The Creator Prepared a Place for His Creatures
In Genesis 1:1-13 we read that on the first four days of creation week God was lovingly preparing a home for the creatures He would make on Day 5:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
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 he 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.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Questions
- On the first day of creation, how was the Lord preparing for the sea creatures?
- What did the Creator do on the second day that would later be important to sea-life?
- As God continues to get the oceans ready for life, what amazing thing did He do on the third day?
- Does what God made on the fourth day affect the creatures of the sea? How?
- How does the sun affect the living environment of the sea animals?
- Does the moon play a role in the living environment of the sea?
God had a perfect plan that He carried out to prepare a home for all life - including those that live in the sea. And then in Genesis 1:20-23 He began to make life on Day 5:
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Questions
- What two types of animals did God create on the fifth day?
- What do you think it means when it says that the “waters brought forth abundantly”?
- The Creator commanded them to be abundant after their own “kind”. What does that mean, and why is it important to creationists?
- Throughout all the days of creation, God kept calling his work “good”. What did He mean by this?
The Dominion Mandate
After creating a wonderful living planet and all the animals, there was one creation left. In Genesis 1:26 it tells about the creation of people:
And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
We also read about the “dominion mandate” in Psalm 8:
O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Questions
- God made mankind in His image, but what about the sea creatures, are they also in His image?
- God said that we are to have dominion over the sea creatures. What does that mean?
- Why would God put mankind in charge over His creation?
God is the One Who Upholds all Life
God completed His creation on day 6, but He is still the One that sustains all life - including the sea creatures -- as we read in Nehemiah 9:6:
Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
Questions
- What does it mean that God “preservest them all”?
- According to this verse, who does He preservest?
- Why is the Creator due worship?
The Great Flood
God preserves all life, but during the time of Noah mankind grew so wicked that the Creator decided that it was time to judge the earth. In Genesis 7:21-23 we read:
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
Questions
- What type of animals does the Bible say died during the flood?
- Creation scientists believe there is great evidence that the flood was the most violent catastrophe the world has even experienced. There is good evidence that there were hypercanes, huge storms, tsunamis, tidal waves, major volcanic activity, and many other world re-structuring forces at work. How would this affect the sea creatures?
- How could this explain the massive fossil jellyfish graveyard we find in Mosinee, Wisconsin?
The Sea Creatures Give Glory to the Creator
In Nehemiah 9:6 it said that God is worthy of praise. The verses below agree:
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? (Job 12:7-9)Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein. (Psalm 69:34)
Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. (Isaiah 42:10)
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:13)
Questions
- In Job 12 it says that the beasts, fowls, and the fish of the sea will teach us. What does that mean? How can we learn from the fish of the sea?
- How can the heaven, earth, the seas and everything in them praise the Lord?
- When we investigate this wonderful world that God made, what should it lead us to do according to Isaiah 42:10?
- What happens in Revelation 5?
Close in Prayer
End your family devotion by thanking the Lord for His incredible creativity in designing the sea, and the creatures that live there. Give Him glory for being the Creator of all things!
