The Creation Story | Bible Story
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all except for God. No earth, no sky, no sun or stars or galaxies twinkling in the heavens. It was all completely dark and empty. But God had an amazing plan!
On the very first day, God decided to create the heavens and the earth. He began by saying “Let there be light!” And in an instant, a bright light burst forth, pushing away the deep darkness that had covered everything. God looked at the brilliant light and saw that it was incredibly good.
He said, “Let there be light and darkness, day and night.” He separated the light from the darkness, calling the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.
The next day, God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” He made the expanse and called it “Heaven” to stretch out wide and far above. But on the third day, God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
The waters were gathered together into great seas, allowing the dry ground to appear. God looked at the dry ground and called it “earth.” He looked at the oceans and called them “seas.” Gazing upon the earth, God said “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind!”
Suddenly, the barren earth was filled with lush greenery as God commanded. Tall trees, bushes, flowers, grasses and plants of every kind sprouted up, each carrying seeds to reproduce more after their own kind. The earth was no longer empty, but blooming with vibrant life! When God saw the vegetation covering the earth, He was very pleased.
On the fourth day, God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” He created lights in the heavens above to shine upon the earth. He made a greater light called the sun to govern over the day, and a lesser light called the moon to govern over the night. God also put millions of twinkling stars in the heavens to accompany the moon at night, saying “Let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.” God made these lights in the sky to separate the day from the night, and to mark the seasons, days and years. When He saw the sun, moon and innumerable stars shining down from the heavens, God was very happy with His creation.
The next day, God looked at the seas He had made on earth and said “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures!” Suddenly, the seas were filled with many different kinds of amazing sea creatures as God spoke. Huge whales gliding through the depths, platoons of fish swimming together, slippery eels, and every sort of ocean life, both large and small. God also commanded “Let birds fly across the expanse of the heavens over the earth.” In an instant, birds of every kind appeared, soaring and swooping across the open heavens – colorful parrots, graceful swans, mighty eagles, and chirping songbirds too numerous to count! When God witnessed all the creatures of the seas and sky, His heart was full of gladness.
Then on the sixth day, God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind.” First came livestock – cows, sheep, goats, pigs and more. Then God made animals to slither on the ground like snakes and lizards. He made big lumbering animals and little scampering ones. Wild animals of every variety appeared on the earth as God commanded! Ferocious lions, wise elephants, playful monkeys, hulking hippos, tall giraffes, scurrying rodents, and countless others. When God looked upon the incredible menagerie of living creatures now inhabiting the earth, sky and seas, His heart was overflowing with joy at the abundant life He had created.
But God saved the most amazing act of creation for last. He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness!” Taking dust from the earth, God carefully shaped and formed it into a human body – the first man. Then God breathed into the man’s nostrils, filling him with the very breath of life. The man became a living, breathing soul! God named him Adam.
God saw that the man needed a partner, so He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. God took one of Adam’s ribs and masterfully formed it into the first woman. God presented her to Adam as a precious gift, and Adam gave her the name Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
God looked over the entire creation – the heavens, the earth, the sun and moon, the seas filled with living creatures, the sky filled with birds, the earth covered with vegetation and filled with living animals, and the man and woman He had made in His own image. What an incredible masterpiece! God saw all that He had made, and it was amazingly good.
Finally, God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed and every tree which has fruit yielding seed. It shall be food for you.” By the seventh day, God had finished the work of creation. So He rested from all His labor of creating, and made the seventh day a holy day of rest and enjoyment of the beautiful creation. That is how God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, in six wonderful days.