Genesis 1:9-13

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

The third day concerns the surface of the earth:

It is here that we see the waters are gathered into seas, thereby distinguishing the land masses, and the earth yields green vegetation.

There are actually over 50 seas on earth but among these seven are considered major Bodies of Water:

Arctic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian , and Southern Oceans.

With God designating His finished work of dividing the waters with “it was good .”

This dividing of the land and sea is the last of the three divisions that we mentioned at the beginning of our study.

Land from Sea

Waters from Waters

Light from Dark

These separations serve to designate the time and space in which life exists as we see God command the earth to begin to yield life and/or vegetation.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.

12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And this marks the climax of the first grouping of days [Days 1-3]…The earth has become productive as God prepares for animal and human life .

Genesis 1:29-30: God tells Adam and Eve…“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

In mythological belief… the growth of all vegetation and reproducing processes were dependent on the procreation of the gods …

However, the Genesis account we see God give the soil of the earth both the permission and ability to accomplish His tasks.

Procreation, whether concerning plant, animal or human life is a direct gift from God, deemed a divine blessing to be enjoyed for His divine purposes …. to create life !

Genesis 1:22: And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

And this life happens in “kinds .” Which represents broad categories of plants and animals.

In the case of plants, as mentioned in verse 11…the two kinds that are mentioned are “…plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed…”

Plants that yield seed (Gymnosperm) - what is the foremost gymnosperm in East Texas? Pine Tree

East Texas Tree bearing seeded fruit (Angiosperm) - Mayhaw Tree

These are kinds …generalized groups of plants that reproduce in a particular way…

But this is not a horticulture class and also not the main point that we are trying to drive this afternoon. However…the fact that God established “kinds” speaks toward his establishment of parameters for his creation.

The term which we will see later is never used for of humanity , showing that we are a unique order of creation. Created in a specific order for a specific reason as according to God’s plan.