"And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
"And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
"And the evening and the morning were the third day."
At every step we see how God had in view the creation of man. On the first day He said, "Let there be light." But light would be of no use, unless there were eyes to see it. God had the creation of man in view. On the second day, we have the distinction made between Heaven and Earth. Man was to be taught his dependence on His Creator, a very valuable lesson indeed! If it were paid attention to, what a difference it would make in the world, and much for the better. The third day arrived. Again we see God's gracious provision in arranging that the earth should appear, and the seas be gathered in their appointed places.
We have just been seeing how God planned the right proportion of water to land, so that due evaporation might take place, and clouds be formed, and rain descend upon the earth for man's benefit, bringing him water to drink, and for the refreshment of the earth's surface. We read, "The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God " (Heb. 6:77For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: (Hebrews 6:7)).
At the Divine behest grass appeared, herbs yielding seed, fruit trees yielding fruit, each after his kind, and bearing within them the power of reproduction, so that generation after generation the earth should yield her increase, and man should be sustained by the hand of a bountiful Creator. We confess that we stand amazed and confounded as we contemplate the wonders of creation. Linnaeus, the great Swedish naturalist, was so overcome by the sight of a mountain side covered by gorse in full bloom, like a veritable field of gold, that he fell on his knees in adoration before his Creator. No wonder!
Take a blade of grass and examine it closely. See the little veins, life ducts, that carry the nourishment of the soil to the plant. Sit under the shadow of the mighty oak, and ask how it is that it can stand without support above ground, and withstand the blast of the mighty tempest. On examination you will find massive roots stretching out at equal length under the ground in proportion to the upward lift of the tree. A thousand wonders of creation, nay millions of marvels stretch themselves before our gaze. No wonder the poet wrote: -
"There is a God, all nature cries,
I see it painted on the skies,
I see it in the flow'ring spring,
I hear it when the birdlings sing,
I see it on the flowing main,
I see it on the fruitful plain,
I see it stamped on hail and snow,
I see it where the streamlets flow,
I see it in the clouds that soar,
I see it when the thunders roar,
I see it when the morning shines,
I see it when the day declines,
I see it in the smallest mite,
I see it everywhere abroad,
I FEEL, I KNOW, THERE IS A GOD."
Our food is the gift of God. Without the sun to ripen the crops, without the wind to carry the clouds over the land, without the rain to water the ground, without the power of the plant to gather nourishment of the soil, without its powers of reproduction, we should have no food. In the present largely artificial life of the present time, we pay only for rent, labor and transport, all else is the pure gift of God.
Why are men not thankful? If men would but learn the lessons of Gen. 1 what a different world we should live in.