Chapter 1: The Days of Creation
As we come to Genesis 1, envision yourself going to the very throne of God, the place where God speaks. He speaks, and a beautiful world comes into existence. He created the world in 6 days. From the moment God spoke on the first day, the world has never been the same since. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The first four days describe the creation of Heaven and Earth. In the last two days, God creates animals and man to fill the earth.
Day 1 Genesis 1:1-5
The Earth is shapeless, an empty mass floating in dark space and water. God’s Spirit is hovering over the waters of the deep. I can envision Him looking down, ready to move at the speed of light, waiting for the command. Then God said, “LET THERE BE LIGHT.” The Holy Spirit exploded through the waters and darkness that surrounded the earth.
The inventor of light brought a great blessing to the world. But God gave us His light, and one day the world will not need the sun and the moon because God will be its source of light. See Revelations 21:23.
God divided the light from the darkness. He called the light day and darkness night. The Holy Spirit flew through the entire world, splitting it in half. This imagery leads me to think about the equator, and how one side of the earth is dark while the other side is light. On the first day of Creation, one can already see the artistic flair of God’s Creation.
It is strange that God did not call the darkness good but still used it. He separates the good from the bad, but still uses the good and the bad in our lives to produce good things. Many designers today use dark and light colors to highlight their creations. I am amazed at how God can take something that looks bad and make something good out of it. Verse 5 completes the first day by saying the evening and the mourning were the first day. I find it fascinating that our day begins in the middle of the night. Yet, on the other side of the world, dawn is approaching.
Day 2 Genesis 1:6-8
On the first day, the Lord brought light into the waters and there was a contrast of light and dark colors. Now on Day 2 He further separates light and darkness by creating the sky. He separated the waters above the sky from the waters below the sky. The King James Version calls it a firmament but later refers to it as heaven. Paul in the New Testament talks about going up into the third Heaven. That is the Heaven beyond the sky and outer space. See 2 Corinthians 12:2-4. That is one of the reasons we look up into the sky and think about God and Heaven. Of course, there is no way to know where the third Heaven is exactly.
As I look up into the sky, I also think about clouds. They are a fantastic site to behold and contain water as the Bible describes. I could spend hours imagining what God intended when he placed each one. I am also mesmerized by the amazing blue sky. It is Heaven on earth.
Day 3 Genesis 1:9-13 The Miraculous Parting And Moving of Waters
God spoke twice on the third day. First, He commanded the waters below the heavens to gather into one place, and dry land appeared. He called the dry land Earth, and the waters around the earth He called the Seas. These miracles of separating and gathering the waters in days 2-3 remind me of how God parted the Red Sea. See Exodus 14. Of course, these miracles far exceed that tremendous miracle.
Immediately after this, the Lord spoke a second time. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb-yielding seed, and fruit trees. The Creator was getting things ready for mankind long before man was ever created. The herbs that bore seeds as well as the fruit of trees would be food for man. As land was beginning to emerge, Creation was taking shape and God saw that it was good.
Day 4 Genesis 1:14-19
God saw the wonderful light that He had placed on the Earth. But He also saw that the world needed a little more light. There is no mention of the world being a sphere. Yet the earth in its sphere-like shape was ready for the Lord to create and place the sun, moon, and stars. This may have included Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars. They are not mentioned here, but He created these things.
Thank you, God, for such wonderful lights that fill the sky and brighten our world. Thank you for the Sun that rules the day, and the Moon that rules the night. Who doesn’t like to behold the sunrise and sunset? I also like to look at the stars at night when the sky is clear. These lights would serve as signs to mark sacred times, days, and years. The whole process of how the earth spins and revolves around the sun and the moon is amazing.
Day 5 Genesis 1:20-23
God filled the seas and skies with birds, sea creatures, and many other living things. He spoke life to them and blessed them to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the world. I like to watch documentaries about birds and sea animals in the wild. It is fascinating to watch all the different animals God created. Sometimes birds even land in my front and backyard. And a beautiful coral reef is a magnificent wonder to behold. The complexity of nature in the skies and oceans reveals the wonderful and intelligent design of its Creator. I am awestruck at His grand design. But there is still more.
Day 6 Genesis 1:24-31
The Lord created the land animals and man and blessed them to fill the earth. He gave man and other creatures the ability to reproduce. But, the Lord created mankind in the image of God and told them to subdue and rule the earth and all living things.
They were living in God’s Paradise and life was good. The Creator went the extra mile to ensure that every detail of His creation was good. And after creating man, the capstone of Creation, the world was very good indeed. As we turn the page in Genesis, something interesting about the relationship between Genesis 1 and 2 needs to be discussed.
An Important History Genesis 2:1-4
These verses describe God resting on the seventh day, after the work of Creation. One wonders why the Lord provided us with this bit of information. God did not need to rest but He chose to rest. He could have just stopped and not told us anything. He is God after all. However, the concept of rest would become a very important part of the life of Israel or God’s people in the Old Testament. Keep in mind you are reading an ancient book that has been passed down for centuries in the Jewish and Hebrew culture. The Lord told Moses in Exodus 20 that they were to do no work on the Sabbath or 7th day to honor God resting after Creation. The Lord blessed and sanctified this day as a day of rest and worship. Of course, God wanted His people to have a weekly set time to remember and honor Him as their Creator. Having said that Genesis 1 also reminds us of some other things about God and rest. On the first day of Creation, God established night and day, knowing we need to work during the day and sleep at night. He even designed our bodies to daily regenerate. Many doctors over the years have told their patients to go home and rest there is nothing else they can do. This is a huge blessing we do not normally take time to think about or praise the Lord for. We were after all fearfully and wonderfully made.
After resting on the seventh day it does not take long for God to create Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden. Because Adam was created after the work of Creation, I often wonder. Are there two Creation accounts? It seems obvious because of the order of events and timing of Adam’s Creation in Genesis 2 that prehistoric men and dinosaurs could have existed before Adam. My purpose is neither to defend nor reject these ideas. But they are a possibility based on the historical context and reading of the story. These questions are fascinating. However, I am not convinced the writer had them in mind when he wrote about Adam and Creation. I believe he wanted to focus on telling us a more important story about God, man, sin, and the nation of Israel. The author’s historical purpose is first revealed in Genesis 2:4.
Notice what this verse has to say, “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” KJV.
There are two important things I would like to mention. First, this verse takes us back in time to when God created Heaven and Earth in Genesis 1. This flashback gives us more details about mankind when they were created. We do not have a lot of information about the Creation of men and women. They both were made in the image of God, male and female were created. I find the story of how God made Eve a little more endearing. Also as the study continues in Genesis 2 more details about their life and relationship with God will come to light. Thus I believe Genesis 2 adds some interesting and important details about Creation and our ancient ancestors.
Second, the word “generations” is a key historical marker throughout Genesis. Here it references the Heavens and the Earth. Later in Genesis 5:1, it will refer to Adam. In 6:9 and 10:1 the term refers to Noah and his sons. Later in Genesis, it will be used to track Shem’s family leading to Abraham and Jacob. See 11:27, 25:12, 25:19 36:1, 37:2. Each time it is used to mark segments of history related to the Lord’s people who would become the nation of Israel.
Thus Genesis 1 starts with a story of God and Creation and ends with God resting on the seventh day. But Genesis 2 and beyond continues the story of Creation with the history of God, Adam, and his descendants. It tracks the families of those who worship God from Adam through Jacob. He is significant because of his twelve sons who would become the nation of Israel. The rest of the Bible records the history of Israel that would unknowingly, to them, lead to Christ in the New Testament.
In our next lesson, we will discuss Adam’s sudden creation and the things he saw and learned in the Garden of Eden. These things would be crucial for his survival as well as the entire world. Thanks for taking the time to read these articles it means a lot to me. Again if you have any questions or feedback you can email me at jonche@gmail.com. Thanks and May God bless you.
