Genesis 1:20 - Meaning and Application

Up to this point, each day has brought forth very noble and wonderful creatures, and we can never admire them enough. Yet we do not read of any living creature being created until the fifth day, and these verses tell us about that work. Creation did not happen all at once. It moved step by step from lower things to higher things, teaching us to aim for growth and to make our later work better than our earlier work.

On the fifth day, God created the fish and the birds, and both came from the waters. Fish and birds are different kinds of flesh, yet they were made together, and both came from the waters. This shows that the first Cause, God himself, can bring very different results from the same means. He said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly,” not because the waters had power in themselves, but because God was commanding life to appear in the waters and above them.

God himself carried out that command: “God created great sea creatures,” and so on. Insects, which are perhaps as varied and numerous as any other kind of animal, and which are made with such care, were also part of this day’s work. Some are more like fish, and others more like birds. As Mr. Boyle said, he admired the Creator’s wisdom and power as much in an ant as in an elephant.

The text calls attention to the many kinds of fish and birds, each made after its own kind, and to the great number of them. The waters brought them forth abundantly. It also singles out the great sea creatures, the largest of the fish, whose size and strength are clear proofs of the Creator’s power and greatness. The special mention of the whale seems enough to show that this is the creature meant by Leviathan (Job 41:1).

When we think carefully about the body of each animal, its size, shape, nature, and the wonderful powers of life within it, we should be led to worship God. These things can silence and shame the objections of atheists and unbelievers. Even more, they should lift the hearts of godly people to praise God, as in (Psalm 104:25). The more we consider what God has made, the more we should stand in awe of him.

God also blessed these creatures so they could continue. Life wears out. Its strength is not like the strength of stones. It is like a candle that will burn itself out unless it is first put out. So the wise Creator not only made these creatures, he also provided for their increase. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22).

God blesses his own works and does not leave them to themselves. What he does stands forever (Ecclesiastes 3:14). The same providence that preserves all things now is the same power that first created them. Fruitfulness comes from God’s blessing and must be credited to him. The fact that fish and birds continue to multiply year after year is still the result of this blessing. We should give God the glory for keeping these creatures alive for human benefit to this day (Job 12:7; Job 12:9).

It is a pity when fishing and bird-catching, which are innocent in themselves, are used in a way that keeps people from God and their duty. They can instead be used well, leading us to think about the wisdom, power, and goodness of the One who made all these things. They should also teach us to stand in awe of him, just as fish and birds stand in awe of us.