The first thing that you notice when you read the creation story is that God did not tell us how He created the universe. That was not His purpose. In fact, He did not even clearly explain the time period. Yes, it states creation took six days, but 2 Peter 3:8 states, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (see also Ps. 90:4). Understand, God could have created the universe in six-24 hour days, or He could have taken thousands of years to complete creation. We really don’t know. We weren’t there. But does that really matter? No. What does matter is the message. God created the universe. God hung the stars in the sky! (Job 9:9). God created man! (Gen. 1:26). God did it and it belongs to Him! (Ps. 24:1). And because we are part of creation, we belong to Him too. But there is another message in the creation story. Genesis 1 clearly reveals the love God has for man.
The process of creation reminds me of a farmer that takes great care in preparing his field for his prized harvest. When prepared correctly, the nutrients are in place from the previous crop before he even starts to work the field. The farmer plows the field, churning the rich soil to prepare for the seed. After the seed is planted, the farmer waters the field and makes sure that the plants are given the needed food and protection to grow their harvest. When harvest time comes, he reaps the rewards of his labor.
God’s laboring over creation proceeded in much the same way. In the step-by-step process, you can see that He was preparing for something special. God began with creating light and darkness. Then He made a distinction between the earth and the heavens. Then He separated the land from the seas. Once the land was prepared, God placed vegetation on the earth that would be present when food was needed. With the food in place, God introduced animals on the earth that flew in the air, swam in the sea, and walked on the earth. Then when the creation was perfectly prepared, God placed his finest possession into it, man. That’s the main message of creation. God loves us so much that He prepared a special place that met our needs and we could be close to Him. The detailed preparation also shows that He looked forward to our arrival. And just like He lovingly prepared an earthly home for us, He is creating a heavenly home for all who choose to follow Him. God wanted you to know from the very first pages of the Bible that He knew you were coming and He prepared for your visit well in advance.