There Can Be Miracles When You Believe

1 Kings 17:1-24

Elijah’s Ministry

When you see most people rebel against God, succumbing to sin and wickedness; when evil and violence prevail, causing chaos and moral decadence; when God’s people are lukewarm in their faith, unwilling to obey God; how then would you conduct yourself?

During the reign of King Ahab, the Northern Kingdom of Israel underwent a faith and morality crisis. The Israelites, though not totally forsaking Yahweh, were crippled in their faith. They were not able to go to worship in the temple in Jerusalem.

Coming from Phoenicia, Queen Jezebel propagated the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16:31-32). For the Canaanites, Baal was worshipped as a god of prosperity, rain, harvest, soil and human fertility. Israel turned to Baal because its form of idol worship encouraged unrestrained sensual living, promised abundant crop and material blessing.

Against this backdrop, Elijah called on his people—the Israelites, to stay away from Baal worship and be faithful to Yahweh alone. Courageously, though in grief, Elijah confronted the hostile crowd, or effectively the entire nation.

We will examine Elijah’s ministry, focusing at the dynamics of narrative plot and prophet’s characterization.

From the outset, Elijah was introduced as a Tishbite from Gilead, an insignificant epithet. Elijah was not mentioned as a prophet and there was no “thus said the LORD”. Elijah simply told King Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand; there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” (v.1)

A hitherto unknown character making pronouncements; how could Ahab (and we readers) believe Elijah to be a prophet? Will his words come to pass? Will the LORD overcome Baal?

The LORD God commanded Elijah to go to the Jordan River and hide near the brook Cherith. Elijah obeyed and went. At the brook, Elijah had water but no food. Elijah experienced his first miracle when God sent ravens to deliver bread and meat, twice a day.

The world out there was experiencing a severe drought, poor harvest, and famine, yet Elijah was protected from all these. He stayed alone for some time, living a peaceful, stress-free, quiet life. It was also a passive and inaction situation because God supplied all he needed.

The LORD, God alone, confronted the Israelites— with judgment of drought, without the presence of His prophets and His words. What a tragic God!

Eventually the brook ran dry. The plot continues to unfold where God commanded Elijah to go into the Gentile territory of Sidon to look for a widow.

Ravens were unclean creatures and that corresponded with the Gentile widow – both were marginalized according to Israel’s tradition. Yet they obeyed God’s command and willingly became His messengers to aid Elijah.

Sidon was where Jezebel, the wicked queen, hailed from. Sidon was also the birthplace of Baal and the center of Canaanite culture. Elijah had ventured into the dragon’s lair! Could the LORD, God exercise His authority and power in the domain of the Gentile Canaanites?

Once again, Elijah obeyed God and went to Sidon. There later, he would not only proclaim God’s word, but appropriate and actualize God’s word himself.

Elijah met the widow while she was collecting wood. The widow did not say a word but Elijah believed God’s word and he convinced her to take a step of faith to partner with him to usher in a miracle.

Elijah took the initiative to ask her for water, and the widow gave some to him. He also wanted some bread, but she said that she only had a little flour and water left; barely enough for herself and her son. Both mother and son risked dying of hunger the following day.

Elijah took the next step to make God’s miracle happen. He promised the widow that if she let him eat the food first, the flour and oil would not be depleted. The widow obeyed just as Elijah obeyed the LORD God.

When Elijah visited the widow, he was passively accepting God’s command. But from then on, he became responsible for solving the problem of food and water. The outcome was God’s provision of unceasing supply of bread and oil not only for Elijah, but also for the widow and her son.

Charity and hospitality generate abundant supply because God’s grace is sufficient for His faithful people. By faith, we can rely on God to multiply what little we have for the benefit of others.

Now we are certain that God’s power and authority extended beyond the boundaries of Israel into Sidon, demolishing the citadel of Baal.

The plot continued to unfold with Elijah facing another crisis. The widow’s son died of illness and she put the blame on Elijah, saying to him, “What have you against me, O Man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”

The death of the boy was totally unexpected and Elijah panicked. The LORD God said nothing and did nothing. Facing the death of the boy, Elijah was in a daze.

Elijah had been obedient to Yahweh yet he now suffered failure. This is a trial on the maturity of faith! Like Elijah, we often ask, “What is God’s plan? Why do I have to encounter such a problem? Can God overthrow the domain of death?”

How did Elijah deal with this situation?

Elijah took the child from his mother and carried him to his own room. He took on the widow’s problem as his own, and her complaint as if it was his verbatim, pouring out his heart to God at the top of his voice, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” O the LORD my God, let this child’s soul come into him again.” (v.21)

Before this, Elijah told the widow what to do, and she obeyed him. Now he related her problem to God, and God answered him. Verse 22 says, “And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.”

Here we see God is sovereign above all including the domain of life and death. By now Elijah’s prophetic ministry had matured and been accredited, as the widow testified; “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” (v.24)

The widow’s comment echoed what the prophet had said earlier on, “… there shall be neither dew nor rain, except by my word.” (17:1)

Miracles of God Are For

Transformation of Lives

Elijah encountered one problem after another: from drought, no drinking water; to famine, no food, but God provided him all. Finally, through Elijah, God even performed the miracle of overcoming death.

So, we see the motifs of no water (drought), no food (famine), and no life (death). Interestingly, all these are perceived to be Baal’s domain, under his control.

As the plot unfolded, the narrator actually fore-grounded a fight between Baal and the LORD God, and he underscored that the Lord was the only true and living God whose power overcame Baal’s.

Additionally, the narrator employed an irony or parody: if even foreign ravens and widow submitted to the LORD God’s authority, then why did the people of God, the Israelites, waver in serving the LORD, having turned to the foreign idol Baal?

Chapter 17 underscores the overwhelming power of the LORD over Baal and foreshadows Chapter 18 – the tussle between Elijah and the priests of Baal to bring rain at Mt. Carmel where he would surely be victorious and Baal’s prophets would definitely be annihilated.

Also, we observe that the character of Elijah developed from being simple and passive to being proactive. He might not fully understand why crisis came his way, but as he cried to God, God answered him and revealed His will.

Elijah had learnt to always turn to God to make miracles happen, and not just waiting for miracles to happen. Soon Elijah would be alone to face the challenge of 450 Baal priests, where he should be mature in faith and proactive in overcoming the crisis by then.

This account of Elijah emphasizes that miracles are meant to manifest God’s power and authority, and then bring along transformation of lives. Since life changes, the adverse situation also changes. This is the only reason miracles are meaningful and important!

Many a time, we are not sure why certain events happened, like the case of the Sidon widow. She did not understand the cause of her son’s death and believed that it was the punishment for her own sins.

But as we rise up to undertake the responsibility, be proactive, by the power of God, miracles will happen! Our lives will undergo transformation, shaping us to be more steadfast, more versatile to overcome challenges, and bring about changes to our surroundings.

Let’s Embark on the Prophetic Ministry

Elijah experienced “drought, famine, and death”. Through this process, he gained maturity. Elijah started from fulfilling his own needs, to fulfilling the widow’s needs, to propelling her to believe in the LORD God, and, finally, to bringing life to her son.

 “Fighting evil, upholding the name of God, helping others to gain life”—is a model of prophetic ministry and it is realized in Jesus’ ministry too.

To save sinners, the Eternal Logos incarnated. Jesus crossed the boundary between heaven and earth, overriding the dividing line between the clean and the unclean, and entered into the domain of the “Ruler of this World”.

With the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he overcame the temptations of Satan, and contained evil. He upheld the holy name of God, served the needs of people, and resurrected to conquer death so as to give life to those who turn to Him for salvation.

Jesus gathered in Israel an eschatological prophetic community, which includes us now, as Christians, to venture into this chaotic world with a mission to “fight evil, uphold God’s name, and give life to people”. Eventually this corrupted world will turn to God anew.

Today many Christians come to God for miracles for their continual enjoyment at the “brook of Gilead”, leaving God alone to face the disastrous world out there. The irony is “the ravens and widow of Sidon” are at God’s disposal and will be used by God.

As Disciples of Christ; let’s get out of our comfort zone to partner God to usher in miracles of life. We exalt God’s name through miracles, through gaining maturity in life, and through bringing to others faith and new life. This is our purpose of experiencing miracles and this is also our mission.

爱是不保留

马可福音十四1—11

耶稣在伯大尼被膏抹

过两天就是逾越节，祭司长和文士设法逮捕和杀害耶稣，但他们不敢在节期人多的地方下手，恐怕引起暴动。耶稣反而退到城外，一位麻风病人，西门的家里吃饭（1-3节）耶稣开始传道时候，服事这类贫穷或病患者，现在他在受难前夕也选择与他们一起。

席间有一个女人来了，拿着一瓶珍贵的纯哪哒香膏。她二话不说就打破玉瓶，把香膏浇在耶稣的头上（3节）。

马太，马可和约翰都强调逾越节背景.耶稣被膏是预示他的死亡，正如逾越节被宰杀的羔羊。盛载香膏的是贵重的玉瓶，瓶的颈部窄小，因此只能够把香膏一滴滴倒出来。打破玉瓶明显是要倒出全部香膏，不留半点。哪哒香膏更加是贵重，因此旁观的人生气说：『为什么这样浪费香膏呢？这香膏可以卖三百多个银币，可以用来周济穷人。』（4-5节）

上文的五饼二鱼喂饱五千人的神迹，门徒质疑耶稣说，难道用两百个银币去买饼喂饱五千人吗（可六37）？两百个银币值得工人八个月的薪资，而三百个银币就值得工人一年的薪资，因此香膏的价值，比喂饱五千人的费用更加高。

耶稣说：『由她吧！为什么难为她呢？她在我身上做的是一件美事。因为常有穷人和你们在一起，要向他们行善，随时都可以，但是你们不常有我。她所做的是尽她所能的；她是为了我的安葬，把香膏预先浇在我身上。我实在告诉你们，普天之下无论在什么地方传这福音，都要述说这女人所做的，来记念她。』（6-9节）

马利亚默默付出最珍贵的香膏，也用对了，但受到人的责难。一个人完全投入信仰，会叫旁观者感到不舒服。然而，耶稣知道她的付出, 出声为她作辩护，并且当面称赞她。

耶稣平常是很怜恤穷人，他没有否定周济穷人的重要，但耶穌挑战他们不只做对的事，或者把事做对，也要为着他，做一件美事。门徒想着如何能够改变他人，改变环境—帮助穷人，但耶稣要他们先改变自己，先贴近耶稣的心。

旧约有君王、祭司和先知被膏的传统。马利亚用香膏膏抹耶稣，反映耶稣有君王，祭司和先知的职分。然而，耶稣被膏为基督（受膏者），不是为攀上权力高位，而是死在十字架上，舍命救赎罪人。

经文结构显示，马利亚的行动夹在犹太人领袖计划抓拿，杀害耶稣和犹大出卖主之间。对照前后显赫人物伤害耶稣，身份低微的女子，马利亚爱主的心特别鲜明。马利亚的举动扭转了犹太人领袖和犹大的举动，挑战我们读者，在三者之间，选择效法谁，改变自己来贴近耶稣的心？

爱是不保留

马利亚不痛惜玉瓶和香膏的贵重，毅然打破瓶子，把香膏毫无保留倾倒在耶稣的头上和脚上。这也代表她永远不再用这瓶香膏。马利亚毫无保留的献上，呼应上文奉献两个小文钱的穷寡妇。两位都是女性，默默奉献所有的，并且被视为作主门徒的典范。不同的是，贵重的香膏对照两个小文钱。

马利亚这样为耶稣献上，你为耶稣献上了什么？

马利亚不计较代价，不惧怕别人的批评，以谦卑和爱慕的心来服事耶稣。今天我们以什么态度来服事主呢？我们很轻易有梦想，有异象，受到感动，但是很难有行动，什么原因呢？

可能我们对耶稣的爱已经褪色了，冷淡了，对神的道没有反应，也没有热情投入敬拜。或者我们就是那些生气的人抱怨说；『为何那样浪费呢？』

我们凡事有保留，不愿意打破玉瓶！什么是你的『玉瓶』，在束缚着你呢？可能是一些时间和经济上的限制？或是不愿付代价的心态？是我们太依赖旁人？是不情愿离开舒适区？

爱是不保留！求主帮助我们，下定决心，改变自己，贴近耶稣的心，就是『打破玉瓶』，将自己最心爱的，最珍贵的献上给主用。

为耶稣成就一件美事

耶稣说：『由她吧！为什么难为她呢？她在我身上作的是一件美事……。』为何这是一件美事？

以色列人在埃及过第一个逾越节。他们倚靠门楣上羔羊的血得救，接着神带领他们离开埃及奴役之地。耶稣是另一只羔羊，流血，牺牲性命，拯救世人脱离罪恶的捆绑（林前五7）。

马利亚膏耶稣是为了耶稣作为代罪羔羊牺牲，被杀和下葬而准备。在耶稣复活的那一个早晨，一群妇女赶到坟墓，要膏耶稣的身体，但是坟墓是空的。马利亚抢了先机，在耶稣还活着的时候，为他的死和安葬，膏了他的身体。这当然是一件美事了！

马利亚把握机会，刻不容缓，为主成就美事，所以耶稣不准人们责怪她。我们今天不要再犹豫、冷漠和置身度外了。让我们改变自己，来贴近耶稣的心，就是把握机会为神的国献上，不然日后会遗憾的说，唉，早知道那时就该做……！

耶稣亲口说，福音传到世界各角落都要传讲马利亚所做的来记念她。福音不是抽象的概念，不是什么目标宣言，譬如：『神爱你、基督为你死』。福音是无数『小人物』，『无名氏』与耶稣相遇，为耶稣献上自己所编织的具体又真实的故事。神知道马利亚默默的付出，也知道我们每个人默默的付出。

当你和我奉献所有给耶稣，贴近主的心，就晋身为福音故事的角色，这当然是一件美事！

马利亚打破玉瓶，膏抹耶稣的行动，呼应耶稣牺牲自己的身体，死了，为世人带来救恩。耶稣在稍后与门徒一起的晚餐，拿起饼来祝谢了，掰开说，这是我的身体……（十四22）耶稣给五千人吃饱，也是拿起五个饼，两条鱼，祝谢了，然后把饼掰开，分出去给群众（六41）。

马利亚之膏抹耶稣仿佛在提醒和催促耶稣走上十字架受死，身体被掰开。这么看来，马利亚的打破玉瓶，膏耶稣的行动，当然是一件美事。我们记念马利亚的作为，也记念耶稣的作为：『打破、掰开、分出去』。怎么去记念呢？当然是贴近主的新，一样的『打破，掰开，分出去』，为主成就美事。

让我们为神的国里成就一件美事，就是将自己『打破、掰开、分出去』。每个人的生命都有『一个玉瓶』，必须被打破。打破玉瓶，香膏涌流而出，香气洋溢四周弥漫整个空间，象征我们的生命成为神祝福的管道，叫四周围的人都蒙福。

求主的爱再次激励我们，求圣灵加力量给我们。无论在教会服事、在职场、家庭和学校，我们都尽责，不计较代价，作主忠心的好管家，献上恩赐、金钱和时间，拓展神的国，见证主耶稣的圣名！

Just Giving Jesus A Treat Or...

Luke 7: 36-50

A Sinful

Woman Forgiven

The Gospel of Luke portrays Jesus as one who often eats with sinners. “Jesus eating with the sinners at the same table” signifies his acceptance of sinners. And that reveals God's immense mercy upon the sinners.

In this passage we see another feast, but this one is special. The host this time was a Pharisee named Simon. He heard that Jesus was a respected teacher and healer, so he invited Jesus to his house to have dinner with him, in order to know Jesus personally.

Simon was also a man of power, status and wealth. Perhaps deep in his heart, he might want to show off by treating Jesus to a dinner. And interestingly, Jesus accepted his invitation.  Jesus was a friend to the lowly, but he also associated himself with the rich and famous.

Jesus took his place at the table in the house of Simon. Now there was a certain immoral woman in the city.  The implication is that she was a prostitute. She learned that Jesus was reclining at the table in Pharisee Simon’s house. Although the woman was not an invited guest, she entered the house anyway. She overcame her fear and shame, and brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Alabaster is a soft marble—white, yellow, or red—that was often used to make expensive containers.

In Jesus’ day, it was customary to recline while eating. Dinner guests would lie on couches with their heads near the table, propping themselves up on one elbow and stretching their feet out behind them. The woman could easily anoint Jesus’ feet without approaching the table.

She knelt behind Jesus at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them (vv. 37-38).

When the Pharisee, Simon saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She is a sinner!” (v.39)

Simon felt disdain for the woman’s act. He was unhappy that Jesus accepted this sinful woman for her improper acts. Simon’s disgust in his heart reflected his ignorance of Jesus’ heart and mission. Jesus was indeed the prophet and the Messiah. He knew what Simon had been thinking in his heart. He also knew this woman's past, but she was now before him, a forgiven sinner.

So Jesus answered his thoughts, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And Simon replied, “Say it, Teacher.”

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, cancelling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

500 pieces of silver (denarii) was almost two years’ wages for a day labourer. The poor were often heavily indebted to the wealthy in first-century Galilee. Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the larger debt.”

Jesus said, “That is right.” Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust off my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my heard, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”

Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man that he goes around forgiving sins?”

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Pharisees believed that only God could forgive sins, so they wondered why this man, Jesus, was saying that the woman’s sins were forgiven. They did not grasp the fact that Jesus was indeed God.

Exposition

From the perspective of Simon and the other guests, this woman is not decent. She is unclean, disdainful and weak. According to the prevalent social value judgment at that time, tears are signs of weaknesses, a woman’s hair is an immoral symbol, kissing is disgraceful, ointment is extravagance, and sinful identity is disdainful.

But in Jesus’ eyes; "tears, hands, hair, kissing, ointment" are this woman's most valuable and cherished assets. This woman offered all these valuables to Jesus.

Today what do we offer to Jesus? Do we offer Him our most valuable and cherished things or our petty complaints?

This woman’s acts contrasted the shortcomings of Simon. Simon had neglected to show Jesus the common courtesies of hospitality. Since roads were dusty, a servant would wash the dust off a guest’ feet. Greeting a guest with a kiss on both cheeks is normal in the Middle East even today. Anointing the head with olive oil was a way to honour a respected guest. Simon is apparently “just giving a treat” to Jesus without reverence and gratefulness at heart. Throwing a feast for Jesus is well within his capacity and he does it very lightly!

The woman could not afford to host a feast for Jesus. There were no dancing and no singing. She was completely silent without saying a word. However, she gave her best to host Jesus as guest and Lord of her life. She offered her extraordinary act of sacrificial love because Jesus had forgiven her sins. It was not that her great love for Jesus caused him to forgive her, but that the forgiveness she had already received from Jesus prompted her love.

Jesus rebuked Simon for his hypocrisy, self-centeredness and inhospitality, but appreciated and recognized in public, the woman's act as a hospitable act to Him. Ironically, Simon’s taking Jesus lightly, dishonouring him, had infringed the social taboo of honouring guest.

In this story it is the grateful immoral woman, and not the religious leader, whose sins were forgiven. Although God’s grace through faith is what saves us, and not acts of love or generosity, this woman’s act demonstrated her true faith, and Jesus honoured her.

The woman realized that she was a great sinner and now she came to Jesus, regarded Jesus as saviour who had redeemed her from sin. This is a picture of genuine faith when one encounters Christ, acknowledging own sinful status, receiving the grace of God's forgiveness, and then responds to God with acts of love and gratitude.

Application

The woman has freely received the Lord’s forgiveness of sin. But this free grace is not cheap grace. This is priceless grace, for Jesus is the transcendent Logos, the only Son of God, the immortal God came to earth himself and became weak, vulnerable to suffering and death. He did this all for us—all to atone for our sin, to take the punishment we deserved. It is the most astonishing and radical act of self-giving and loving sacrifice that can be imagined.

The woman’s outrageous acts in gratitude to the Lord Jesus had rightfully expressed a great sinner’s response to the Lord’s priceless grace. Conversely, “taking Jesus lightly or just giving a treat to Jesus” actually is only proportionate to cheap grace!

Do you see that we are sinners just like the immoral woman who need Jesus’ forgiveness desperately? Do you want to receive the grace of Christ to forgive your sin?

No matter how sinful or righteous one might think of oneself, Jesus can save him from eternal condemnation. You have to admit you are a sinner. You have to believe he died in your place. You have to rest in his work rather than your own good works. You must commit your life to him in gratitude for his finished work.

Do you see that you can live now strong and healthy because of the grace of God which has sustained you? How will you respond today to Christ's redemptive work in your life? Do we simply sit down, content and remain unmoved, with this knowledge of the gracious love of Christ?

No—we are to spend the rest of our lives tasting, experiencing, and being shaped by that gracious love. We are to be connected to Christ with an ongoing gratitude and love relationship with him.

The Bible does not tell us the name of this woman, but the host Simon's name is revealed. Simon is also a Pharisee, who is a religious and community leader. However, this woman's act of hospitality on Jesus has caused her to transform from nameless, guilty, and despised, to a life being well-commended by Jesus and publicly declared that her sins are forgiven. This woman’s life was reversed and lifted up by Jesus Christ.

On the contrary, the respectable Simon, his casual, superficial and arrogant attitude of “just giving a treat”, reveals that he did not humble himself and acknowledge that he was a sinner and thus, he did not receive the forgiveness of sins by the Lord Jesus.

As a result, the woman who was on the margin had moved to the centre, but Simon on the other hand, had moved from the centre to the margin. The woman received her identity, but Simon loses his face. The woman was moved to the foreground but Simon receded to the background. The woman was honoured throughout the generations; Simon was humiliated throughout the ages.

Do you love Jesus? Are you really grateful to Jesus for what he has done in your life?

I know you love the Lord, but oftentimes you may have overlooked the need to revere the Lord and give due hospitality to Him. You may have come to worship the Lord, offer money to the Lord in a casual way as if “just giving a treat” to Jesus. Today Jesus is at the table with you, you can decide to make a change today.

Having rebuked by Jesus, how did Simon respond? Luke deliberately leaves it blank for us readers to fill in the answer. If you were Simon, how will you respond to Jesus’ reproach? Will you regard it as a serious thing, then turn to Jesus and offer your best to him?

You also can do likewise as what this woman did; to worship and serve the Lord seriously; to give your precious resources to the Lord for Him to use. This infamous sinful woman experienced a reversal of life; you can also experience the same.

Jesus is here to grant you sufficient grace so that your sins can be forgiven, have your life reversed; from failure to success, from weak, disease and poverty to strength and abundance, from sadness to joy.

Recovering Our Creative Calling

Genesis 1:1-2:3

The Beginning

of Creation:

from Chaos to Order

Genesis 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

God is the creator of heaven and earth. Through His Word, God created the universe out of what is described here as “formless and void”.

From the literary point of view, unlike Genesis Chapter Two, Genesis Chapter One is written in an orderly, repetitive, poetic, and systematic style. For example we observe the repeated phrases:

“God said”; “Let there be”; “There was”; “God separated”; “God called”; “Each according to its kind”; “God blessed”; “Evening and morning”; “God saw that it was good/very good”.

The literary form and the content of the creation account shows that God created the universe in an orderly and systematic fashion. Besides, if we observe carefully the sequence of creation, we may notice a parallel structure:

Day	Form (Formless)	Method	Day	Substance (Void)	Method
1	Light and darkness	Separating	4	Sun, Moon, and stars	Filling
2	Ocean and sky	Separating	5	Fish and birds	Filling
3	Land; vegetation	Separating	6	Land, animals, human beings	Filling

Day 7

Rest

On Day 1, God created light to separate day from night. Compare this with Day 4 – the creation of big and small heavenly bodies to fill up the day and the night. Light solves the problem of darkness so that the fearsome darkness can become restful nights.

On Day 2, God used the air to separate the sky from the sea. Compare this with Day 5 – the creation of birds to fill the sky and fish to populate the sea.

On Day 3, God caused the waters under the sky to be gathered so that land may surface and that plant life may grow. The creation of plants (the source of food) anticipates the appearance of living creatures, which is recorded in Day 6 where God created land animals and human beings.

So, it was through the methods of “separating” and “filling” that the heavens and the earth and all that is in them came into existence. The problems of formless and emptiness, the great waters, and darkness were solved. Everything in the universe work accordingly to their respective natures, yet together they become a unified and harmonious and consistent system. This is the pre-requisite for scientific discovery into the universe.

On the seventh day, God rested. The seventh day is unparalleled, so it is distinct and it is the climax of creation. God has completed His work and He now enjoys His good creation. He also commanded human beings to observe a day of rest. There is no need to worry. Just put your trust in Him and rest in His bosom.

All in all, the creation account shows that God has created an orderly, systematic, and purposeful universe.

God Blessed Human Beings and Commanded Them to Rule the Earth

After preparing an environment that is suitable for human existence, we read in Genesis 1:26-28, “Let’ s (God) create human being in our image and likeness, male and female, so that they may rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, the whole earth, and every creature that creeps on the earth. God blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the whole earth, and govern it. He made them rulers over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the creatures on the earth.”

God’s purpose of creation is to bless humanity so that they may live a blessed life on earth and represent Him (having God’s image) to govern the earth for the benefit of all living things in accordance with His will.

Human beings are to maintain the orderliness of creation and to enhance its potential by expanding the harmony of the Garden of Eden to the whole world so that all human beings may have intimate fellowship with God.

God’s summary for every day of creation was that it was “good.” So, in every creation day, He commanded and drove the cosmos toward greater perfection. At the end of His work of creation, God looked at all that He had made and concluded that it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31).

God created humanity and the material world in a purposeful and orderly manner. He also established a world order that includes family, marriage, and the laws of nature. And God wants to dwell with human beings so that they may enjoy His goodness and blessings.

Resist Evil and Create

a Harmonious Blissful Life

The uniqueness of God’s creation is that, on the one hand, it is God who governs and exercises authority but, on the other hand, He requires the human beings He created to participate in the governing of creation and to enjoy His multifarious blessings and grace.

Unfortunately, Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled against God. They listened to the serpent and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The world has then transitioned from a state of blessedness to a state of curse.

When humanity violates the systems and the laws that God had established, they bring harm upon themselves. Extra-marital affairs, immorality, bringing harm to others, violations of natural laws, and bringing harm to the environment; are some examples of human beings violating the laws of God and courting disaster.

The world now is filled with death, violence, destruction, and injustice. The devil wants to destroy families and careers. He wants to ruin relationships. He seeks to confuse gender identities and to redefine sexuality from heterosexuality to homosexuality.

Market economy pursues a policy of over-development which brings harms to the environment. Our political world is corrupted because politicians pursue self-interest and power. This results in corruption and injustice.

The forces of evil are set to destroy the systems, boundaries, and the order that God established so that everything becomes ambiguous and returns to a state of formlessness and emptiness (or, void). The devil’s ultimate goal is to reverse God’s creation. The devil is anti-creation!

So, God sent the Lord Jesus (the second Adam) to come as a human being to overcome temptation, which reversed Adam’s failure, and to bleed and die on the cross in order to suffer the consequences of sin, so as to bring salvation to the world and sinful human beings.

The Lord Jesus rose from the dead so that those who believe in Him may receive a new life.

In Christ, we have recovered God’s image and received anew our mission to govern, to protect, and to enhance creation. Thus, Paul wrote, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).”

Today, God wants to renew and create in you a harmonious, orderly, abundant, and blessed life.

Yet, due to weakness and ignorance, we often give ground to Satan and allow hatred, lust, and arrogance to enter our lives. This brings destruction to our careers, families, churches, and the nation. We stand to lose everything that is good and orderly. We tend to return to a state of formlessness and emptiness.

This is the unfortunate reality. May the Lord pardon us of our sins! We should repent and come together to resist evil, to uphold God’s creation.

Each and every one of us has a purpose in God’s creation plan. Let us make this place Eden again! This is what it means in the Lord’s Prayer, “let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

Whether we are at work or at home, in our communities or in the church, we have the responsibility to accomplish the purpose of God for our lives. If we do not live according to this purpose, we will find our lives unsatisfactory and meaningless. Do you know your place and purpose?

Through His Word, God transformed formlessness and emptiness into an orderly universe. Through His Word, God transforms the world from one that is without life to one that is full of life. Today, God can also transform your troubled life and turn it into a life that is orderly. He can transform your old and corrupted lifestyle into a new and meaningful lifestyle.

Do we truly believe that God’s Word can transform lives? Is the Word of God really a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105)? How much time do we spend meditating upon the Word of God? How often do we apply God’s Word to our lives?

Calling and Prayer:

Let’s now seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to: “Build a closer relationship with God; Serve God with enthusiasm; Coordinate with one another to build the church; Live according to God’s will; Build a family that fears the Lord; Advance in our careers or our pursuit of education.”

Let’s pray with determination: “Father, may You again bring Your work of creation and Your mighty salvation into our families, schools, workplaces, the ministries of the church, and our relationships with one another. Grant us strength to co-labour with Your work of creation, renewal and healing. We want to participate in building for Your kingdom and restoring harmony to the world so that we may enjoy the abundant life in Christ.”