Genesis 1 shows a logical sequence God took to create everything. He started with the environment, the habitat, before He brought about life forms. It reveals how logical God is. In Genesis 1, we are told that He spoke, and creation came into being. We know that God is the source of all creation. He is the source of life; without Him, there would be no life.
In Genesis 2:4-9, we are brought back to the point before man was created. God began by setting the tone and conditions for the creation of man. He even thought about food production to sustain mankind. God already saw to the soil and the seed. Now, He would get the climate and culture going. All four ingredients – soil, seed, climate and culture are needed for food production. The soil and seed were present on the third day, but there was no rain or proper climate. So, God began by putting in place the process of rainmaking. We are told that man did not exist for he was only made on the sixth day. And the earth had yet to be cultivated.
Verse 6 speaks of a movement on earth. A mist rose from the earth and brought moisture to it. This could be the dew that we all know and experience every morning. This is part of the rainmaking process. This dew brought newness and freshness to living things. Like the morning dew that moisturises the earth, God wants to bring the dew of the Holy Spirit to moisturise our lives each day. The Holy Spirit will bring the vital ingredients to facilitate our spiritual growth.
And in verse 7, we see how man was formed. God formed man from the dust of the earth. He first gathered the dust into the shape He wanted man to be. That shape included the nostrils for God to breathe life into man. And that was precisely what God did. From the heap of dust, God brought forth life. Man became a living soul because God breathed His life into him. We see that man is a tripartite being – spirit, soul and body. The dust became the body, and the breath God breathed into him brought about the spirit and the soul.
The vital difference between man and all the other creations of God is that man has the breath of God. He has the essential ingredient that will enable him to know God and worship Him. God made us, and we are kept alive by His breath. What a thought! We are at our best when God, by His Spirit, breathes into us daily. He will bring the vibrancy to life and living.
God placed man in the Garden of Eden, which he had also caused all kinds of trees to grow. Here, Genesis speaks explicitly of two trees – The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. What do they symbolise? The two trees talk of two kinds of influence we can have in life. One, the Tree of Life will influence the right to live. The other, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, kills spiritual sensitivity.
We can safely surmise that the Word of God is the tree of life. Being influenced by it brings spiritual life and vibrancy. The flesh and our self-centered reasoning can be likened to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When we rely on our reasoning, sometimes we get it right, but most times, we get it wrong because of our imperfect revelation. Over-relying on this latter tree kills spiritual sensitivity.
Our daily choices shape the course of our lives. Each day, we are faced with a decision: Do we start our day with the Tree of Life, the Word of God, or the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? The choice is ours, but it is also clear. Choosing the Tree of Life, the Word of God, leads to a life brimming with positive spiritual experiences with God. It is a choice we must make each day, a choice that is clear and life-changing.
Daily Meditation
Monday – Psalm 25:12
Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
Tuesday – Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life so that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Wednesday – Joshua 24:15
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Thursday – Ephesians 5:15-16
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Friday – Isaiah 56:4b-5
To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
To them, I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
Saturday – Judges 5:15
“And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben, There were great resolves of heart.
Sunday – 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
All Scriptures are quoted from New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).
By Pastor Clarence Goh
