Of the seven days, God declared only one as holy. Sometimes, as writers, we feel small, unnoticed – set apart. Remember, the very definition of holy is “to be set apart.” Next time you feel set apart in a lonely way, try to flip it around, and tell yourself you are chosen – just like the sabbath day (one of SEVEN days!) instead.
This chapter describes everything that happened on day five of creation. I can see why some theories believe that days and nights may have been longer back then! (If you don’t know these theories, you should Google. They’re very interesting.) That’s a lot to pack into 24 hours. And I think my to-do list looks overwhelming some days!
Except, the events in this summary of day five are in a little different order than they were in the previous chapter. As an editor, this perks my interest as to why, in Chapter 1, God said let the earth produce animals then humans, but Chapter 2 says God made man and then formed the livestock. My best guess is that Moses, who is credited with writing Genesis, didn’t have too many editors to yell at him from across the tent and say, “Which was it?! The cows and birds and then man, or man and then the cows and birds?!”
To which Moses could have replied, “Who cares! It all happened on the same day, didn’t it? How am I supposed to know what order it happened in? I wasn’t there! I just know it happened!”
But that didn’t happen. Moses just wrote it because that’s what he felt he should do. He thought it was important. In no place does he say, “God told me to do it.” But you can bet that every word on these pages was inspired by God pushing Moses to do it. If you have learned about Moses, you know he was not a confident speaker. Aaron often spoke for Moses. But it’s evident in the first five books of the Bible that Moses was a writer. Until him, no one had bothered to write a detailed account of how the works began. (Well, Job might have. That’s for another day, though.) It makes me wonder if this is something he and God discussed during all that time on Mt. Sinai.
Sometimes I struggle with being a non-fiction writer. I want to have a wild imagination and be able to create other universes and love stories and quirky characters. I tell myself it’s too easy to just write what I know, and what’s the point anyway? This chapter reminds me of that point – so that others will know.
I was listening to a song a few days ago that touched my soul, and I thought, “If that song had never been written, I would have never had had that feeling.” Let’s not hesitate in writing the truth, as it may start a spark in that small someone who reads it.
Writing prompt: pay it forward
Write a story from your childhood that could benefit someone in the next generation.
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