In lesson 2 we learned that at the end of the Festival of Shelters, the Torah scroll is rolled back to the beginning, to Genesis 1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In the story of creation, we see the pattern for how God creates. When God made a nation for himself, Israel, he followed the same pattern. When Christ comes again, he will establish his kingdom from Israel and restore the world to God’s original plan. God is always creating something new. The Bible not only tells us about the earth’s beginning and Israel’s beginning, but our new beginning in Christ.
God is Light and Separates Light from Darkness
The opening verses of Genesis inform us that at the time of creation, the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. When everything in your life feels dark, chaotic, and wasted, look up because the Holy Spirit is hovering, ready to bring forth life! The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt at the time God chose to make them a nation. Their lives were being wasted in slavery. Their baby boys were being thrown into the Nile at Pharoah’s command. They lived in the spiritual darkness of idolatrous Egypt until at last God said, “Let there be light.” Jesus is the Light of the world, the visible truth of God. Revelation 22:5 tells us that when he comes again there will be no sun and moon. He will be the source of light. When God spoke the light, he spoke Jesus who was the light of the world before the creation of the sun.
Genesis 1:4 tells us that God distinguished light from darkness, a key characteristic of how God brings a new beginning. God sent Moses, his ambassador of light to confront the darkness of Pharoah and the gods of Egypt. This confrontation manifested through 10 plagues sent by God. The ninth plague was the separation of light from darkness. God distinguished between his people in the land of Goshen, on whom God shined his light, and the nation of Egypt which fell into literal darkness as the sun went dark. When Jesus returns to set up his earthly kingdom, he will distinguish between those who walk in the light and truth of Jesus and those who prefer spiritual darkness. Once again, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will give no light as Jesus, the Light, prepares to shine on a world that is covered in chaos. Those who are filled with the light of Jesus will be separated unto God and those who prefer darkness will be cast out into utter darkness forever.
God’s way of bringing about a new beginning in us involves separation from spiritual darkness. When the hovering Holy Spirit comes into us at salvation, he brings the light of Jesus, which is truth. He then starts to help us separate truth from lies, light from darkness. With the Holy Spirit as our Counselor, we begin to discern good from evil. Much of what our society says is good is evil, so we need the Spirit of Truth.
Separation of the Waters
Next, God separated the earth from the sky, making our atmosphere. God said, “Let the water below the sky be gathered to one place. Let the dry ground appear” (Genesis 1:9). Once God distinguishes between dark Egypt and Israel through the 10 plagues, he then physically separates Israel from Egypt by leading them out through parted waters. When they get to the Red Sea, God gathers the water so that dry ground will appear, just as he did at creation. As the Israelites cross through the Red Sea on dry ground, God is showing them that he is the God of creation who gives land to his people. Just as God led the nation of Israel to the land he promised them through parted waters, God will part the sky to bring down from heaven a new glorious city that Jesus has been preparing for those who love him (see John 14, Revelation 21). The sky will be rolled back to make way for our new home with God, our promised land.
What this tells us about our new beginning is that it sometimes requires physical separation. The Lord may prompt you to leave a job, hobby, or friendships that pull you into darkness, just as God physically separated the Israelites from Egypt and brought them to a good land. He will lead you to good paths if you listen and obey him. If he tells you to stay, he will give you the grace to shine light in the dark place.
Providing Food from the Ground
Once God created land, he said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation” (Genesis 1:11). Seed-bearing plants and trees then covered the land, producing more plants and trees. Before God created man, he put food on the ground for us. God gave us seed-bearing plants to feed us and gives his word in seed form, growing faith in us until we become mature plants that produce more seeds of faith to plant in others. Everything God creates is meant to be reproduced in us, his creation.
When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, they had to pass through a desert with no food, so God caused the ground to produce manna, a honey-flavored bread substance. God was demonstrating to them that the same God who created the plants of the earth would provide food for them. Jesus multiplied 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5000, then declared he not only provides bread but is our bread. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh” (John 6:48-51).
Jesus is our daily bread. Just as we need food daily, we need to commune with Jesus daily. We feed on his teachings and are nourished by him as we pray and listen to his voice. He offered the world his flesh that was crucified on the cross, taking upon himself all our punishment. When we take the bread in the sacrament of communion, we are physically receiving what Jesus did for us on the cross in our bodies. It is a symbol that just as bread sustains our body, Jesus sustains our life.
Providing Lights for Time and Navigation
In God’s next act of creation he said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years” (Genesis 1:14). God gave us the sun, moon, and stars for calendars. One of the first things God did when creating the nation of Israel was to give them a new calendar that began in spring, as well as festivals that would mark their seasons. The spring festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits commemorated their Exodus from Egypt and first fruits of the spring harvest. They pointed to Jesus, our Passover Lamb who sacrificed his life for us on Passover and was resurrected on the First Fruits festival as the first of the resurrection of the dead. All who die in Christ will be resurrected with him. Jesus fulfilled the Festival of Unleavened Bread by making us into a new batch of unleavened dough (a symbol of purity), removing our sin from us. God’s calendar begins in spring, a time of new beginnings, because it is in the spring that Jesus gave us our new beginning. When we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, we get to start over as a new creation, entering a new spring season.
The Festival of Weeks or Pentecost celebrated the giving of God’s laws through Moses and was fulfilled by God sending his Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to personally teach us God’s ways and abide in us. Since God fulfilled the spring festivals through Jesus’ first coming, we now watch for the signs of Jesus’ return during the fall festivals which begin with the Festival of Trumpets that will announce Jesus’ return to earth. All of the festivals point to and celebrate God’s presence with us. God created the lights in the sky to mark his days and seasons, so we ask him to order our days and align us to his seasons.
The lights in the sky are also used for navigation. When God led Israel through the wilderness, his presence was with them as a cloud by day to shelter them from the sun and a pillar of fire by night to protect them. They followed the cloud wherever it went. When God calls us to himself, he becomes our navigational source. Instead of going wherever we want to go, we have to learn to follow his lead. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who takes care of us. When we follow him, he is our shelter and protector.
Providing Fish, Birds, and Animals
Next, God created the fish in the sea and birds of the air. When Israel was in the wilderness on their way to the promised land, God sent manna in the morning and a flock of quail in the evening so they could have meat. God is creative in how he takes care of us! We can trust him and celebrate the rich variety of ways he demonstrates his love and care for us, his creation. God gave us animals for food, clothing, and as we learned in lesson 1, the blood of animals was given to man for atonement in the old covenant to point to Christ. Jesus told us not to worry about what we would eat, drink, or wear but just seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, trusting him to provide for our needs (Matthew 6:19-34). God provided everything we would need before we needed it, then set man to rule over all of it with him.
Creating Man in God’s Image
The final act of creation was when God made mankind in his own image to be like him, saying, “They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” God specifically created us to reign with him over creation because God wants his children to do what he does. When we try to selfishly rule as gods instead of under God’s authority, we make a mess. To begin again, we humbly repent of going our own way and return to obedience to God, the Father, who then teaches us how he rules.
The purpose of the 10 commandments God gave Israel in the wilderness and all of God’s instructions are to restore man to God’s image. But while the law could teach us about God’s ways, it could not change our sinful nature. So God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sin, making us right with God so we could receive his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reproduces in us the nature of Christ who leads by serving, showing mercy, and laying down his life for others. This life is our training ground for the age to come when Jesus returns to set up his earthly kingdom. Revelation 20 shows us that when Christ returns, those who follow him will reign with him over the earth in righteousness, just as he promised – just as God originally planned.
After every act of creation, God said it was good. The only thing he said was not good was when man was alone, before the first woman was created. This reveals God’s heart toward us. He knows we were made for relationship with him and others, so when he gives us a new beginning in Christ, he restores us to relationship with himself and puts us in a community of believers. Some have been wounded by the church, and if that’s you, please know I am sorry you were hurt and so is God. But he wants to help you find a community who will love and support you, so ask him to heal your heart and lead you to healthy relationships. It requires grace and forgiveness to be in a community, which is how God teaches us to love the way he loves us, with grace and forgiveness. It is not good for man or woman to be alone, so we must learn from God how to love.
After God created mankind, he blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). God blesses you to bear good fruit and grow. One of his commands to the priests of Israel was to pronounce a blessing over the people. Whenever the priest spoke the blessing, God promised to bless them. Hear the blessing of the Lord over you today: “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
Question for Reflection:
How different would your life be if you invited God to separate truth from lies, be your provider and protector, order your days, lead you so that you become a leader like Jesus, and give you healthy relationships? If you would like a new beginning, ask God to forgive you by the blood of Jesus for going your own way. Invite the Holy Spirit to come and reproduce in you the nature of Christ, revealing who he created you to be. It is a lifelong process, like the slow growth of a tree, but God is not anxious over the slowness of our maturity. God delights in the process. He created you for relationship with him and enjoys watching his children grow.
