Genesis 2:5-6 - A different Earth
Scripture:
Genesis 2:5-6
5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the
field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the
earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.
6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of
the ground.
NASU
Thoughts:
We often think that the Flood simply brought a lot of rain and erosion
on the planet, but clearly our whole ecosystem is different now than it
was before the Flood. This
verse sounds as though the whole world was tropical, indeed tropical
plant fossils have been found in places that now are frozen.
Other
verses describe a protective canopy of water that was above the sky in
the original creation:
Genesis 1:6-8
6 Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters,
and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 God made the
expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the
waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the
expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second
day.
NASU
It is believed that this canopy would have protected us from the
harmful ultraviolet radiation that now burns and weakens our skin,
leading to skin cancer and even the loosening of the skin as we age.
The Flood changed all of these watery aspects of the original
creation, with none of them remaining intact afterward.
Prayer:
Lord, seeing the paradise that the original creation was makes me look
forward to the new heaven and Earth You will one day make for those of
us who have been redeemed. As beautiful as this wrecked world is
today, it boggles my mind to think of
how glorious and wonderful the new one will be! Come, Lord Jesus!
Amen