After each act of creation, Genesis reported, “And God saw that it was good.” His creations were magnificent and varied, ranging from giant stars to tiny microbes. Yet, it was after He made humans—His crowning achievement—that the record adds a significant word: “God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
Humans were His ultimate masterpiece, created to carry His image, to fill the earth and manage it (Genesis
1:26). As God showed Adam, man was different from animals (Genesis 2:19-20). Apart from the forbidden tree, humans could eat from any tree in the garden, which included the “tree of life.” It seems that God originally intended His human creature to “live forever” (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:22).
One of God’s greatest gifts to the human couple was the ability to communicate— to turn thoughts into words, to hear and to speak, to share ideas and information, to ask and to respond, to build mutual understandings and relationships. Language is a priceless jewel set in God’s crowning masterpiece. When God first spoke to His human creatures, which language did He use? Was it the language of heaven (Genesis 1:26), or a language created especially for earthly ears (Genesis 1:28)?