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Hi! I’m Miss Tyler and welcome to another episode of Context for Kids where I teach you guys stuff most adults don’t even know. This is episode seven but if you have missed any of the other episodes, you can find those archived at contextforkids.podbean.com, which has the old episodes downloadable, or at contextforkids.com, where I have transcripts for readers or on my Context for Kids YouTube channel.
Now this episode is going to be entirely different and I am going to teach you a way of reading the Bible that you may have never heard of before. A lot of theologians and scholars read the Bible this way because it helps them to see what the Bible does and does not say—and it’s called experiential reading. That’s just a fancy way of saying that you read the Bible like you are really there. Sometimes we read the Bible and we’ve been taught the story so many times that we assume things are in the story that really aren’t. And when we talk about Adam and Eve starting next week, we will come across some of those things that we sometimes believe are in the Bible that aren’t really there. They aren’t usually things that matter much but sometimes children’s books especially will add to the stories with assumptions that the writers might think make the story more interesting but if you don’t know they are adding thigs, then you might not realize they aren’t in the Bible. My favorite thing is in those old books that I grew up with called “The Bible Story” and they still have them today in doctor’s offices. I always wondered how on earth all those people in the Bible could be whiter than I am with perfect complexion even though they spend all their time outside! They look like they are using sunblock 2000.
But when we experience the Bible like we are there—maybe imagining ourselves as a person in the crowd when Jesus is preaching and noticing what the Bible says we are doing and how we are responding to the Pharisees or scribes, or a disciple, or maybe even from the point of view of Jesus, the stories become real to us. They become more like what they are—history. Imagine being at the foot of Mt Sinai when the dark cloud covered the top and the Lord God was hidden in the cloud and the thunder of his voice was so loud that you begged Moses to ask Him to stop. Imagine being one of the seventy elders who climbed up and actually ate and drank in the presence of God! When the Bible becomes real to us, and stops being stories, that’s when the adventure of reading the Bible really begins. Today, we’re going to read the Creation account, now that we’ve spent the last five weeks discussing it. So, I want you to close your eyes and imagine nothing around you except darkness. You are floating in space but there are no stars around you, no sun and no moon. Somewhere below you, you can hear water but you can’t see it yet. What you are aware of, however, is that you are not alone. Below you, not only is there a massive ocean but there is also something hovering over it.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Can you see the Spirit of God? Hovering over the face of the waters? No, there is no light yet. Maybe though, you can feel the spirit as it hovers over the water, which is that the Bible means when it says “the deep.” Hover is the word that is used to describe how a mother eagle swoops and circles around her nest of eggs. She is protecting them when she hovers. Maybe you can’t see the Spirit doing this but perhaps you can hear and feel it, or maybe you are just aware that it’s there. But now I am going to take you down to the surface of the mighty waters that seem to go on forever. Let’s put you in an imaginary boat, even though they haven’t been invented yet and there aren’t any trees to make one out of. It’s still dark and you are on the surface of the water. Is the water still or are you bouncing around? The Bible doesn’t tell us. But now the Spirit of God is hovering above you like a mother eagle—what’s going to happen next?
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Did you hear the voice? What did the voice sound like? The Gospel of John says that Jesus is that creative word of God so perhaps the voice sounds just like Jesus, who told us that He is the light of the world. And suddenly, you can see! There is light! You can’t see what is causing the light but it is there. What do you see? Nothing but water going on forever and ever. And you realize how useful and wonderful the light is.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
But the light doesn’t last forever, and it gets darker and you become aware of something new—time is passing. You notice differences in the light and realize that you now have a way to move forward, to get older, and for things to start changing.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
As you sat in pitch darkness all night, did you miss the light? Did you want it to come back? Or were you spending your time wondering about the Spirit hovering above you? Or that wonderful voice that made the light appear? How would you feel when the light began to come back and you could see again? I bet it would be wonderful.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Now, hold on to your boat, because things are about to get real. When the voice speaks, the sky appears above you—it hasn’t been there before. There was only light over the water. And although the light was wonderful compared to the darkness, now you see a sky. Is it blue without the sun? Or pink? Are there clouds or is it clear? That’s the big question because God just made a space for weather to happen. Weather can’t happen without the sky, and weather is good—later He will make it possible for snow and rain and sunshine, for it to be warm and cold but not yet. You spend the day looking at it and noticing how beautiful it is. Maybe you row around to see if it is everywhere over the surface of the water. And the darkness comes again. As you wait for the daylight, you are probably wondering what will be next! Well, the voice is about to speak again so you had better hold on to the sides of your boat or you are going to get tossed overboard.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
Great googly moogly, something is rising from the ocean and your boat got picked up and up and up and then went shooting off in one direction on a huge wave, and when you recover, you look back and see something that wasn’t there before. It’s not water. It’s taller than the water. It sticks up out of the water. You row your boat over and park it on a sandy beach, and you step down out of the boat for the first time. Can you feel the sand? As you look, do you see nothing but sand or can you see mountains in the distance? Of course, there are no plants, nothing but dirt and rocks, sand and mountains. And water, lots and lots of water.
10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
And you are thinking, boy that was a big change today—I wonder what God will do tomorrow? But wait, He isn’t finished yet. There is still a lot of work to do today.
11 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.
Golly Bob Howdy. Your sandy beach or rocky shore, what’s happening to it? Does it feel like an earthquake with all the trees and grasses and flowers sprouting up? What kind of trees do you see? Is there anything good for food near you? It’s been a long time since you’ve eaten. One thing for sure, you see how useful the land and the plants are. Just what you needed.
12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
Did you sleep in the boat last night or on shore? I am betting that the land was a much softer place to sleep once the plants appeared. One thing for sure, you’re thinking there is no way God could top all the work He did yesterday. It’s been a busy three days. God has filled his creation with light and darkness in order to give it time, He created a place for weather to happen, and He created the Land and separated it from the seas and grew plants. But what good are they? Did God create them just to have something to do or to look at?
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Imagine the sun appearing in the sky—and imagine how wonderfully warm it would make the earth. What would you think as you saw it cross the sky, as the sky got darker and darker but then you noticed another change. Night isn’t totally dark anymore, there is a light in the sky—and actually there are many tiny lights in the sky. And the world you have been standing in looks very different in this kind of light, very beautiful. You think to yourself how perfect it all is and wonder how you ever lived without these things.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
The first thing you would see are the birds. What kinds of birds do you see? Seagulls? Eagles? Cardinals? Parrots? Robins or bluebirds? Pterodactyls? The Bible just says flying creatures and birds and so we can fill in the blanks from our imagination but we have to remember that it is our imagination and not what the Bible actually says. It can really be tricky!
Then, maybe you see something splashing in the ocean. Is it a fish, or a giant sea creature far offshore? Do you see a shark fin? Are those sea anemones and starfish in the tidal pools? Maybe. You know one thing for sure—this is a wonderful addition to the planet.
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
The earth is a very different place now. With the sun and the sky comes wind and you can hear it as it blows through the leaves on the trees and the grasses. The birds are noisy and some of them are even noisy at night. If you stayed on the seashore, you can hear the waves as they come in. I hope you found some fruit to eat. But you know what? As wonderful as everything is, you are getting very lonely. The fish are out in the sea and the birds are in the air. There is no one to be with you. You probably go to bed wondering what God is going to do tomorrow.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Imagine waking up to the voice and seeing a cow staring you right in the eye. Or a snake. Or a lion or a tiger or a whatever!? Did you reach up and pet it or did you yell and run away and get back into the boat? Don’t worry, the Bible tells us in a few verses that they don’t eat meat yet. There is no violence. You aren’t on the menu. And neither are they. And you smile and think how wonderful it is that there are creatures on the earth with you. But still, it isn’t perfect yet.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God created people. It doesn’t say how many—that word man doesn’t mean just one person, it means humans. And it says “them” so it could be just two or it could be thousands. We’ll have to keep reading to find out. Right now it doesn’t matter because people have arrived and they, men and women, are made in the image of God, which we talked about a couple of weeks ago. What do they look like? We have no idea. Were they black or white or something in between? Did they have blonde hair or dark brown hair? Usually people just imagine what they see in picture books but the Bible doesn’t tell us. The people who write the picture books usually make the people look like themselves. And that’s okay, but we really don’t know what the first people look like—and it doesn’t matter because remember, we are made in the image of God, and He is spirit and has no color at all.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
And God blessed them. The only things in Creation that God blesses are the flying creatures and the water creatures and human beings. Not bugs or cows or cats or dogs. No one knows for sure why that is. The Bible doesn’t tell us. We’ll talk about what blessings are some other time but for now I will give you a hint. When God gives you a job to do and when He gives you what you need to do what He asks—that’s a blessing. God told the fish and birds and humans to be fruitful and to fill the earth and He made it possible for them to do that and now there are people and fish and birds everywhere! It worked! He told humans to subdue the earth and have dominion over it and we have done that too—because He made us clever and creative enough to live anywhere. But being made in the image of God is much more than that and if you haven’t listened to that teaching, you will have to go back and catch it. You are very important to God’s plans, you know. Back to the story! Now God speaks again, to the people.
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
The people must have been hungry, and maybe they were wondering what there was to eat. And they looked around and saw fruit trees and maybe they saw carrots poking up out of the ground. Think of what it was like, for the first time, trying all those different fruits and berries and roots and things. Think about watching lions next to cows, eating grass. Does it look funny? Does it look just perfect? Like a place without fear or violence or danger? A place with plenty to eat and no one doing anything wrong?
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Of course, we have been talking about this so you know that God’s work of creating was done, but His work as King of the Universe was just beginning. That’s what it meant for a god to rest in the ancient world, that’s what it meant to the Israelites in the desert as they thought about what God had told them in the Creation story, that He had made the Universe his realm, and the earth a very special place in it to rule over and bless. Nowadays, we read Genesis one and see it very differently, but God was telling the Israelites amazing things about Himself. That, unlike the false gods of the nations around them and especially Egypt who had made them slaves, He created them to be special, and not to be slaves. He created them to rule over His Creation. He created creation to be exactly what they would need to live because He is a loving creator and not a tyrant. Unlike the false gods, He runs the universe Himself and doesn’t need a god in charge of the sun and another one in charge of the rain to help Him. He filled the earth and made it useful, everything we need, and then He made us to rule over it wisely and kindly—like He rules over us. And although the story seems silly to some people today, the way He told it to the ancient Israelites told the story of who He is and how different He is than the gods they had heard about all their lives. Always remember that God is telling us a story about Himself, and nothing is more important than understanding about God and about the relationship He wants with us and how He has blessed us and His plans to save us through His one unique Son Jesus. Sometimes we forget that and we focus on things that aren’t very helpful but I want you to remember that in the Bible God is always teaching us about who He is and what He has done for us. And when He told the story to Moses, it was written perfectly so that they could understand it. That means that sometimes we have to learn old things when we want to hear it with their ears and see it with their eyes because our context is different than theirs was and they knew things that we don’t know anymore. And it is good when we can do that but sometimes there are things that are always going to confuse us until we see Him face to face and can ask our questions. Although maybe we won’t care anymore.
Remember that the Bible is true even when we don’t understand everything or understand it wrong. It tells us that we can always trust God. It doesn’t tell us that everything will always be easy and that nothing bad will ever happen to us but it does tell us that God won’t betray us and hurt us even when other people do.
In the coming weeks, we will be talking about Adam and Eve and the Garden in Eden. So if you guys want to start reading Genesis 2 and 3, that would be a good idea. If you need to catch up on past episodes, check them out at contextforkids.com or contextforkids.podbean.com or on my Context for Kids YouTube channel.
I love you. I’m praying for you. And I hope you have a wonderful week studying the Scriptures with the people who love you.