The sovereignty of God clearly comes out in His creative activity. God’s creative work shows that His power is unlimited. By word of His mouth He caused the world to come into existence.
Everything created depends on God for its existence and meaning. He is therefore the ruler over all created things. Let us now to turn to the creation stories to examine the sovereign nature of God. God the Creator (Genesis 1 and 2).There are two accounts of the creation stories recorded in Genesis. The stories are different in content, style and presentation. In spite of their differences, both contain the same truth. The truth is that God is the only creator of everything in the universe.
The First account in Genesis 1-2a shows that plants and animals were created before man; and that man and woman were created together in the image of God.
The Second account in Genesis 2:4b-25 gives the account that man was formed first and that after plants and animals have been created, God made a woman as a helpmate to man. Man received the breath of God. A detailed account of the separation stories follow thus;
Before the beginning of God’s creative work, there was total darkness. It was ‘’without form or void.’’ The only thing that existed was the spirit of God which moved over the face of the waters
God’s action are not only outlined but also His authority is asserted. For instance, God said, ‘’Let there be light, and there was light! This is the show of the authority and power of God. The story emphasizes the transcendent nature of God. Gen. 1:1 states. ‘’In the beginning God created heaven and earth’’. This statement makes us believe that God was in existence before the beginning of everything else and He create everything out of nothing. The account compresses the creation activities into a pattern of six days duration. The account is noted for its orderliness, moving step by step and day after day.
Each creative activity is introduced with the words. ’And God said’ each gives the creation of certain objects as outlined below. The first account shows that the world is divided into three parts – the heaven above the earth beneath and the waters under the earth.
(three- dimensional world) the story comes to an end with the establishment of the Sabbath as the day of rest by God on the seventh day
The Second Account of the Creation Story (Genesis 2:4b-25)
Unlike in the first account, the idea of God that runs this story is the immanence of God. The idea of transcendence of God is abandoned. In this second account God is no longer seen as staying far away from the creation. The idea in this account is that in spite of God’s greatness, He behaves like a man. For instance, God ‘forms’ man out of the dust of the ground. He ‘plants’ a garden. He ‘takes’ man and ‘puts’ him in the garden. The story gives God human attributes.
This accounts begins with the creation of heaven and earth. This is followed by the creation of waters, in this account, man was created first out of the dust of the earth. The creation of man is followed by that of the Garden of Eden and vegetative plants.
There is a special mention of the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good. Man is put in charge of the garden. God instructed him to till it and keep it. After this, the animals were created. God saw that the man was lonely as none of the animals could keep him company. God then, caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. God took a bone from the ribs of Adam and created Eve. Eve became Adam’s playmate as well as his helpmate.
Highlight of the Creation Story
1st Account Gen. 1-2:4a
- Creation of things proceeded man. By creating man last, it shows that man is the crown of God’s creation, and also the most renowned of all His creatures.
- God created by simple commands. The transcendent nature of God is shown by this act; God’s power as a great king over creation is brought out.
- The creation period is six days. The orderliness in God’s creative work is shown
- Man is created in the image of God. By this, man is the nearest creature to God
- Man and woman are created on the same day
- Man and woman are to reproduce their kind
- All created things are brought under the leadership and supervision of man who gives them names
The Second Account (Gen 2)
- Man was created before other creatures
- Man was created from the dust. God breathed into man’s nostrils, the breath of life, and man became a living being
- The woman was created last out of the rib of man
- Adam named all the other creatures
- Adam was put in- charge of the garden of Eden
Similarities
- The two accounts agreed that God is the creator of the world.
- Man is the head of the created things
- Man is superior to all other created things by being in the image of God and receiving the breath of God.
Significance/Moral Lesson The creation stories portray God as an all-powerful being who created the world and all that is in it. Man has a special place in creation, being created in the image of God and being in a position to take care of other creatures.
God the Controller of the Universe
(Genesis 1:26-31. Amos 9:5-7; Isaiah 45:9-12) As seen in the first unit, it is the divine creative words that brought order to the whole creation,
For instance, God created light to dispel darkness. The world created by God is inherently good, orderly and perfect.
Each day of God’s creative activity is programmed in such a way that certain elements were created at a time.
This orderly pattern of God’s creative work shows that God is not only the creator but also the Controller of all that He created. His control over the creation clearly manifests his authority over all created things
In Genesis 1:26-31 God is clearly portrayed as the Controller of the universe. Out of His sovereign will, He created man in ‘’His own image’’ He exercises His control over man by instructing man ‘’to increase and multiply’’, subdue the earth and dominate all created things on earth. The assignment of specific functions to man is a demonstration of His exercise of power over man and all the created things.
In summary, God is not only the Creator but also the Controller of all creation. We therefore owe Him gratitude for keeping us alive.
He allows man some measure of control over created things.
Man should not abuse this privilege given to him by God. At all times, and should rely upon God for existence in whatever tasks he may be engaged in.
The Significance of the lesson.
The world did not just come into existence on its own. God is responsible for its creation. He controls the world and all that is in it.
We should therefore recognize Him as the ruler and the controller of the universe.
