It was very good

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 1v31

One of the reasons I love living in Ireland is that I love the scenery. I love the places where the countryside is untouched and unspoilt. Sometimes we can come across places that are so pristine it looks like we might the first people to ever see it, well accept for the road of course.

When I drive to the youth centre where I teach literacy I avoid the motorway and drive over the foothill of the Dublin Mountains. There is a place where you round a bend and have a marvellous view of Dublin harbour. I think what it must have been like for the first people who saw that view, long before Dublin filled the plain. It must have been amazing. Before Dublin grew out to Tallaght and created Tallafornia there were fantastic views of the Dublin Mountains. I could go on and on.

As I read this passage this morning I tried to put myself in Adam’s shoes (well, his bare feet I guess). . When he first woke up he did so to all the beauty of God’s perfect creation. There were no buildings, no roads, and not the slightest hint of pollution. There was no buzz of overhead wires and no traffic noise. He saw quiet, absolute beauty. Then, to top it all off, God gave him Eve.

Can we get just a glimpse of why God would say “It was very good.’ Only one thing could possibly mar the picture. Hidden in the deep recesses of Adam’s heart was the ability to make his own choices, but more on that later.

‘It was very good.’ But, what else could it be? Everything God does is good, because He is the essence of good. He is good everyday, all the time. There is nothing ‘not good’ in or about Him.

It was very good – but sadly there is another side to the story.