Genesis 1:24-25

6^th Day

God said…

We’ve talked about God creating through His Words and how this is an example to us in our own lives.  This has to do with things in the natural and in the spirit realm too.  Our prayers need to be spoken out to have real power and effectiveness.  When we’re battling for health, deliverance, provision, etc… we need to speak out the Scriptures over our lives, declaring them as truth in faith; and we will see the manifestation of the truth of God’s Word in our lives.  God said….

In what areas in your life do you need to be speaking out your prayers and scripture right now?

Let the earth produce living creatures – it was so – God made – again, wow! Think about the diversity of animals.  If we ever watch those wildlife documentaries we get just a glimpse at the amazing variety of creatures God made.  Next time we see animals, whether on tv or in real life – let’s focus our minds on God and His miraculous creativity and power.

God saw it was good. The Hebrew word for good is tov.

The Hebrew Word for good is tov. תוב  Let’s get into some fun suppositions with Hebrew here.

ת (tav)

The word תו (tav) means mark, and its verb תוה (tava), scribble, limit, is probably derived from the noun.

It’s suggested that the more ancient form of this letter looked like an X, a shape which lends itself easily as a general mark, or a cross.

The word תאוה (ta’ava) means boundary (that which is marked).

ו (vav)
The word וו (vav) means hook or peg, and is strictly reserved for the hooks/ pegs that kept the curtains of the tabernacle in place. It is said that the shape of the letter vav reminds of a hook or peg.

ב (beyt)

The word בית (beyt or bayit) means house in the sense of a building, but also household; wife and children. This word also serves to mean House Of The Lord, or Temple. As preposition the letter also means ‘in’. As such it is the first letter of the Bible. The first word of the Bible in the book of Genesis is בראשית  (Bereshit) and is derived from the name of the 20th letter:ר  (resh).  The word Rosh means head or beginning – hence the English translation “in the beginning.”

So the Hebrew word tov תוב in the instances we’re reading about in the story of creation could infer something like this:

God’s goodness is the mark that keeps, or secures the house of creation in place.

That’s a really important truth to let settle into our souls.  God is good! And it’s His goodness that keeps everything around us, and everything in our lives in place.

In what situation in your life right now do you need to press in and remember and declare that God is good?

Remember the power of our words!  Don’t forget to speak it out into the situation.

It’s interesting that many times what we see is a reflection of who we are.  God saw that it was good. God saw that it was good because He is good!

Conversely, I heard a pastor who was a psychologist say that if you see something in someone that rubs you the wrong way and that you don’t like, you’re probably seeing a reflection of something about yourself.  I think it’s an indication of something God wants you to pay attention to because it’s something He wants to change in you. Remember, we’re being transformed by the renewing of our minds!  Sanctification is the process we go through in our lives after we’re “born-again” and it’s a life-long process.

Next time you’re perturbed by something about someone else, remember these verses in Matthew 7:3-5  ³ Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye?⁵ Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Train yourself to see them through the lens of God’s goodness.  They may not be acting in a way deserving of that, but at least you’ll be walking in love and partnering with God in working out the spots and wrinkles in your own life.

Dr. Frank Seekins
Hebrew Word Pictures