Creation and the Ten Commandments

The Creation Events Ten Commandments

This page is a view of how the Ten Commandments are embedded in the Creation week. The bold text is an explanation of how these Scriptures mesh with the Ten Commandments.

It would be helpful to read Psalms 19 first. It is a poem about the creation and how it speaks to us of God’s majestic truths. This is the topic of the first seven stanzas of the poem. The next seven stanzas repeat these thoughts but replaces God’s ‘law’ for the ‘creation’. It ends by reflecting on the law’s impact on us.

Hebraic poetry often uses a tool called Parallelism. One line is repeated by the following line, with at least one word replaced with a different word, to bring a new aspect to light. This occasionally occurs for three or four lines in a row.

Psalms 19 is in a similar pattern, as a mirror image: the creation speaks to us first, and then God’s majestic law speaks to us second. Hebraic poetry often incorporates structure. Psalms 19 uses two sets of seven stanzas, with the repetition creating emphasis; to strongly state that this is a rich dimension of the seven-day creation process. The insight we can deduce is that God created in ways that show His law.

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

First event– Light is created to show chaos’ truth. We are repulsed by it and look for help from somewhere, anywhere. We see the abhorrent, sickening, despicable, destitute nature of it and are desperate to get away from it. Even worse - we see that it is our heart's true nature. We are helplessly trapped by chaos.

First Commandment – “You shall have no other gods before me.” There is no other God besides Him to turn to. Our answer is found in God's realm, not chaos' realm!

6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”

7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.

8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Second event – The atmosphere is created to allow clarity of vision, so we can look up and see heaven’s offer. We see the way out of chaos. God offers us His world. It is so awesome, there is nothing else like it!

Second Commandment – “You shall not make a carved image of God.” Don’t create an idolatrous facsimile, just a weak imitation of the true God’s nature. Obtain God's vision of His Kingdom!

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.

10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Third event – Because of what we saw in heaven, we desire to recreate it on earth. The waters are moved back so the ground is exposed, laying the foundation for earth’s substance. We need to lay a strong foundation, like Jesus said, as He concluded the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:24-27.)

Third Commandment – “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” This is the launch of recreating heaven on earth. Do not let one iota of vanities’ emptiness touch the awesome sacredness of this revelation! This is a highly significant moment in the believer’s life. We need to push back chaos and lay a good foundation for ourselves.

‘Name’ is also understood as representing a person’s ‘image’: do not take God’s image in vain. On the sixth day God created humanity in His image. We need to purpose to uphold the divine nature as our standard, to represent it well, so the dominion we exercise will also be as ‘good’ as God’s creation acts. We cannot live empty lives.

11 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.

12 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.

13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Fourth event – The plants are the food for all creatures. Food is about nourishment, the resources we need to recreate heaven on earth. The healthier we eat, the better equipped the body, mind and heart is for the task we are now all in on.

Fourth Commandment – “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” We have a page about the historical events the Sabbath represents at https://www.themoralsabbath.com/monthly

This is where the Sabbath’s truth has its ground of being. A garden context is in the master plan, and it starts here. Man entered the garden of Eden as the Sabbath started, experienced Sabbath fruit, at the end of the sixth day.

Fruit becomes the symbol of God’s spirit-based life, creating inner Sabbath Rest, in Galatians 5. In Revelation 22 it is the Tree of Life that continues in the new heaven and new earth, monthly producing fruit that heals nations.

We also have the revelation of the seed-bearing nature of fruits. The seeds of destiny grows, transforms, and comes to the fulness of spiritual fruitfulness. It’s your personality that makes destiny your unique creation as you explore your Sabbath living.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,

15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.

16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,

18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Fifth event – The sun and moon are given the responsibility of managing the timing of purposes. This includes the spiritual calendar of Sabbath days, months, and years.

Fifth Commandment - Parenthood is linked to life’s purpose and we get in tune with its calendar through parental guidance. Parents are to approach their responsibility with the long-term view that their children are developing so “that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” This meshes purpose, wisdom, and seeds of destiny together. We raise our children to fulfill their unique God-given identity.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds,

and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Sixth event – Life’s extreme possibilities are set in motion: inhabit the chaos gracefully. Animals live in the waters that previously flooded the earth. They are equipped to live gracefully in an environment where things can suddenly get extremely chaotic.

Sixth Commandment - We now begin the portion of the Ten Commandments about community love. This is more fully explained here at https://www.thegracioustencommandments.com/faith-hope-and-love

Avoid these five sin categories to maintain community love. Community is also an environment where things can suddenly get extremely chaotic. Exercise community gracefully.

“You shall not murder.” The first murder in history shows a context of preferring to remain in chaotic chaos instead of handling life with graceful living. Cain killed Abel because he worshipped God properly and was accepted for it. He handled the chaos of living outside of God’s best life for us, due to Adam and Eve’s sin, gracefully.

Cain’s resentment of his life’s context is understandable, but the consequences chosen are not acceptable. His murder of Abel cut him off from community love. He wandered until he built a city. Maybe he was fully cut off from gardening his seeds of destiny.

22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

Seventh event – Life’s extreme possibilities are set in motion again: fill heaven’s emptiness elegantly. Consider how birds do it.

In this fallen world we have an honest darkness: life is empty with its disconnect from God’s plan. We long for deeper meaning and purpose. We want to be married to something wonderful.

Seventh Commandment – “You shall not commit adultery.” In a culture where parents usually chose your spouse for you, true love could be easily overlooked. Especially when parents must navigate all the world’s brokenness. The result is that adultery could be a strong temptation. One might not have responded to their spouse like Adam’s first insight of Eve: Wow! I met my match!

Likewise, this commandment is also about spiritual adultery. Sorry God, you are not what I expected. No awesome awe. A lot of laboring to enter Rest. I’ll choose someone else as god. I’ll find my own solution to life’s emptiness.

It’s important that when God created the empty heaven He did not say, ‘It is good,’ like He did for all the other creation days. He was silent at the end of this creation act. I think His silence said this is going to be a real problem for us. He possibly thought, “I don’t have peace about this aspect of life, but it’s still necessary for them to learn how to deal with it effectively.” Deep emptiness surrounds the earth, and must be pierced to experience the heavenly dynamics of God's kingdom. Then we need to develop our lives to mirror God's kingdom.

This is the 7th creation act. Usually, seven represents a cycle of fullness in Scripture, a beginning to end journey. We can extrapolate the 7th creation act’s fullness to contrast with heaven’s emptiness. We can create something in this terrain that will be full of meaning and significance, to displace the emptiness.

Are the 6th and 7th creation events two witnesses to God’s intention? Even the realms beyond the boundaries of ordinary human capacity are teaming with life and possibility. Are they meant to stretch our imagination? Are they calling us into a deeper relationship with God, to effectively exercise dominion in terrains that are different and difficult for us?

24 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.

25 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.

Eight event – The boundary of the human realm is teeming with life’s wildness. Now we are in our territory. This is where we make our life authentically our own.

Eight Commandment - The commandment is ‘you shall not steal.’ Stealing negates the authenticity of our stewardship. This is a sad juxtaposition on stewardship, which we fully exercise in our territory.

Humanity has the responsibility of dominion over the earth. This carries a LOT of weight. We see what man’s misuse of resources has done to the planet. We are stealing EVERYTHING the rest of life needs to thrive on the planet, leaving nature in a barely survival mode. We are gorging ourselves on all the natural resources.

We treat nature like we do disenfranchised people, driving it to abject poverty. We are devastating all these life forms we are supposed to be supervising. We have become like Israel’s Egyptian taskmasters, enforcing bitter slavery. Nature cries out to God for a final Exodus!

What is the point of endlessly stealing life, from nature and humanity? God can provide for everyone all the time. He can teach us how to do this. That was a core seed of destiny for us, and He gave us the garden of Eden to make it so. Instead, we steal constantly, making life unbearable for everyone everywhere! Just how deep are our fears that we live consumed by needy greed?

You will not steal! So obvious. The tragic tragedy of inhuman humanity.

26 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.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 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.”

29 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.

30 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.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Ninth event – This is the summary of God’s creation of humanity. All this is made for you to enjoy His heart’s life, to be like Him and exercise dominion on earth.

Ninth Commandment - “You will not bear false witness against your neighbor.” God tells us the truth of why and how He made humanity. It’s His testimony. We see an amazing richness and depth of beauty in God’s creation of us.

And now we go through life hearing so little of this. Instead, we hear testimony after testimony of false claims for human mediocrity. Just get this product and you too can achieve this ‘surface fullness!’ Just focus on appearance instead of substance and you too can maintain a fake smile!

We pretend to chase endlessly what God freely offers us. Labor to enter Rest, said Hebrews 4. For My yoke is easy and My burden light, said Jesus. We treat the light burden elusively, while it is everywhere!

Just how powerful is the reality of witnessing events? The religious leaders of Jesus’ day put Him through a trial to garner false testimony to justify His crucifixion. Testimony has a very real effect on us. It brings peace to our heart: someone saw this happen. Instead, we endlessly hear lies that seep into us. What are we listening to? What do we silently believe about life: is it mediocre or rich?

Jesus, one of the few men to fulfill God’s intentions for humanity and crucified for it! He witnessed to God’s truth, but the system does not allow that! We only accept false witnessing here. Lie to us and be part of our false witness club. We will even make you the star of the show, Satan said, during Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

Not interested. We would rather live in God’s Garden than Satan’s wilderness! It takes just a short time to honestly labor to enter Rest. We will live Eden’s Sabbath, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. Jesus did and so will we.

Genesis 2:1-3

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Tenth event – The ‘piece de resistance’! God’s cream of the crop. All this was to happen in Eden, the perpetual Sabbath day atmosphere – it did not have the ‘end of the day’ statement in its passage. We were created for perpetual Sabbath living.

Humanity was meant to live like God in the headquarters’ garden and expand it to fill the world with true life richness, making spirit-Rest possible everywhere. We were to finish what He began.

The tenth and last Commandment – “You will not covet anything your neighbor owns.” Live in celebration of what God has provided for you. It’s your life’s design, your destiny. Grow it with God’s guidance. This is your Sabbath, your Eden, your Rest. Be deeply satisfied with your provision.

The grass is not greener over there.

It’s greener where it is watered well.

Water your own garden well.

Don’t covet your neighbors’ blessings.

Let your heart live your abundant life.

The end –

of the beginning of everything!