The amazing moment in time when water, light, air, and bare
ground suddenly exist simultaneously.
Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens
be gathered into one place, and let the dry
land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering
of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then
God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit
trees on the earth bearing fruit after their
kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth
brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their
kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their
kind; and God saw that it was good. There
was evening and there was morning, a third day. Genesis 1:9-13
Water in uncontrolled, chaotic arrangement preexists day one
giving us the first element necessary for life but in destructive, overwhelming
form. Day one and day two had only one
event or new feature each, light in day one and space or air in day two, in
contrast day three has two new features bare ground and vegetation.
Anyone who has ever gardened knows that if conditions are
right, vegetation is going to sprout even if you did not plant seeds, even if
you don’t want it, fertile ground combined with water, light and air will produce
some sort of vegetation.
The Creation story in many ways seems to defy the observer
of nature but in day three it suddenly all makes sense to the natural eye.
Water, light, air, bare ground, of course plant life follows.
If only the naturalist had done more in day one and two to
prepare of the new life of day three.
New life on the third day is a biblical theme with which
every student should be familiar. In addition to the appearance of vegetation
on day three, Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac happens on day three and Isaac
comes off that altar with new life, Jonah’s fish spits him out, to a new life, on
the third day. I like this one…. it will
take a bit of thought, Noah comes out of his boat on the 27th day of
the se
cond month. That’s three days before the beginning of the third month to
offer sacrifices of thanksgiving… there are things in that story we all need to
ponder.
There are lots of other examples of this biblical phenomenon
of new life on the third if one wishes to dig them out. Of course the Jewish writers of the New Testament made sure
to point out that Jesus was resurrected on the third day after his death, on
the first day of the week. Just that in itself should give each of us plenty to
ponder.
So much can be written about the third day the third month
the third year and the third set of seven years that we could fill up Google. But the idea here is for each of you to ponder these things
yourself. Here are a few thoughts about the new life, in the form of vegetation
in day three. It is stationary, it’s stable, it can’t move or communicate, and
vegetation grows slowly and provides the base of the food chain for all the
future life to come.
What is our role? I am reminded of the gardener who was showing his pastor
around his garden. The pastor commented on how God had very much blessed the
garden. To which the gardener responded “Pastor you should have seen it when
God had it alone!”
We have a role, we are part of creation. Whatever our
calling, it will take both our effort and the miracles of new life for our
gardens to produce well for the benefit of our families and our world.
So to the third day… HERE! HERE!
Or as Tevye sings in Fiddler…To
life, to life, l'chaim…. L'chaim, l'chaim, to life.
No comments:
Post a Comment