THE SECOND AND THIRD DAYS OF CREATION

Passage: Genesis 1:6-13

Key verse: 10

NIV

6 And God said,(A) “Let there be a vault(B) between the waters(C) to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it.(D) And it was so.(E) 8 God called(F) the vault “sky.”(G) And there was evening, and there was morning(H)—the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place,(I) and let dry ground(J) appear.” And it was so.(K) 10 God called(L) the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters(M) he called “seas.”(N) And God saw that it was good.(O)

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation:(P) seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.(Q)” And it was so.(R) 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds(S) and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.(T) 13 And there was evening, and there was morning(U)—the third day.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

6 And God said, (A)“Let there be an expanse[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made[b] the expanse and (B)separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were (C)above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.[c] And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, (D)“Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,[d] and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, (E)“Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[e] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

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Footnotes
  1. Genesis 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20
  2. Genesis 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16
  3. Genesis 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1
  4. Genesis 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1
  5. Genesis 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. The expanse he called 'sky' (6-8)

On the second day, God stretched out the sky and made the atmosphere. Perhaps the waters above were the clouds. How delicately God balanced the oxygen, nitrogen, CO2 and all the components of the air so that the atmosphere could sustain life and support birds in flight. The water below the sky was ready to be filled with fish. So God prepared the environment for his work of filling on the 5th day.

2. The dry ground he called 'land' (9-13)

On the third day God spoke and the water under the sky gathered to one place; the dry land appeared, and God saw that it was good. Then God commanded all kind of vegetation to grow out of the ground. Plants and trees bore fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. So God made a beautiful and orderly world. It was ready for animal inhabitants and for mankind. God saw that it was good. He created the world for his glory and for man's happiness; God is good.

Prayer: Father, thank you for creating a beautiful world, a world made for your glory and our highest good.

One Word: The heavens declare his glory