The Sixth Day, Part 1
After creating plant life on Day Three (verse 11), marine life and avian life on Day Five (verse 20), Jehovah God begins Day Six by creating animal life.
Genesis 1:24-25. “And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so. (25) And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”
A close look at verses 24-25 reveals that God categorized His newest creation into three broad but distinct groups. He named the three categories beasts, livestock and creepers.
God’s first category is “beasts,” referring to wild animals—the untamed, undomesticated variety. Some Bible versions correctly substitute the clearer word wildlife. Examples of this kind are the wolf, elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, lion, tiger, crocodile, elk, mongoose, snake, squirrel, kangaroo, bear, groundhog, …the list goes on and on.
God’s second category is “livestock.” This category would include common household pets such as dogs and cats as well as common farm animals like goats, sheep, horses, cows, pigs, chickens, and other domesticated animal species. The King James Version (KJV) uses the word cattle but the context is not talking only about cows. (Evidently, when the King James Version was translated in the 1600’s, “cattle” had the same English meaning as “livestock” does today.). Livestock is a much clearer, more accurate word.
Note to reader: you may want to place this question under the heading titled: “Who cares?” Your response would be totally understood. By the way, in the above illustration we are not forgetting the role of the rooster… we’re just ignoring it. 😊
Okay, back to the biblical text. The third category of God’s latest creation on Day Six is “everything that creeps” (or in a word…bugs!). “Everything that creeps” is a well-named category. Insects of every kind were created. There are thousands of species of bugs (flyers as well as creepers): ants, roaches, beetles, grubs, bedbugs, ladybugs, moths, flies, dragonflies, mayflies, fireflies, gnats, bees, wasps, spiders (technically not an insect, but definitely a creeper!), mites, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, termites, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, walking sticks, caterpillars (later in life their called butterflies), centipedes, millipedes, praying mantises, etc. As stated, not every creeper listed here is an insect, but all of them definitely fit into the creeper category.
[Prayer] “Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for who You are and for what You do. I pray that next time as we continue our study of the first chapter of Genesis that we won’t just read about what You did, but will also acknowledge how mighty You are—how powerful and great You are! Lord, for all You have given, the beauty and wonder of the earth You created, we are truly thankful. Amen.”
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