A Sea of Life
On the fifth day of creation, God began to create animals. When people think of animals most will usually picture a mammal such as a cat, dog, horse, monkey, etc. However, there are millions of different types of animals that we don’t think of as being animals. They are classified as animals because they breathe in oxygen, move about, eat and reproduce babies; that would include insects, fish and all kinds of other living things. Plants are living things but they are different from animals in about every area. They take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen. They make their own food, not consume it. They are anchored in the ground and are unable to move around. They reproduce by bearing seeds, not offspring.
Genesis 1:20-23 describes the fifth day of creation when God brought forth the first animals: 20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning–the fifth day.
The Fifth Day
On the fifth day, God brought forth all the creatures that live and move in the waters and all the birds that fly in the air. This week we will examine what lives in the oceans, lakes and rivers and next week we will study the birds of the air.
When God created animals to live in the water he said, “Let the water teem with living creatures.” Teem means to both give birth to and to be filled to overflowing. The waters of the earth gave birth to and are filled with life because of God’s command.
Scientists divide sea creatures into three biographic groups: plankton, nekton and benthos. The plankton group is made up of plant and animal-like organisms that drift along with the ocean currents. Most plankton are so tiny that they can only be seen through a microscope. However, jellyfish are plankton and can grow to be quite large.
Plankton
The plant-like plankton is called phytoplankton and produces its own food from sunlight. Phyto comes from the Greek word for plant. The animal-like plankton is called zooplankton. Zoo comes from the Greek word for animal. Plankton comes from the Greek word for drifting, as that is what plankton does in the ocean.
Nekton
The nekton group is made up of sea creatures that move and swim freely in the ocean. Nekton comes from the Greek word for swimming. Most members of the nekton live in the upper layer of the ocean, although some are found in the deep parts. Fish are the largest part of this group although it also includes other types of sea life like squids and octopuses, and also mammals like manatees, whales, seals, otters, etc.
Benthos
The benthos is the group of sea life that live on or near the ocean floor. Benthos comes from the Greek word for deep or depth. Some creatures in this group burrow into the floor while others attach themselves to the bottom like coral, sponges, and oysters. There are some members of the benthos that crawl on or swim about the sea floor. These would include crabs, lobsters and worms and also some fish like halibut and sole. During the early stages of their life most of the sea creatures in the benthos make up part of the zooplankton. Once they become adults they sink to the ocean floor and live there, becoming part of the benthos.
The seas teem with life the way God designed, forming a food chain and also providing food for the people of the earth. The variety and complexity of sea life speak of the wisdom and creativity of God. The life in the ocean is critical for the life on the land to exist. Psalm 104:24-25 says, How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number– living things both large and small.
When you examine sea life, it should remind you that God in his wisdom made the earth and all creatures that inhabit it for his purposes.
- Overview Questions: What are the differences between living plants and living animals? What did God mean when he said, “Let the water teem with living creatures”? What are the groups of animals that live in the ocean?
- Thought Questions: What can be learned about God by studying the creatures of the sea? What would the earth be like if there were no sea creatures? What is your reaction when you see a picture of a bizarre ocean creature? Why?
- Prayer: Thank God for the variety of life that lives in the oceans. Thank him that he had a plan for everything that he created and that it was good. Pray that you would grow in awe of his wisdom and creativity when you study all that lives in the sea.
- Week’s Memory Verse: Psalm 104:24-25
24How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number– living things both large and small.
What should sea creatures remind us of?
In wisdom God made all things.