Genesis 1:31
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”
Amadeus is a movie that came out in 1984. The cinema piece is about a legendary musical composer called Mozart. The most beautiful thing about the movie is that it gives the viewers insight on the creative process of the composer. In today’s vocabulary the word genius is often overused but in Mozart’s case, it’s a well deserved and fitting title. In one of the scenes we see him walking down the street listening to the sound of everyday objects around him; from the wind to the lectures given by the mother in-law. The most amazing thing is how he then transforms all those rough sounds into well written music scripts without rough drafts. I mean, that is simply amazing.
Creative artists often view their art in the same way. In turn, the greater the artist, the more perfect and worthy of admiration the creation is. Over the words of the first chapter of the bible, there is a phrase that is repeated several times. Simple but yet so beautiful. ‘And God saw that it was good’. These words are repeated every time God makes something new.
In verse 4: God saw that the light he had created was good.
In verse 9; God made land and sea, and God saw that it was good.
In verse 12: God made plants, and God saw that they were good.
In verse 18: God made the sun, moon, and stars, as well as seasons, years, and days, and He saw that it was good. God made sea creatures and birds, and God saw that it was good.
In verse 25: God created animals and saw that they were good. God created man and looked over everything he had made.
And finally in verse 31: God saw everything he had made, and it was very good.
In the creation story God is the artist admiring His handiwork. He looks over what He has created and then He decides that He is happy with how it turned out. The chapter is a hymn of praise to the Creator.
Genesis 1:31 is a culmination of the truth that everything turned out very well. So what are the implications of this knowledge?
You are God’s creation
When He created you, He saw you and said that you are good. When was the last time you felt good about yourself? It is often easier to fall to the lies of the enemy that we aren’t good enough. Some believers also struggle to believe that self acceptance is sin.
The Hebrew word for good is tov. It signifies a more wholer expression of the term good. If you ask somebody how their day has been, they will probably say , ‘it was good’. Tov is deeper and larger than that good. It represents a feeling of completeness or working the way it was created to. So when God created the world and humankind He saw that they were tov… Beautiful, complete,delightful and bursting with wholeness.
It matters little what the world thinks, says or comments about you. Despite the colour of your skin, height, language, ethnicity or even body type, God looks at you and sees a wonderfully created person. He is delighted by your ‘tov'(ness). Psalm 139:13-14.
May the Lord help you to see yourself through the eyes of God. To see your marvelousness.
God has commissioned us for good service in the Kingdom
Unfortunately as things progressed, we know that something happened in the garden of Eden. When man stopped believing in the goodness of God he lost his tov. He was no longer complete. They thought they could become like God, full of knowledge of good and evil. Everything that was beautiful and good in the eyes of God was contaminated.
Thankfully, God didn’t give up on the dream of restoring man back to the place where he had authority over sin. This is the good service that we have been called to in His kingdom. A journey of reconciling those who have left the goodness of God back to Him.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
(2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NKJV)
He has provided you with the means to serve in His Kingdom
We are in a world where beauty and goodness is defined by the beholder. When sin entered the picture, the beautiful creation was marred and shattered. God’s eternal plan was substituted with man’s desire to serve self.
Genesis 1:31, which primarily speaks of God’s inherent goodness in creating the world, also provides Christians hope that what God started as good, he will finish as good. In fact, the Bible’s canon is replete with “new creation” promises, which assure us that God won’t let his good creation endure suffering forever. Paul says, “He who began a good work in the world will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus,” which is a paraphrase and application of Philippians 1:6. Both the creation and individual Christians may attest to this.
When we consider creation and its original goodness, we must affirm that God created the world good and that, in his goodness, wisdom, and love, he intended sin and evil to come as permissive, temporary means to the greater good of a new creation united in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
And therefore in the meantime between the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan and creation, let us be reminded that because of Christ’s love, life and sacrifice on the cross God views us as good. Let us remember that we were created in the image and the likeness of God. Let us remember we all have a part to play in God’s eternal plan. And in God’s eyes we are very good”.
King James Version (KJV)
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
New International Version (NIV)
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
New American Bible (NASB)
And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The Living Bible (TLB)
Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day.