It Was Very Good

I was reading in Genesis 1 this morning and was really impressed with this point.  Over and over again in the creation story God looks at what He has created and says that "It was good."  Five times He makes this comment, each time at the end of a days work.

God was continually pleased with His work and progress.  Everything was going to plan.  Things were coming together just like He wanted them to.

At the end of the chapter right after God creates man in His own image He looks out at all that He has created and says this profound statement.

It was very good.

God looks at His creation at said that it was very good.  He did not say that it was "all right" or that "it would do."  He said it was "very good."

How is it then that we look around and see chaos and evil in the world if God created it in a state of being "very good?"  Does it mean that God’s understanding of good actually contains evil and destruction?  Was God being overly kind about His performance?  Or was there something else to blame?

I think that the issue starts with a give and take of necessary qualities that are involved in God’s creation.  When He decided to make "man" in His image, he did so in order to create beings with which he could have relationship.  In order for a real relationship to be possible, it is also necessary for rejection to be possible right along side of acceptance.  If man had to have the ability to choose relationship with his creator in order for the relationship to truly be reciprocal, the man would have to be a free moral agent.

This means that he would have the ability to choose good and/or evil for himself.

Later in the Genesis story we see that man in fact did choose evil over the good that God had created.  This is the root cause of all of the evil and chaos in the world. 

It is shocking how fast things actually deteriorate once evil had been introduced into the world system.  With in one generation of Adam and Eve’s initial sin we already see the first murder.  By the time of Noah, the state of the earth was in total chaos and the intention of mans heart was evil continually.

How quickly things go wrong when we disobey the word of the Lord.  It is truly in our best interest to trust that God has our best in mind when he gives us rules to live by.

Prayer:

God thank you for your law.  Thank you that you have my best in mind and you are always looking out for me.  Help me to see the value in a life that pleases you and lives the way you have intended.  Help me to understand what it means to live according to your word.  Jesus thank you for your blood that restores all things.  Jesus you are so powerful.  You are worthy to receive the reward of your suffering.  Help me to offer my life as a sacrifice that is worthy of your name.  I ask all these things in Jesus name, Amen.

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