Real Days, Not Long Ages
Month 1: In the Beginning — Knowing God · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Genesis 1:14–19 & Exodus 20:11
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. 15 And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. 17 God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. — Genesis 1:14–19
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. — Exodus 20:11
Memory Verse
“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”— Exodus 20:11 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Genesis 30–31
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 10 of 365 — Jacob's growing family and his journey home.)The Heart of It
On the fourth day, God made the sun, moon, and stars. And He told us exactly why. They are "for signs and seasons, and for days and years" (). From the very beginning, God set up the way we measure time. The sun marks a day. The moon and stars mark months and years. So when Genesis says "the evening and the morning were the fourth day," it means just what it says. One ordinary day. An evening and a morning. Just like the day you're living right now. The words are simple on purpose, so even a little child can understand them.
Today many people will tell your children the earth is billions of years old. They will say the "days" of Genesis really mean enormous ages. But notice something. God made the sun on day four, after there had already been three days with evenings and mornings. So the light didn't depend on the sun. It depended on God. And everywhere else in the Bible, "evening and morning" plus a number always means a normal day. We believe in six real days, and not just to be stubborn. We believe it because that is plainly what God said. We'd rather trust His clear words than human guesses that keep changing.
Around the Table
God made the bright sun for daytime and the moon and twinkly stars for nighttime. One day, one night — that's a real day!
Let's do it: Point to a window or a picture: where's the sun for daytime? Where are the stars for nighttime? God made them both!
God said the sun and moon are for days and years — to help us count time. So a "day" in Genesis is a real day, like yours.
Let's talk: God made light on day one, but the sun on day four. What does that show about where light really comes from?
"Evening and morning" plus a number always means a normal day in Scripture. confirms it: our work-week mirrors God's creation week.
Let's go deeper: Why might some people want the days to be long ages? How does trusting God's clear words protect us?
💬 Conversation Starter
How do you know when one day has ended and a new one has started? God set the sun and moon in place to help us know, right from day four!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "Science proves the earth is billions of years old, so the days can't be real days": we can answer kindly. No one was there to watch the past. So old-age claims rest on guesses about how things started. But God was there, and He told us. Six days, in language a child can read (). We're not against science. We just trust the Maker who was there over guesses that no one watched. And we say it gently and with respect (), because we want to win the person, not just the argument.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The Hebrew word for "day" is yom. In some settings it can mean a longer stretch of time. But context decides the meaning, and here the context is decisive. Everywhere in the Old Testament, when yom is paired with a number and with "evening and morning," it means an ordinary day. then anchors the entire Sabbath law in a literal six-day creation. The deeper issue isn't science versus the Bible. It's authority. Old-earth and evolutionary views ask us to read Genesis through the lens of human guesses about a past no one watched. Help your older kids see the real question. It is always this: "Who has the right to define what is real?" Teach them to be humble and gracious. Never sneer at scientists. But stand firmly on God's Word as the starting point.
Draws on: Ken Ham (ed.), The New Answers Book 1; and Terry Mortenson, Coming to Grips with Genesis.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for making the sun, the moon, and the stars. Thank You for telling us the truth about how You made everything. Help us trust Your Word. And help us share it kindly with others. In Jesus' name, amen."
God was there in the beginning, and He told us the truth — six real days.