
("tov me'od" טוֹב מְאֹד)
We've already learned six passages about this. "tov" means "good," while "me'od" emphasizes the meaning of "very" or "extremely."
In other words, it doesn't simply mean "good," but rather "superbly good" or "absolutely wonderful."

Climax: Verse 31, "It was very good" - 7th passage
("Tov Me'od" - טוֹב מְאֹד)
After creating mankind, God saw everything and declared it "very good."
The shift from "good" to "very good" occurs.
Mankind was created in God's image and blessed as the pinnacle of creation.

Key point: God looked at mankind and deemed the entire creation "very good."
We are beings created with God's joy.
As we go through our daily lives, we may sometimes question our existence or feel depressed, thinking, "I'm nothing." However, this verse of the Bible teaches us that the existence of each and every one of us is "very good" to God.

We were created as God's masterpiece. And our very existence, the fact that we live on this earth, is a joy to God.

Response: Living in God's Gaze
We live in a world that is "good."
How can we live in response to God's purpose for creation?
Accept yourself as "God's creation"
See others as "God's approved creations"
Key point: When we return to God's perspective, our value and mission become clear.

Tell each other, "You are God's masterpiece."

Your life is "very good" to God.
Even in the midst of difficulties,
suffering from illness,
feeling lonely,
work-related troubles,
family troubles,
trouble at school,
these things do not diminish your value.
Because you are a special being whom God has deemed "very good."

Prayer: May today's service help us to reaffirm in our hearts that we are God's loving, supreme creation, and that He values ​​us as "very good" as we live our lives. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lord's Supper (Communion)