Gen 1:20-21 | KingComments | STEP | The fifth day we can connect with the second day. By God’s command, life comes into the water and into the air. Fish and what can fly are created. God creates in a great diversity, both in size and in kind. The first form of animated life originates. The first four days give the conditions for life; on the fifth and sixth day life itself comes. A second command from God is that life will multiply. Fish and birds must have many offspring. Water animals must fill the waters, birds must multiply on the earth. With the fifth day we have reached the next aspect in the spiritual development. Waters are a symbol for the trials in the life of faith. The waters of the second day symbolize inner struggle and doubt, despair sometimes. It is so to speak the waters within us. The inner struggle comes to an end as soon as the Lord Jesus is seen in faith. The waters of the fifth day symbolize outside struggle ( ). It is, so to speak, the waters around us, the circumstances in which we find ourselves. There may be peace within, but then the trials come from outside ( ). The enemy will do everything in his power to shake faith. The result that God wants to achieve with this is a life of faith that is ‘teeming’ with activities of faith. These faith activities in turn generate new works of faith, in the person himself or in others who see this and are encouraged by it. We see this for example with Paul. His imprisonment encourages the Philippians: “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in [the cause of] Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear” ( ).

‏ Genesis 1:20-21

The Fifth Day

The fifth day we can connect with the second day. By God’s command, life comes into the water and into the air. Fish and what can fly are created. God creates in a great diversity, both in size and in kind. The first form of animated life originates. The first four days give the conditions for life; on the fifth and sixth day life itself comes.

A second command from God is that life will multiply. Fish and birds must have many offspring. Water animals must fill the waters, birds must multiply on the earth.

With the fifth day we have reached the next aspect in the spiritual development. Waters are a symbol for the trials in the life of faith. The waters of the second day symbolize inner struggle and doubt, despair sometimes. It is so to speak the waters within us. The inner struggle comes to an end as soon as the Lord Jesus is seen in faith. The waters of the fifth day symbolize outside struggle (1Pet 1:6). It is, so to speak, the waters around us, the circumstances in which we find ourselves. There may be peace within, but then the trials come from outside (Rom 5:3-4). The enemy will do everything in his power to shake faith.

The result that God wants to achieve with this is a life of faith that is ‘teeming’ with activities of faith. These faith activities in turn generate new works of faith, in the person himself or in others who see this and are encouraged by it.

We see this for example with Paul. His imprisonment encourages the Philippians: “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in [the cause of] Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear” (Phil 1:12-14).