Bible passage (chapter numbers):

Genesis 1:1 - 3:8

Heading

The beginning of good

3 points of note

• Genesis 1: 4 "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
• God did not simply lump light together with darkness. He saw the light as a good thing, to guide His plan to form Earth in its simple distinct order. So he separated light from darkness.
• This is again emphasised in Genesis 1:18 "And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good."
• He repeated "good" twice to the distinct separation of light from darkness. Why?
• Let's find out.
• Genesis 2:9 "And out of the ground made the LORD GOD to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil."
• Without light, animals and man cannot see what God has made. He grew trees for food and to sustain life. Genesis 1:29 said: "And God said, Behold, I have given every herb-bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
• He has designed trees that are pleasant to the sight. In darkness, we cannot see what is there, and what we can do. It is God's goodness that brings delight to the eye in everything visual: trees, animals, scenery, homes, gardens, seas, beaches - I guess that is why many people prefer to take beach or resort holidays to recuperate, recharge and be reminded of the freshness and hope of life.
• Some of you would say "Hey, wait, God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil". If God intended that man should see this "dangerous" tree which has been designed to be pleasant to the sight, why did He warn Adam not to eat of this tree?
• If you look at Genesis 2: 16 , "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The key word is command. God commanded Adam (and for that matter, man) not to eat of this tree. The penalty of disobedience is death. 
• You know, alot of things are inedible on Earth. Take puffer fish for example. The meat of puffer fish, if not correctly identified and prepared, can be extremely poisonous. Japanese chefs are required to undertake a license in cutting and selling puffer fish. Yet why do people still eat this, knowing that they can die?
• I think people just want to experience the novelty of eating it. If they survive, they say "Oh yeah, I survived! Suckers!". If they die, they regret their foolish decision. Question is: if you know it is dangerous, do you still want to go ahead with it?
• God gave Adam the choice of letting God do what is best for him or to let himself decide if God is good for him. Guess which choice Adam made?
• We know the rest of the story: Eve was tempted by the snake, and ate of the tree and gave the fruit to Adam who ate, knowing full well God's command. So, is all lost? Would we continue this cycle of death; continue to sin knowing we'd die someday and not bothering about the consequences of sin?
• Genesis 3:8 says " And they heard the voice of the LORD GOD walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD GOD amongst the trees of the garden".
• Do you ever think at this point, God did not know what happened? He knows everything. He is the Master Planner. He knows the course of things, creatures, the Earth, the seas, the sky, Man. 
• Even when God called out to Adam and Eve, He knew that they had already sinned. 
• Yet, He did not boom down from the sky, strike lightning or cause thunderstorms. He just came to the garden to seek Adam and Eve, calling them out.
• God seeks each and everyone of us actively. He knows and sees what we are doing. Even when our actions hurt us, He waits for the moment when we finally see the futility of trusting in ourselves and then turn to Him for grace and guidance. He loves us unconditionally. 
• In the next sharing, we find out how God has masterfully planned His plan of redemption and love.

Summary

God's creation of light is the beginning of good. With light, God's creation can see things more clearly. God has commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, realising that they had sinned and knew the meaning of good and evil. Yet God sought Adam and Eve, instead of hurling thunder, lightning, hailstones and fire on them. In this same way, God seeks us out all the time.

Prayer

Father in Heaven, thank you for helping me read this passage today. Thank you for telling me the story of the beginning of good. In your infinite wisdom, love and care, You created everything for our pleasure, that we can see with the help of Your wonderful creation: light, the Sun, the moon and stars. Sometimes, we can be like Adam, knowing full well Your commands, Your nudging and not doing them. More than often, we choose to be busy, ignoring Your calls to sit down with You and drink of the eternal water. Lord, may this remind us to spend more time with You, because You still seek us out. We owe it to You that we should spend time with You, to honor Your presence in our lives. We pray for Your continued grace, protection and mercy. In His Name, Amen.