Genesis 9 – God Creates Man

God's word is from Genesis chapter 1, verses 24 through 31. Please listen attentively to the Word of God.

 

"And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to their kinds.' And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." Amen.  

 

Beginning of the Sixth Day

On the sixth day, God fills the land He made on the third day with living creatures. The content of Him creating animals on that land appears in today's text. He created livestock, animals raised at home, according to their kinds, and then He also created wild animals according to their kinds.

 

Structure of Genesis 1 and Diversity of Interpretation

These are words forming quite a special contrast. As emphasized before, this Genesis chapter 1, rather than meticulously recording all events that occurred in creation, or listing them in exact chronological order, has the form of historical narration focused on conveying a very important theme through its message. Therefore, from the described content, it is difficult to know the flow of time accurately, and while the daily time mentioned there can be interpreted as 24-hour units, or thought of as a longer period, both interpretations have sufficient biblical basis. When interpreting the Bible, if explaining a single event is possible through various different views, the purpose of recording that passage is often not to prove the fact itself, but rather to teach some other deeper meaning. When you read certain Bible verses, some are clear, making the interpretation very straightforward. However, some passages, like today's text, especially when explaining words, often allow for various interpretations. In such cases, we need to understand that the passage or word was not aimed at describing a clear fact, but rather carries a more important meaning it intends to convey to us. Because, when God gave us the Bible, His purpose was clearly not to cause us confusion.

 

Core of Sixth Day Creation: Human-Centeredness

From this perspective, looking at today's Bible passage we read, we realize very important things. Let's examine them one by one. First, the phrase "livestock according to their kinds," as examined before, does not explain the scientific biological classification system of species, genus, family, order, etc., learned in science class, but holds a more profound meaning. Now, let's examine why livestock was mentioned first. There is an important meaning here; why did He separate livestock and wild animals? This tells us that God is repeatedly showing one theme through this revelation, a very important theme that Genesis possesses. What could it be? Why did animals raised at home appear? It shows us that the most important center and purpose, or goal, running through all the content of Genesis, lies with humans. If humans were not the center, there would have been no reason to distinguish and create animals raised at home. According to the order of this creation, humans have not yet appeared. Yet, the fact that animals raised at home appeared is a very important fact that makes us realize, 'Ah, God is explaining the content of Genesis to us centered on humans.'

 

In many ancient creation myths or narratives found in other literature, there is more interest in how the gods were made, rather than the story of humans. Many people also argue that elements viewable as myth exist in Genesis too. Perhaps one of the foremost experts on myth would be J.R.R. Tolkien, whom you know well as the author of the novel "The Lord of the Rings." And there is another person, C.S. Lewis, whom we know well. There is a very famous novel known to have been written for his nephew, "The Chronicles of Narnia." I believe many people know the content well through books and movies. What kind of story is it? Yes, the main theme is the story of God's gospel, but to explain this, it heavily used the form of myth, i.e., fantasy. He was a professor of English literature at Oxford University. So, how many myths must he have read and referenced to write this book? Originally, he came to know about Christianity late in life and came to believe in Jesus. After converting and finally becoming a Christian, C.S. Lewis spoke to the effect of the following to those who claimed the story of Genesis was no different from fabricated mythological stories like the Dangun myth: "If there is a group among theologians or myth scholars who think Genesis is related to myth, they should not re-read Genesis but examine many more myth stories. Then they will naturally realize. How the Bible differs from myth, why Genesis is not myth, and how this story appearing in the Bible tells historical truth."

 

Importance of Repeated Phrases: "It Was Good"

Therefore, through this biblical narration, we must note and remember that God is explaining the core message He intends to convey to us using a very unique structure, and we should strive to find it. One of those unique aspects is precisely the use of repeated phrases. Because this story unfolds centered on humans, the center of the story always holds a purpose directed towards humans, and for this, we discover that repeated phrases are used not only in the sixth-day creation account we read today but throughout the entire content of Genesis. Shall we find them together? First, how many times did the phrase "He saw that it was good" appear? Yes, this can be guessed correctly. Seven times.

 

Now, shall I pose another question? How many times did the part appear where after "And God said," it says "And it was so"? Yes, this too is seven times. In how many days did He create? Yes, 6 days. Then on which day is the Sabbath? Yes, the seventh day. This structure of '7' used in Genesis surprisingly is also the structure that appears most frequently in Revelation, which talks about the end times. The structure of '7' was used exactly the same way in Revelation too. The books where 7 appears most often in the Bible are precisely Genesis and Revelation. Through this structure of 7, it tells us about the concept of rest, and simultaneously through this repetition, it conveys to us how important this rest is. We see that the phrases "And it was so" or "He saw that it was good" appear twice each on the sixth day. Before that, sometimes it appeared once, and on some days it didn't appear, but on the sixth day, it appears twice each, making a total of 7 times.

 

First, let's examine the phrase "He saw that it was good." We might simply think, 'Ah, God made things, looked at them, and felt very pleased,' and 'He felt these created things were truly good.' In a way, this judgment is a simple moral judgment. It's easy to think, 'Ah, they were morally very good things, not bad things.' However, God didn't say a single word about bad. It's certain He is not simply making a moral or ethical judgment. Because an important word precedes that phrase. That is precisely the phrase, "God saw that." Meaning, what is emphasized in this phrase is precisely God's perspective. Since general ethical or moral perspectives often originate from us, we think things good to us are just generally felt as good, but from this perspective of God, the word "good" informs us of a very important fact. When this word is used from God's perspective, it is precisely when the events that occurred align with God's will and purpose that He finally says "good." Therefore, it has absolutely no relation to our opinions or simple feelings. Then what is it related to when God expresses something as good? It is precisely when it relates to the work of creating humans that He expresses it as good. For things not directly related to humans, He did not say it was good. Therefore, if He created trees and grass and said He saw it was good, it's not God's impression of the trees and grass themselves, but rather, the space where humans, created in God's image, would live is now changing from chaos to order, from void to fullness, and He is saying the trees and grass made for that purpose were good in His sight. It means humans are at the center of all that. Meaning, because of all the things created, when the environment was created where people could eat them and enjoy them there, God said to them it was good.

 

Another important point to examine here is that He didn't say it was good because all this was perfect. To exaggerate slightly, if the mountains were perfect, those mountains should not have changed at all. If the water was perfect, things like the water level changing, or the location of streams changing, should not have happened. The goodness of these creations is not value due to their perfection like this, but in the sense that humans will rule and cultivate them, and will be fruitful and multiply within them; because such things achieve God's purpose together with humans, He called it good. It doesn't mean the Grand Canyon is beautiful because it's so perfect. It is beautiful because we exist, capable of enjoying it beautifully. You might think this interpretation is too human-centered. However, God thought so human-centrically that He initially created the sun and moon and didn't even give them names. The sun and moon are good when they shine on us. The reason He says the sun, which illuminates the Earth among the numerous lights existing in the universe, is good is because it relates to humans. The accomplishment of this purpose becomes glory to God, and therefore we learn in what sense God said "very good."

 

New Creation and God's Joy

And this principle of "He saw that it was good" does not end only in Genesis, but naturally occurs whenever the history of all creation takes place. It's the same for us. When we use the phrase 'born again,' it speaks of being newly reborn, and in 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul speaks about this as follows: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" The new creation mentioned here precisely means being newly born. In the new creation as well, the principle is very similar to this meaning. The new creation does not mean we became perfect humans on this earth, never sinning again. Unlike the time of creation, we live in a world full of sin. We, who cannot help but be weak in this world full of sin, cannot help but live afflicted by sin. That's why we stumble so often, and because of that weakness, we cannot help but live with fear, anxiety, and the resulting heart wounds and pain. Yet, the Bible saying God rejoices in us is not because we are perfect, nor because we overcame it by our own strength. Rather, it's because something truly surprising to us weak beings happens every time. When you and I fight against sin and fall, stumble, how do we react? Is there anyone who says, "God, just leave me alone, I'll just die like this, whatever..."? No. How do you speak? "I shouldn't live like this!" You resolve once again, right? And then what do you do? "Ah, now I have no choice but to go to the Lord!" you confess. This is precisely the amazing thing happening to us. We are so weak like this, yet leaning on Jesus Christ, we call God Father. That is God's joy. That satisfies God's heart. Despite seeming likely to fall into sin and evil, we do not run away into sin and evil, but try to flee to God. This is precisely grace. It's impossible by our strength. You and I actually tend to like sin. Doing something wrong pricks the conscience slightly, but if even a small profit is involved, after a little time passes, the guilt gradually dulls, and eventually, we easily cast aside conscience. We are that weak. Yet God does not let us live just like that in that place, but makes us repent, "Lord, forgive me, the chief of sinners!" and eventually return. In our representative prayers, the repentance "During the week, all I committed was sin. Lord, forgive me!" is never missing. However, it means we always flee to God. It cannot be but a truly mysterious thing. Leaning on Jesus, leaning on the fact that the Lord was victorious, although we truly can do nothing, we squirm. Seeing that, what does God say? "Well done, I am pleased, you are truly my child." That is truly good to Him. Because God knows too well that we lack the skill and ability to achieve His will and His kingdom perfectly and completely on this earth. Yet despite that, God makes us walk that path to the end without giving up. And we don't know how great a joy that is to God.

 

It's natural for a student who studies well and is intelligent to get 100 on a test. Parents might just take it for granted. But if a son who always shunned studying, never studied, and engaged only in mischief every day, suddenly sits at his desk one day, opens a book, and studies, how would the parents feel? We truly are people who can do nothing. Our will is not strong, we are not more holy or pure than others, nor sacred. And we have no great ability or strength, nor possessions to offset all this. Beings who have nothing are precisely us. Yet despite that, we do not let go of God. And we always return to Christ. We do not give up the cross. We return again to that God. God rejoices in us who fail like that. That is precisely the work of creating us anew. "I make you new every day!". Not that we try to become new and achieve it, but God will make us new. That is precisely God's joy.

 

Importance of Repeated Phrases: "And It Was So"

If the phrase "He saw that it was good" is a word that gives us such amazing grace and comfort, the phrase "And it was so" is also one of the words sufficient to amaze us. As we already examined briefly in last week's sermon, this phrase doesn't simply mean, 'There was a word, and that word was fulfilled exactly as spoken, therefore God is truly powerful.' Let's examine these words in detail once more. I mentioned that the sun, moon, and the great creatures in the sea are merely creations made by God. They too all happened exactly as spoken. Therefore, the tannin, the great sea creature, was also merely a creature. To the Israelites of that time, among the gods of the Near East then, especially the gods of Egypt, were the most powerful and capable gods. He is saying all those gods were actually creatures. It means they are nothing. It simply appears in one sentence, even just a short phrase within a sentence, and ends. Without a single word of explanation about the huge creature tannin, it's just "God created it, and end!".

 

Everyone, how many things do we fear while living on this earth? But the Bible says all those things we see on this earth are merely creatures. I mentioned that tannin, Rahab, or Leviathan, meaning large creatures, often refer to Egypt in the Bible. Just as this large creature, Egypt, did to the Israelite nation, today we too are often oppressed by this large creature, Egypt. This Egypt sometimes becomes our money. And this Egypt sometimes becomes our physical health. Sometimes the power we pursued becomes Egypt. So these things persistently oppress us at times. Not only that, but the failures we experienced in the past also become our Egypt. It constantly pulls us back, trying to prevent us from ever rising again. The tribulations we suffered, even death, and all things like these, belong only to this world on this earth. They seem magnificent, but are actually just creatures. Although everything is twisted due to human fall, ultimately, it's merely a creature. When hearing this word 'creature,' we must always remember this. In the highest position among these creatures, what kind of being truly exists? In the position ruling all these creatures, what kind of being truly exists? Yes, precisely us. We are the creatures existing at the very top among these creatures. There are no creatures that can overcome us. There are no creatures on this earth that can shake us. Because we are precisely the greatest purpose of God's creation. It means we are incomparable to other creatures. Would it make sense if a lion feared a rabbit and ran away scared? If you and I fear things happening in the world and run away scared, that actually doesn't make sense. We are not people to be shaken by creatures. Because we are the beings at the very top among creatures.

 

Parallel between Tabernacle Construction and Creation

Now, let's proceed a bit further from the part explained last time. The expression we are examining now is actually deeply related to the Israelite tabernacle appearing in Exodus. Exodus 40, starting from verse 17. "So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. Moses set up the tabernacle. He set the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent on top of it, as the Lord commanded Moses." When setting up the tabernacle, it says the posts of the tabernacle were set up, the tent spread, and the covering put on top. Can you imagine? Covering the tabernacle. Then what is recorded next? "as the Lord commanded Moses." He placed the ark in the Most Holy Place and shielded it with the curtain. Meaning, shielding the space between the Most Holy Place and the Holy Place with the curtain. Then what did He say? "as the Lord commanded Moses." Then, after commanding the table of shewbread? "as the Lord commanded Moses." After lighting the lamps of the lampstand? "as the Lord commanded Moses." What about after burning incense on the golden altar? At the altar of burnt offering? At the bronze basin? Yes, "And it was so!"  

 

Then, adding them all up, how many times did this expression appear? Yes, now you know, right? Seven times. This didn't just happen to match by coincidence, but shows that the tabernacle itself is related to God's creation. As you well know, the tabernacle is divided into three parts. One is the courtyard, also called the outer court. And inside, divided by a curtain, are the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. It's divided into these three. That three-part structure is precisely the same as the structure of the created world God made. First there is land, then there is sky, and above that sky, there is another sky. Thus, this structure of the tabernacle enables us to understand that it shows precisely this created world.

 

Us as the Temple in Christ

But it is recorded that this tabernacle, as the Lord commanded, "happened accordingly." How many times? Yes, seven times. It shows creation. When was this tabernacle completed? It's content from the Gospel of John you know well. Jesus came to this earth, saw the temple, and says to destroy the temple. And says He will raise it again in three days. The disciples and the surrounding crowd and soldiers scoffed. They ridiculed the statement about destroying this temple built over several decades and rebuilding it in three days. Later, John understood the words Jesus spoke then and added a commentary there. What did John realize? "But the temple he had spoken of was his body." Jesus is precisely the completion of the temple. To whom did He give that completed temple? Believing in Jesus means you live inside whom? Yes, it means living in Jesus. Then Jesus fulfilled the temple, and since we live in Jesus, that temple becomes precisely us. It became ours. That's why the Bible calls us the temple. Because the Holy Spirit God dwells within us. The temple is the dwelling place where God resides. This truly cannot be but a tremendous fact. The Jews still do not understand this even now. How can God dwell among us like this? This is precisely the amazing work accomplished for us by Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, that curtain was torn from top to bottom with a 'rip'. Jesus Christ became the bread of the Table of Showbread, became the light from the golden lampstand, became the fragrance from the altar of incense. All this was completed because of Christ. Yet, in our tabernacle too, the completion of that creation is achieved, and we become those who shine the light of Christ. We became the very people who eat the bread of Christ and live strengthened. That's why we say we live by the Word.

 

Now, do you know what actually happens when you pray? You might simply bow your head and call upon Jesus or God, or the Holy Spirit, the Triune God like this, or cry out "Lord!". But at that moment, the heavenly Most Holy Place has been opened before you. You have been enabled to approach the Father in heaven. You spiritually enter the Most Holy Place. Because God sent Jesus Christ and tore the curtain blocking the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The moment you pray, you are not just kneeling and stating your wishes, but you are enabled to approach the throne of grace with confidence. So how could we possibly stop praying? Where else could there be such an amazing moment of glory? The moment you pray, you have been enabled to draw near to God. You are precisely those children of God.

 

Privileges Enjoyed as Children of God

Therefore, because of the words "And it was so," we no longer need to fear the things of this earth. And we came to live in Christ. Among the creatures in this world, nothing can make us fear anymore. Therefore, we no longer have reason to be shaken by anything in this world that can threaten us. This might be difficult, but such things can no longer swallow us. It can no longer destroy our lives. It means our lives do not stumble or fail because of them. We no longer need to judge the value of our lives by such things. You and I, rather, when such things happen, have become people who confess that because of the fact we live in Christ, no one can take away this peace. However, looking at it this way, this is somewhat passive glory. Then what is the more active glory these words teach us? It is that we finally become the light of Christ and live as the light of this world, that we navigate this world by the Word, that we became the fragrance of Christ, and that repenting daily, experiencing the Kingdom of God daily—precisely this is the active glory we can feel. It means all this happened accordingly. Do you easily feel the reality that God's word was fulfilled exactly? Do you feel the reality that God gave us the Bible, and the words of that Bible happened exactly to us too? He said we become children, and we became children. He made us saints, and Christ became our righteousness. Christ became our holiness. Christ became our comfort. This entire Bible became not someone else's word but my word in Christ. It didn't become our word only after being realized, but because it's a promise, it became our word. It's certainly natural to be thankful when you deeply know and realize the Bible, are moved by it, and understand it properly. Then, the knowledge of the Bible might become deeper. But it's absolutely not the case that God's word appears only as much as I am moved. Just as shouting "Long live Korean independence!" louder couldn't have brought our country's independence faster. Realizing it might benefit me, but the amount or depth of it does not determine the pouring out of all God's grace. If God declared us God's children by promise, then regardless of whether our awareness of being God's children is great or very small, our privilege as God's children and the blessings we can enjoy do not diminish or disappear. It means we cannot help but enjoy that privilege and blessing. Because the privilege of being God's children is not given to just anyone. The child's task is to know, learn, and realize it throughout life, walking with the Lord. It cannot be but perfectly natural. This is precisely why we study the Bible. This is why we listen repeatedly to this long sermon. So as not to forget. Because we keep forgetting we are God's children, we fear the world. If you were a millionaire, you wouldn't worry about money. But if a millionaire completely forgets the fact that his money is deposited in the bank and lives poorly, they too would have no choice but to live worrying about lack of money and begging like poor people. Therefore, we diligently study the Word to remember our privilege. What was studied yesterday must be studied again today. Because the more you remember it, the more you can enjoy it.

 

Therefore, when studying the Word, please don't casually dismiss it thinking, 'It's an easy story I've heard many times before and know.' There is no part in the Bible that can be dismissed as just another obvious story. Suppose you go home, open the wardrobe, and confirm there is a $100 bill. But the next day you open it, it has increased to $1,000. And the day after, another $500 has appeared. Now, what will you do the next day? Would you think, 'I've opened it for 3 days, I should stop opening it now'? Who would do that? Yes, that's right. Similarly, the joy we feel by knowing the Word is new every day, daily, daily. It might be the same joy, but for us, it's a new joy daily. Thinking you know God's Word because you heard it before and not reconfirming it is actually evidence that you and I are missing the treasure trove of truth. You and I are precisely "that person" the Bible speaks of, precisely "that person" becoming the person the Bible promises, and "that person" who will become the person the Bible speaks of. It truly cannot be but an amazing thing. If we live missing this, and therefore still live only to become some person I want to be, even if that appears in the world as the image of some great person or righteous person, you and I might be living a life missing perhaps the most important thing. What is important to us is the image the Bible speaks of and promises, not the image I think of, consider important, and want to become.

 

Do Not Be Deceived by Lies, Abide in Truth

However, as we live, we often feel we are living as outsiders who cannot belong to the world. It feels difficult to live with one foot dipped in this world. But even so, we don't live relying completely only on the Lord either; perhaps often we live straddling the fence between the world and God daily. Sometimes, seeing this aspect of ourselves, we reproach ourselves for not living properly according to God's word even once, and sometimes we envy people around us who believe in Jesus fervently. When we feel unable to serve others well, feel unacknowledged by others, easily get hurt, and see ourselves worn out by life, we easily despair. But please remember. If you become frustrated or despair due to these appearances, you are truly being deceived by lies. This is not reality. It's Satan's lie. You are tormenting yourself, deceived by lies, and also wasting yourself. If you accurately know who the Bible says you are, even when you say you are a sinner, you will know what state you are in, and even when confessing to be the chief of sinners, you can discover the hope given to you. Why? Because we have the cross. When we know who the Bible says I am, we can change. Since the Bible tells us our status as children, you and I have absolutely no reason to be deceived by such lies. The very person who will grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ is you and me. Therefore, we are enabled to live without such unnecessary worries anymore.

 

Let me share my story briefly. When I was young, there was a time my family was extremely poor. Truly difficult. At that time, pretending to be mature, I went before my mother and spoke seriously. That I would quit school now, take the qualification exam, and quickly earn money. Hearing that story, what do you think my parents did? Did they praise me for being thoughtful? That day I was scolded immensely, and might not have survived until now. After being scolded for a long time, what my mother said to me was this: "Son, worrying is what mothers do." Worrying about your life is what God does. And your job is to believe in that God. You absolutely do not need to worry instead about the worries God will handle. You and I are God's children, whose names the Lord even gave differently. Holy ones. This is precisely the glory we should enjoy. If you do not understand this fact, you might be someone who does not know Jesus Christ. If you do not know Jesus, you are people who need the gospel. And that gospel tells us. We who are in Christ Jesus are precisely the beings God is speaking of. The being God created, the being we know as God's image, the very being God made—if we abide in Christ....

 

Conclusion: Be Embraced by Christ

Then what is our task? Precisely to be embraced by Christ. And there is exactly one condition for that. It wouldn't be things like having to run with all your might, or having to muster courage and jump to be embraced, or having to find well where Jesus is and go there. It's also not about having to be better than others, having superior qualifications, or being kinder. The only condition to be embraced by our Lord is this confession: "Lord, can even someone like me receive salvation? I am a sinner." This one thing is sufficient. "Sinner" is the only condition you need to have. Being a sinner who can murmur, "Have mercy on me!" is the only condition you need to have. If you are one who believes in God, please remember this today. That you are precisely the person God spoke of, that you are becoming that person even now, and that God will make that person reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. From now on, through the words of the text, we will examine one by one who that person is, the person being restored to God's image.

Everyone, when God created the world, up until today's text, He spoke thus: "Let there be..., Let ... bring forth." Expressed in English, He said, "Let there be!". But this expression suddenly changes. God speaks thus: "Let us make!". God makes us. During this week, God's hand will make you. He will make you into precisely the person He speaks of. Perhaps, seen from the world, it might not be any noticeable change. But you and I stand precisely on the path God speaks of. May we meet again next week with that face.

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. God, thank you, thank you. We are thankful that we were called by this amazing grace of God, that God said to us "He saw that it was good," and that You bestowed upon our lives too this amazing history of creation where what the Lord spoke happened accordingly. Loving Lord, You have re-erected the collapsed pillars of our lives. The space that was void, could not be filled by anything, and seemed impossible to fill in the future—You, Lord, filled it. It happened according to the words "And it was so." Lord, it happened according to the Word. Let us know that Word. Let us remember the 'me' that God's Word speaks of. Do not let us collapse before creatures amidst all things of this world and serve them; do not let our hearts be stolen by them; do not let us worry and fret because of them, but let the Lord's voice, "Believe in God; believe also in me," capture our hearts. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!