Genesis 1:20-2520And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:20‑25)
GOD had made many things; but none of these things was alive. At last He made some living things. He spoke, and the water was filled with fish, more than could be counted.
Some were very small, and some were very large. Have you heard about the huge whales? It is a fish as long as a church. Fish are cold; they have no feet; and they cannot sing or speak. God made some creatures more beautiful than fish. They fly about in the air. The birds perched on the trees and sang among the branches.
Birds have wings, and are covered with feathers of all colors. The robin has a red breast, the goldfinch has some yellow feathers, and the jay some blue ones. But the peacock is the most beautiful of birds; it has a little tuft on its head and a long train that sweeps behind; sometimes it spreads out its feathers, and they look like a large fan. The thrush, the blackbird and the linnet can sing sweetly, but there is one bird that can sing more sweetly still. It is the nightingale. At night, when all the other birds have left off singing, the nightingale may be heard in the woods.
Some birds swim on the water, such as geese and ducks and the beautiful swans with their long necks and feathers white like the snow. Some birds are very tall. The ostrich is as tall as a man. It cannot fly like other birds, but it can run very fast indeed.
The eagle builds its nest in a very high place. Its wings are very strong, and it can fly as high as the clouds. The gentlest of the birds is the dove. It cannot sing, but it sits alone and moans softly, as if it was sad. I cannot tell you the names of all the birds, but you can think of the names of some other kinds.
There is another sort of living creature, called insects. God made them come out of the earth, not out of the water like fishes. Insects such as ants are small, and creep on the earth. Some insects, such as bees and butterflies, can also fly. The bee sucks the juice of flowers, and makes wax and honey. How beautiful are the wings of a butterfly! They are covered with little feathers, too small to be seen. All the insects were good and pretty when God made them.
At last God made the animals. They were made from the earth when God spoke. Animals walk on the earth; most of them have four legs. You know the names of many sorts of animals. Sheep and cows, dogs and cats, are animals. But there are many other sorts: the squirrel that jumps from branch to branch, the rabbit that lives in a hole under the ground, and the goat that climbs the high hills; the stag with his beautiful horns, the lion with his yellow hair, and the tiger whose skin is marked with stripes. The elephant is the largest of the beasts, the lion is the strongest, the dog is the most sensible, the stag is the most beautiful, but the lamb is the gentlest. The dove is the gentlest of the birds, and the lamb is the gentlest of the animals.
Now God had filled the world with living creatures, and they were all good: even lions and tigers were good and harmless. I have told you of four sorts of living creatures:
1. Fishes.
2. Birds.
3. Insects.
3. Animals.
All these creatures have bodies, but they do not have souls like you. They can move and breathe. God feeds them every day and keeps them alive. The Lord is good to them all.
When God first clothed the earth with green,
And sprinkled it with flowers,
There was no living creature seen
Within its pleasant bowers.
Soon by His word God filled the earth,
And waters underneath,
With things above the plants in worth,
That feel and move and breathe.
The fishes, covered o’er with scales,
In ocean swiftly glide;
With their vast tails the wondrous whales
Scatter the waters wide.
The birds among the branches sing,
And chief the nightingale;
The peacock shines with painted wing,
The dove does softly wail.
Insects with humming fill the air,
And sparkle in the sun;
The butterfly by colors fair
Surpasses every one.
The beasts tread firmly on the ground;
The goat has nimble feet;
The stag’s with branching antlers crowned;
The lamb’s most soft and sweet.
Pleasure the whole creation fills;
They leap, they swim, they fly;
They skim the plains, they climb the hills,
Orin the valleys lie.
In all the woods no sound of strife,
Or piteous moans arise;
None takes away his fellow’s life,
And none expiring lies.
These happy days, alas! are past,
And death has entered here;
Why did they not forever last?
And when did death appear?
Questions
How many sorts of living things did God make?
Tell me the names of some kinds of fish.
Tell me the names of some birds.
Tell me the names of some insects.
Tell me the names of some animals.
God is kind to birds and beasts.
A verse from the Bible for you to learn: