Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

The World Is A Very Good Place

Opinions matter. When God looked upon the world on the sixth day of creation, He saw what He made was very good. The heavens were filled with the sun, moon, and stars. Oceans, lakes, and rivers abounded with fish, and the skies peppered with many species of birds. On the land, animals of all types roamed freely. Cattle, beasts, creeping things, and two unusual creatures called Man and Woman. A garden of immense beauty was the home of the highest of creation, filled with trees of all kinds. The world was in a state of perfection.

Man and animals lived in harmony with one another. The fear of man was not yet upon the animals. It can be suggested that man and animals could communicate with one another. At least, when the serpent spoke to Eve, it did not shock her. That conclusion will be left to the mind of God. What highlighted the world was the communion of God and man. In the cool of the day, the Lord would walk with man in the garden. They would talk together. The fellowship was a kindred spirit of like images. Everything about the world was very good.

From the pristine world of perfection came the deceiver. Satan saw the same world God saw but did not believe what he saw was very good. His view of the world angered him that God would create such a perfect world. He wanted to destroy what God created as he rebelled against all the Lord God Almighty accomplished. It would be the first in many wars the devil would fight against God.

On a beautiful day filled with glistening sunlight, the serpent whispered his deceitful lie to Woman. He challenged the word of God, asking the woman why she would allow the Lord to keep her from what she deserved and wanted. The woman listened to the voice of Satan and took the fruit, giving Adam the forbidden fruit. In an instant, the perfect world was gone. It was not in a literal sense, as the sun still shone brightly above, and the rushing waters of the rivers were heard throughout the garden. What changed was a spiritual union of God and man. Adam and Eve knew immediately their perfect world had ended.

Taking the forbidden fruit, the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened, and they knew they were naked. Seeking some form of modesty, they attempted to cover their nakedness. Hearing the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden, they hid themselves in fear. Cast out of the garden for their rebellion, Adam and Eve stood in a world filled with the glory of God that was still very good. What changed was that sin darkened the world with the deceitfulness of the devil’s lie.

In the darkness of sin, the world remained a place that was very good. Adam and Eve lived alone in the world for a long time before it began to be populated with their children. The sun shone brightly, the rivers flowed through the land, and the animals filled with earth to the wonder of Adam and Eve. There was much to enjoy in this paradise world of almost perfection. What soiled the world was the nature of sin. Adam and Eve remembered the days in the Garden of Eden with fondness and the regret of listening to the deceiver’s voice.

The world is still a place that is very good. Thousands of years have passed since its creation. God looks upon the world and sees a place that is very good. Man has muddled some parts of creation but can never destroy the world or make it uninhabitable. The sun still shines just like it did the day Adam first laid his eyes upon that bright circle in the sky. Every night, when the moon rises to its apex of glory, the majesty of God is illuminated through the dark sky of God’s perfect love. The world remains a place that is very good. That has never changed. Men have changed, but the world remains the same.

Man was created in perfection but fell in sin. What makes that story very good is that Jesus Christ came to restore the fellowship of God with man. The gospel is the power of God to bring man back to harmony with his Creator. There is the joy of something beyond very good found in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Hope springs in the hearts of those who see what very good things were done at Golgotha. God reminds man that what He creates and what He does is very good. Man cannot change that. He can reject it, but he cannot change the nature of God. The world is a very good place. Salvation in Jesus Christ is a very good place. Thank God for all those things that are very good. Praise God.