Scripture: Genesis 1:11-13, 24-31 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. (v. 11-13)
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (v. 24-31)
Devotion: If you are wondering why on earth we are reading part of the Creation account when we are working through the book of Jonah, I promise that there is a very good reason. If you recall, Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. In the Creation account, which takes place at the very beginning of the Bible, we begin to see the significance of three days’ time.
You see, the three-day timeline is important because it is on the third day when we repeatedly see God give new life. On the third day of creation, the Lord created vegetation and it sprang up from the dry ground- a place of non-existence or death. And three days later, when He creates man, this life also comes from the ground.
Thus, a design pattern begins. As we read through this passage in Genesis, we see three important components emerge from the “third-day” events. The first is that God creates life where there was once death (Genesis 1:11-13, 26-27). Secondly, God establishes a covenant with His people (Genesis 1:28-29). And thirdly, we know that this all happened in Eden, a high place.
This pattern takes place multiple times throughout the Bible. We see it when Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac on the third day (Genesis 22), when the Lord comes down to be with His people at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19), and of course Jonah in the belly of the fish (Jonah 1-2). Are there any other events in the Bible that took three days that you can think of?
There is one big and important one that I have not mentioned—the resurrection. “He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40).
As I read through this, I am sitting in amazement at the intentionality behind Scripture. While it is fascinating to learn and read about, none of this is by happenstance. God saw it fit to reveal a little bit of His character to us through this pattern. You see, if the third day events only happened once, we likely wouldn’t even take note of them. If the third day events happened twice, it would be easier to write off as a coincidence. But multiple times throughout the Bible, in the both the Old Testament and the New Testament, we see the pattern of third day events.
It's as if God is reminding us that, time and time again, He is in the business of resurrecting people to new life. You… me… all of us who believe in Jesus are given this new life. It was not just for the Israelites in the Old Testament. It was not just for prophets like Jonah. Instead, God’s overarching plan of redemption weaves its way throughout all the Bible, reminding us of His faithfulness and His mercy.
Reflect:
- Have you ever noticed God’s redeeming plan throughout all of Scripture?
- Knowing that it is woven throughout, will that impact how you read the Bible?