Genesis 1:6-13: a reflection

6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so. 10God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good. 11God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth;” and it was so. 12The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

As God forms the world, separating sky and sea, bringing forth dry land and making it fruitful, he pauses to regard what he has made and pronounces it good. God saw that it was good, the account says, of the dry land and the seas, and again of the earth bringing forth grass and fruit trees; God saw that it was good. As God makes each part of the world, the sky, the seas, the land, the growing things, he regards it and pronounces it good. The created world is not an accident or an afterthought, but the deliberate work of God, who made it and delighted in it as good. The goodness of creation is God's own verdict on the world he made. This shows that God made the world good and delights in it. God made the world good and delights in it. The created world is God's good work, pronounced good by him. Creation is not an accident but God's deliberate, good work. Receive the created world as God's good gift.

Notice how God regards what he makes. He does not simply create and move on; he pauses over each part of his work, the separated sky and seas, the dry land, the fruitful earth, and regards it, pronouncing it good. God saw that it was good: this is God's own verdict on the world he made, repeated over his works. The created world, then, is not an accident, not a mistake, not an afterthought; it is the deliberate work of God, who made it with care and delighted in it as good. This shapes how we regard the world around us. The created world, with its skies and seas, its land and growing things, is God's good work, made by him and pronounced good. It is a gift, bearing the mark of the God who made it and called it good. We can receive it as such: not taking the created world for granted, nor despising it, nor treating it as meaningless, but receiving it as God's good gift, made by him and delighted in by him. The goodness we find in the created world, in the beauty of the earth, the fruitfulness of the land, the order of the world, reflects the goodness of the God who made it and called it good. We do well to receive the created world as God's good gift, delighting, as he did, in the goodness of what he has made. Receive the created world as God's good work, made and pronounced good by him. God delights in the goodness of what he has made. Do not take the created world for granted or despise it; it is God's good gift. The goodness of creation reflects the goodness of its Maker.

That is worth taking to heart, for God made the world good and delights in it, and we do well to receive the created world as his good gift, as God pronounced his works good. We can take the created world for granted or treat it as meaningless; but God regarded each part of what he made and pronounced it good. Creation is God's good work. Do not take the created world for granted or despise it; receive it as God's good gift, made by him and delighted in by him, and delight in its goodness as he does. Receive the created world as God's good gift, made by him and pronounced good, delighting in its goodness as he does rather than taking it for granted, as when God formed the world, separating sky and sea, bringing forth dry land and making it fruitful, he paused to regard what he had made and pronounced it good, seeing that the dry land, the seas, and the earth bringing forth grass and fruit trees were good; for as God made each part of the world he regarded it and pronounced it good, so that the created world is not an accident or an afterthought but the deliberate work of God who made it and delighted in it as good, the goodness of creation being God's own verdict on the world he made, which shapes how we regard the world around us, since the created world with its skies and seas and land and growing things is God's good work, a gift bearing the mark of the God who made it and called it good, which we can receive as such, not taking it for granted or despising it or treating it as meaningless but receiving it as God's good gift made by him and delighted in by him, the goodness we find in the beauty of the earth and the fruitfulness of the land reflecting the goodness of the God who made it, so that we do well to receive the created world as God's good gift and delight in the goodness of what he has made.

Lord, as you form the world, separating sky and sea, bringing forth dry land and making it fruitful, you pause to regard what you have made and pronounce it good. God saw that it was good, the account says, of the dry land and the seas, and again of the earth bringing forth grass and fruit trees; God saw that it was good. As you make each part of the world, the sky, the seas, the land, the growing things, you regard it and pronounce it good. The created world is not an accident or an afterthought, but your deliberate work, which you made and delighted in as good. The goodness of creation is your own verdict on the world you made. Show me how you regard what you make. You do not simply create and move on; you pause over each part of your work and regard it, pronouncing it good. God saw that it was good: this is your own verdict on the world you made, repeated over your works. The created world, then, is not an accident, not a mistake, not an afterthought; it is your deliberate work, made with care and delighted in as good. This shapes how I regard the world around me. The created world, with its skies and seas, its land and growing things, is your good work, made by you and pronounced good. It is a gift, bearing the mark of the God who made it and called it good. I can receive it as such: not taking the created world for granted, nor despising it, nor treating it as meaningless, but receiving it as your good gift. The goodness I find in the created world reflects your own goodness, who made it and called it good. Take that to my heart. Keep me from taking the created world for granted or despising it; help me receive it as your good gift, Lord, made by you and delighted in by you, and delight in its goodness as you do, seeing in it the mark of its good Maker.