Sunday. March 31
The Bible begins at the beginning, which is no doubt why it begins with the words (actually one word in the Hebrew), “In the beginning … ” (Genesis 1:1). The particular focus of the chapter, of course, is the transformation of the earth from a state of being “without form, and void” (Genesis 1:2) to the world that God Himself, on the sixth day, declared “very good” (Genesis 1:31). In short, the beginning here is the beginning of our world.
Read Genesis 1. Though so much is going on, ask yourself the question: Is there any hint of randomness or chance, or is everything done in a very orderly manner with everything in its proper time and place? What does your answer say about the character of God?
Ellen G. White wrote that “order is Heaven’s first law” (Signs of the Times, June 8, 1908); apparently it is on earth, as well. Though sin has disrupted the natural world, to some degree, order, rhythm, and regularity still exist.
Read Genesis 8:22. How is order seen here, as well?
Even after the Fall, the seasons come and go in an orderly fashion—generally. Hence, along with the lights in the sky, i.e., the sun and moon, which are to “divide the day from the night … for signs and seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14, NKJV), there are the seasons as well, all part of the natural rhythm of the world that God has created. And indeed, though we get only glimpses now, a verse such as Isaiah 66:23 implies that in the new heavens and new earth the sense of rhythm will, indeed, exist then too.
Think about how the Sabbath, in a powerfully regular way, impacts your life, especially your family life, whatever it is. What are the distinct advantages, not just of the Sabbath, but in the fact that it does come with such regularity?
