Introduction
The Foundational Nature Of Genesis
Before any great building is constructed, a foundation must be laid. The taller the building, the deeper the foundation. For a structure to stand, its load must be transferred from the weak layer of topsoil down to the stronger subsoil below. And, though everyone loves seeing the actual building, builders will take their time to get the foundation right. Once set, the home or the apartment complex or the skyscraper can go up.
The same can be said for the book of Genesis. It is foundational. In it, God drills down deep, anchoring us into the why of creation, humanity, evil, and, ultimately, the gospel. Without a working understanding of many of the themes of Genesis, we are lost. So God did His part and gave us this foundational book showing us the foundations of truth.
For Israel
First, the book of Genesis was foundational for the people of Israel. We must remember this. They were, after all, the original recipients of the book. It was written, after all, shortly after their exodus from slavery in Egypt.
Through the Passover and all the plagues the God made it obvious, He had chosen Israel as His people. So, God gave Moses the task of writing Genesis to make clear the historical basis for His covenant with them as His people. In the first eleven chapters of Genesis, Israel would read of God's reason for setting apart a unique people in a special land. They were to preserve the true worship of the true God, something which was corrupted and forgotten in the early pages of Genesis.
For Us
The book of Genesis is also foundational for humanity. In it, four great events (creation, the fall, the flood, dispersion of the nations) are followed by four great people (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph).
And just as ancient Israel needed this book, so do modern people of all nations. The book of Genesis stands as a way for us to get our bearings. In it, the theological, spiritual, and physical foundations of humanity are unearthed. In this book, we'll discover the beginning or origin of the universe (1:1), humankind (1:27), sin and evil (3:1-7), the family (4:1-15), civilization (4:16-21), government (9:1-6), the nations (11), and the people of Israel (12:1-3), through whom God chose to bless all the peoples of the earth. Each event in Genesis helps us understand and make sense of the world today.
The Author Of Genesis
I suppose any study of Genesis (or the Pentateuch) must wrestle with the question of authorship. To me, it isn't an exciting conversation, but it is a necessary one, because many schools of thought have questioned Genesis' authorship.
But I've already told you Moses is the author. There are some good reasons to believe he wrote Genesis (and the first five books of the Bible), especially since the Old and New Testament refer to his authorship.
But the main thing is Jesus believed Moses is the author. This is the most critical statement regarding the Mosaic authorship of Genesis (and the rest of the Law or Pentateuch). Jesus said things like this:
And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? (Mark 12:26).
Has not Moses given you the law? (John 7:19).
I am with Jesus. I believe Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, aside from the account of his own death, which Joshua was undoubtedly capable of authoring. Moses could've obtained the information he needed about Genesis through divine revelation (2 Peter 1:20-21), previously written texts handed down through the generations (Genesis 2:4, 5:1, 6:9, 10:1, 11:10, 11:27, 25:12, 25:19, 36:1, 36:9, 37:2), and through oral traditions passed down from his ancestors (the long life spans during the pre-flood world would've made this possible).
And Moses was the perfect person to write these books. He had received a royal Egyptian education, being "instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22), so he knew about Egyptian place names, people, and gods. He also knew Egyptian words, idioms, and cultural factors well. On top of his Egyptian background, Moses was an eyewitness to most of the events found from Exodus through Deuteronomy. And, finally, Moses was a godly man, a prophet who sought God every day. No one else was as qualified to write as he was. He was a perfect selection for authorship.
Let's begin to read and study this remarkable book.
The Beginning (1:1)
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Like the blast of a cannon, the book begins. There is no long preamble, with no introductory comments. Instead, we are thrust into the story, and the story starts with God, which immediately throws us into the metaphysical realm. We live in the physical, but God is above and beyond the physical realm, though He is present within it.
And, make no mistake, this is not a fanciful or superstitious place to begin. Instead, it is entirely reasonable to conclude there is a God who created the heavens and the earth, because everything we see has been caused.
Norman Geisler, a preeminent Christian theologian, and apologist put it this way:
- Finite changing things exist.
- Finite, changing things must be caused to exist.
- There cannot be an infinite regress of these causes.
- Therefore there must be a first uncaused cause of every finite, changing thing that exists.
All this is to say; it is perfectly reasonable to conclude a sovereign, eternal, preexistent being, without beginning or end, created all we see and know. The creation did not make itself. Otherwise, and scientists have never answered this question, how did all this something come from all that nothing?
Learn Of God
And this first verse, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (1), tells us quite a bit about who God is. Deism believes God is beyond the universe but not active in the world. Atheism believes there is no God. Pantheism believes God is everything. Polytheism believes many gods are in the universe, but finite or limited in power. But this first line of Scripture refutes each belief and introduces theism, which says there is an infinite God beyond the universe.
He Is Infinite
He is infinite because He created (1), meaning He made all we know by His own will and desire. He did not create the way an artist or a builder might, by taking existing materials and fashioning them the way He desired. No, the word created here means to make something out of nothing. It is the Hebrew word bārā’, and it is found 44 times in the Old Testament. It is used only of God and His "production of something fundamentally new" (von Rad).
He Is Creator
The inference here is that God is the creator of everything. Genesis 1-2 focuses on the creation of the physical dimension, human experience, and activity, but the implication is that everything, such as angelic beings, was created by God. This might even be why it is said God created both the heavens and the earth (1), meaning not only the heavens of outer space but ethereal or immaterial heaven as well, the spiritual world.
He Is Eternal
And, while He created, He made time, which is why there is the beginning (1). It is pointless to ask what God was doing before creation. There is no time before time. God is timeless. He lives outside of time and space, yet interacts with us in it.
He Is Wise
And, though we will spend some time thinking about Genesis 1 and its compatibility with science, we should not allow that discussion to sidetrack us from the glory of God found in this first chapter of the Bible. This is a triumphant declaration of God and His power and wisdom. He made the world! And it is wonderful! And, quite obviously, a gift to us, a home for us to inhabit!
He Is Good
God must be good since His creation is filled with goodness. It is custom made for us to inhabit, a perfect residence for humanity. And the goodness and beauty of creation is a mere reflection of God's goodness and beauty.
He Is Unequaled
But, in Genesis 1, we also learn there is no one and nothing equal to God. He is infinite, while everything else is finite. He is the only necessary being. He is eternal. At the beginning, He existed, for it is impossible for Him not to exist.
He Is Love
And we will also learn about God's thoughts towards humanity. He made us distinct, special in His sight. We are unlike the rest of creation but made in His image. Our place is not as gods, but we are still higher than the rest of creation. We are crowned by God.
Through all this, we learn of God's love. You see, it is the only good explanation for creation. Why did God create everything? It was not for any deficiency in Himself, such as loneliness, for God is perfect and in need of nothing. But God is love (1 John 1:5), and His love drove Him to make a place for us so we could enjoy His creation, but also enjoy Him. This is the story of the Bible, and this first chapter sets the scene for the long story of our relationship together. In short, God wanted to create, so He did, for us.
This is why we are continually encouraged throughout the whole Bible to worship God. To honor Him is that for which we were designed; our highest purpose is fulfilled when we live for Him. We are created for His glory; He formed and made us so we might discover how awesome our God is (Isaiah 43:7).
Allow the Bible to be God's story.
"In the beginning, God created..." He was active. He moved first, in creation, but also in the gospel. The story isn't humans famous, but Jesus Famous. Let the Bible be what it is, the truth of God's glorious work and nature.
Clues Pointing To Creation
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
But it also seems scientifically reasonable to believe God is responsible for bringing the universe into existence out of nothing. In their book, The Doctrine Of Creation, scholars Douglas Potter and Norman Geisler synthesize some of the arguments regarding the creation account in Genesis, and I will draw from their research in what follows. None of these arguments needs to stand by itself, nor do they need to be conclusive, but taken together, they provide clues to our origins.
Creation Had A Start
One difficulty with origin science is its distinction from operation science. In operation science, one can observe a recurring pattern of events. Origins, however, are not repeated or observable. In other words, we can see how the universe functions today, but not how it began.
Still, there is evidence our world had a specific start. One evidence is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that the amount of usable energy in the universe is decreasing. The universe, as a whole, is running down. Therefore it is not eternal and had a definite starting point. Another evidence comes from astronomers who have discovered the universe is expanding. Stars and galaxies are moving apart, like dots on an expanding balloon. By reversing this process, rewinding the tape, the universe would get smaller and smaller until it was nothing. But it couldn't come from nothing by nothing, so it makes sense it came from nothing by someone.
Intelligent Causes
No one observed the origin of the first life. No one was there. Additionally, the spontaneous natural generation of life has never been witnessed or evidenced, and many scientists believe it completely disproved. Still, many scientists hold out hope life in the past arose in a way contrary to current evidence. But life cannot naturally, spontaneously occur.
Natural causes are far different from intelligent causes. Consider the contrasts which follow:
Natural Causes Intelligent Causes Sand Dunes Sand Castles Crystals Chandeliers Waterfalls Power Plants Round Stones Arrowheads Mt. Everest Mt. Rushmore Clouds Skywriting Alphabet soup Encyclopedia
It just makes sense that all we see was formed by an intelligent being. For example, the genetic information found in a single-celled animal is equal to a thousand volumes of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Indeed, when it comes to life and the complexity within it, we are dealing with an intelligent cause, not a random accident.
Anthropic Principle
Astrophysicist Hugh Ross puts forward the anthropic principle, which states the universe from its very inception was fine-tuned for the emergence of human life (<http: data-preserve-html-node="true"//s8int.com/anthropic.html>). Here are only a few of his many examples:
- (1) The oxygen rate (21 percent) in the atmosphere is just right. If less (15 percent) human life would suffocate, if more (25 percent), spontaneous fires would break out.
- (2) The gravitational force is just right. If altered by only 1 part in 10 to the fortieth, the sun would not exist, and the moon would crash into the earth.
- (3) The centrifugal force of planetary movement is precisely balanced with the gravitational forces. If not, nothing could be held in orbit around the Sun.
- (4) The universe expansion is just right. If the rate were just one-millionth slower, the temperature on earth would be 10,000 degrees.
- (5) The average distance between stars (of thirty trillion miles) is just right. If it were altered only slightly, there would be extreme temperature variations on earth.
- (6) The speed of light is just right. Even a slight variation in the speed of light would alter the other constants and make life on earth impossible.
- (7) The orbit of Jupiter is important to earth. If Jupiter were not in its current orbit, the earth would be bombarded by space material.
- (8) The thickness of the earth’s crust is just right. If it were altered, volcanic and tectonic activity would make life impossible.
- (9) The rotation of the earth is just right. If it took longer than twenty–four hours, temperature variations would be too great between night and day. If shorter, atmospheric wind velocities would be too great.
- (10) The axial tilt of the earth is just right. If it were altered slightly, surface temperatures would be too great for life on earth.
- (11) The lightning rate on earth is just right. If it were greater, there would be too much fire and destruction; if less, there would be too little nitrogen to fertilize the soil.
- (12) The seismic activity on earth is just right. If it were more, much life would be lost. If less, nutrients on the ocean floor would not be recycled to the continents through tectonic uplift.
Origin Of Human Beings
Macroevolutionists think there is a common ancestry of all living things, while creationists God created us with separate lineages.
Macroevolutionists view all living things as a tree; creationists view life as a forest. -- The Doctrine Of Creation by Potter & Geisler
First, this is not rational. An effect cannot be greater than its cause. It makes no sense that randomness and accidents would produce, over and over again, something better and better.
Second, human language is distinctive evidence humans were uniquely created. No animal speaks it. No animal can learn it. They can try to teach speech to chimpanzees, but it never has and will never work.
Third, there are no undisputed examples of "missing links" between primates and humans. Humans have always had a culture, art, and religious practices. Primates never have, and will never do any of these things. Are there similarities? Yes, but those similarities could easily be indicators of a common designer.
Fourth, genetic evidence helps us see the intricacy and wonder of things like the human brain. It is a machine more wonderful than any machine humans have ever invented. Mustn't there be a super-intelligent being who created us?
Fifth, geological evidence does not focus on what might have happened, but what did happen. And in the geological record, there is no indication one life form transforms into a completely different one. Instead, it testifies to fully functional organisms that stay mostly the same throughout their entire history.
Know belief in God and creation is reasonable.
It's possible none of these arguments should stand alone as evidence for God or creation. As Tim Keller posits in his book A Reason For God, each could, though, stand as a clue pointing in God's direction. Taken together, can we say God has left Himself without a witness? And, of course, the clues above only concern creation, but say nothing of fulfilled prophecy, the internal witness and consistency of Scripture, or the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
If you've ever believed faith is blind or divorced from reason, please stop thinking this way. Yes, faith is involved in a belief in God and His gospel, but it is anything but unreasonable. Thousands of clues point to its veracity.
Science and Scripture are not in conflict, no matter how much people try to present the case that way. It's not either no God at all or six 24-hour days of creation.
Science and Scripture are not independent of each other, with the Bible as a mere religious book which is incompatible with science because it transcends reality and is merely a spiritual book.
Science does not explain God, nor does it explain origins. But Scripture doesn't fully explain origins either, meaning it does not answer our every question as to how it all took place. There are good and faithful Christians, orthodox and fundamental in their beliefs, who hold to some type of evolutionary process which God used to form matter. There are some hurdles to overcome in views like theirs, but they are Christians who hold to a high view of Scripture nonetheless. We will talk more about this next week.
The Not-Yet State (1:2)
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Here we seem to have a description of the raw material of the universe. It seems God pre-created the earth without form and void, with darkness over the face of the deep. This was only a temporary situation, because:
"...he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!” (Isaiah 45:18).
Some have seen the destruction of the original creation by translating the phrase "the earth was without form and void" as became without form and void. This is motivated by a desire to have long periods of time inserted into the creation account. But the view is problematic because it introduces death and decay well before the fall of humanity, which introduced sin and death.
"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12).
And, though some find a way around this by wondering if death preceded Adam, just not the death of humans, we are likely merely dealing with the "not-yet" state of God's creation. The raw material has been produced and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. He was inspecting and preparing for the subsequent stages of creation.
And in its yet undeveloped state it is seen as negative. Darkness and formlessness and void aren't used positively in Scripture. The idea is that, though God doesn't make waste, He must be the One who forms and shapes what is into "good." God makes good!
The Not-Yet State
Even this would have spoken to ancient Israel and should speak to you. They would have seen how God took the raw material, the not-yet state of creation, and put it together in splendor and beauty. And, as they wandered in the wilderness and considered their own not-yet state, they should have been encouraged by the ability of God to take raw material and make something beautiful.
And He can do the same in you. He is able to take your raw material and make His beautiful new creation. His Spirit hovers over, but also in you if you're His child, and He has plans for you. He has a work He wills to launch in you. He is making all things new.
You must believe in His ability to produce His new and perfect creation in you. The story of Scripture is that God created, sin broke what He created, but Jesus came so God could remake what was broken through sin. And this includes you and me.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Brothers and sisters, we are not yet what we will be. The day will come, of course, when "we shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2). On that day, we will see Him "face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will be fully mature in Him, having received the benefits of glorification.
And though we are not yet glorified, God is bringing us, by His Spirit, closer to His ideal for us. He is shaping His church collectively, and each individual Christian, in a way which will cause Him to say, "It is good." And if the Spirit is pursuing such a work, let's submit ourselves to God's Spirit.
Remember Peter? Jesus had a vision for him. He knew what He'd planned for this man. He saw the raw material called Simon, and He brought out from the man a great champion of the faith, even praying for him when Satan wanted to sift him like wheat (Luke 22:31-32).
Let's allow God to do the same in us, to take our not-yet state, our raw material, and make us who He wants us to be.
Day 1
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
At the start, I should mention the rhythm found in the days. Most of the days follow a basic order:
- God speaks
- The statement it was so, along with a report about the event.
- God saw that it was good.
- The numbering of the day.
Though organized in such a way, the modern interpreter should reject the temptation to regard this as mere poetry. Though Genesis 1 has a rhythm, it is not typical Hebrew poetry. We should not deny it's historicity by claiming it is mere art. Whatever view we hold of how creation took place, we must believe in the historicity of the events, and the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scripture.
God Speaks
Notice how God said (3). With the mention of God speaking, we now have read three different references to God already in Genesis. In Genesis 1:1, God created. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit hovered. And, here in Genesis 1:3, God said, "Let there be light." If verse one pointed to the Father, and verse two points to the Spirit, then verse three points to the Son. He is the Word who spoke the creation into existence.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:1–3, ESV).
Of course, Israel would have been impressed with the fact God spoke, and powerfully so. He said let there be, and there was. His Word was effective in the formulation of the universe, so it should be adhered to by His people. And when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial law of God, the fact God speaks would be further known.
God speaks! He communicates. He created language, and He uses it for His glory! He has given us 1,189 chapters of His voice. He is a speaking God, and His Word is powerful.
Read the Bible! If God speaks, and this passage shows us He does, then look into His word. It is good. Life is found there.
God Judges
Notice also how God saw that the light was good (4). Later in Genesis, God will be called, by Hagar, "the God who sees" (Genesis 16:3). And He sees what is good. He knew this natural, physical light would aid the development of life on earth. Without it, we couldn't survive. He knew it crucial to our existence. So He determined it was good.
This is an important development and one we'll see all throughout the passage. God determines what is good. Ancient Israel needed to know this, and so do we. When God says something is good, it isn't His way of sharing His opinion (i.e., the Dodgers will be good) or personal tastes (i.e., I like ice cream). It's a divine decree.
Israel was learning that God's word and decrees were to be trusted. So, later, when God said things like, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. (Exodus 20:17, ESV), they should be convinced God knew what was good. God knows best.
God Is Light
Another development on this first day is the theme of light vs. darkness. It will permeate Scripture. We'll discover light is one of God's main attributes: God is light (1 John 1:5). Light represents good, holy, and true things. It is life-giving. And, one day, all darkness will be banished forever:
"And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or Sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 22:5, ESV).
Brothers and sisters, God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Let's pursue His light. Let's be a people who love holiness. Let us run from the darkness. Flee (1 Corinthians 6:18)!
Day 2
6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
The Expanse
On the second day, God created an expanse in the midst of the waters to separate the waters from the waters (6). As a result, the waters that were under the expanse were separated from the waters that were above the expanse (7). But what is this expanse which divides waters above from waters below?
The word is, at times, translated as a firmament, vault, dome, or clear, glasslike pavement. Here, though, it is the next stage of the development of the earth for human habitation. Remember, God was preparing the world for us. It appears, then, this day must've been concerned with the creation of our atmosphere. One can imagine a dense fog of moisture filling the earth before this day. So the earth, on this second day, is made more habitable.
The waters above suggest a water canopy in the sky. If this is the case, an incredible greenhouse effect could have bee produced. Uniform temperatures, no rain or wind, tropical vegetation, and ideal living conditions without the harm of UV rays might've been the planet's original condition. The expanse or firmament could also have provided a reservoir which God opened at the time of Noah's flood.
God Names
After creating the expanse (6-7), God called it Heaven (8). The pagans thought various gods were in charge of the atmosphere, the sky above, but Israel learned here that God is overall, even the skies above.
And they learned more of God's sovereignty by watching Him name everything. Eventually, God would commission Adam to name the animals, a way of sharing His dominion with us. Ultimately, though, God is above all things.
Day 3
9 And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
Dry Land
On this third day, two important events occurred. The first is the formation of the dry land (9). It was called Earth, while the gathered waters were called Seas (10). The emergence of dry land was the next stage in moving everything towards making a space for people to live.
And, when gathering together the ocean and the land, God demonstrated His sovereign authority. The Canaanite people Israel would overtake in the Promised Land deified the ocean, worshipping it as a mysterious god. But Genesis shows us God is over the ocean. He controls their boundaries through the establishment of the moon and the tidal system it produces.
Vegetation
God also let the earth sprout vegetation on this third day (11). The pagans during infant Israel's time worshipped various fertility, weather, and produce gods. The third day showed Israel, and every intelligent reader, how God alone is responsible for the amazing reproductive ability of plant life.
He made the vegetation yield seed according to their own kind (12). Plants and trees bore seed and fruit in which is their seed, enabling and ensuring the long and productive feeding mechanism necessary to sustain human and animal life. So, rather than succumb to a strange pagan ritual which believes in a fertility god who comes back to life every spring, believers know God created the seasons and the seeds in order to bless us. Clearly, God was thinking of generations of human life.
Parallelism
Before moving on to the fourth day, I should point out a bit of parallelism at play during these six days. I mention it here because the third and sixth days are similar in that they both have two major events. The division of the land and sea, along with the creation of vegetation, both occur on the third day. On the sixth day, God created the land animals but followed that event up with the creation of human life.
But just as days three and six are similar, so are days one and four, and days two and five.
Day 1: Light / Day 4: Solar light
Day 2: Waters divided into sky and sea / Day 5: Sky and sea creatures created
Day 3: Double events - dry land and plant life / Day 6: Double events - land animals and human life
Day 4
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over 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.
On the fourth day, God put lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night (14). The problem many have with this day is the creation of light on the first day, with the solar system only created on the fourth day. Where did the light come from?
The Practicalities
One option is that God created the Sun, moon, and stars on the first day, but divided and arranged them on the fourth day. This interpretation is backed up by the idea evening and morning were established on this first day.
Another option is that the Day 1 light isn't solar light, but miraculous or direct light from God, the light of His presence, if you will, and that God created the solar system on the fourth day.
But another option is that this first day does not consist of the creation of a physical entity called "light," but the creation of time. Time did not exist "before" creation. Creation was the beginning of time. God is outside the substance of time, and perhaps the creation of time was God's first move in bringing order to the cosmos.
That said, the establishment of day and night, morning and evening, and daylight and darkness are all, in some way, the establishment of time. It is something we're all given to steward well for God's glory.
God Created Useful Elements
But, again, none of this is the point of Genesis. In an age where various people groups worshipped the Sun and the stars, Genesis points out the purpose of the solar system. Let them be for signs and for seasons, and for day and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth (14-15). A greater light (the sun) ruled the day while a lesser light (the moon) ruled the night.
While people turn to astrology or the worship of the solar system for guidance, God made these things as a tool to help human life. In fact, God does not even mention the sun or the moon, instead of focusing on what the Sun and moon do -- They provide light. They help us catalog the seasons. But they aren't to be worshipped or sought after for any kind of divine guidance. Don't play around with astrology. It isn't a science or even mere superstition, but a demonic distraction from the Word of God. Ancient Israel shouldn't have looked to Egyptian or Babylonian astrological charts, and neither should we. And these lights should be seen as one way a loving God created a useful habitation for human beings.
Day 5
20 And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
To Note
Here, on the fifth day, we have the creation of the water and sky-based animals. The waters would swarm with living creatures, while birds would fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens (20). God created all these animals, and upon seeing them, declared them good (21).
There are a few things we should note from this day. First, God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply (22). They were to fill their allotted territory with their offspring. They were to inhabit the earth, and God blessed them to that end. We will note more about this on day six, but the blessing of God is a big deal in Genesis (and for God's people). We crave the blessing of God!
Second, God allowed them to reproduce according to their kinds (21). This speaks to micro-evolution: variations within the kinds. But you will never find an observable instance of one kind evolving into another kind (macro-evolution). Small changes will occur in adapting organisms, but the large changes needed for an organism to transition into an entirely different organism just doesn't occur. The fossil record testifies to this, along with common experience. We might have various drawings of transitional forms, but no transitional fossils.
But a third thing you should note is the special mention of the great sea creatures (21). In the ancient world, mysterious dragons and monsters were often worshipped, but in Genesis, we learn God created all the massive creatures of the sea. He is the master over them.
Day 6
Land Animals
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
On the sixth day, God created the living creatures who would occupy the land (24). He divided them up, not by species, but by utility. Some animals would be domesticated and useful to man (livestock, 24). Others were small creatures that moved along the ground (creeping things, 24). Still others were categorized as predatory animals (beasts of the earth, 24). They, like the plant life, would reproduce according to their kinds (24).
Humankind
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Trinitarian Seed
One of the first things readers often fixate on is the way God said, Let us make man in our image. Who is the us and our to whom God refers? The ancient rabbis thought God was speaking to the angelic realm, a sort of heavenly court who watched His every move. But the text goes on to say we are created in God's image, not the image of angels (27). I think, with many Christians, this is a seed for further trinitarian teaching as the Bible developed.
The Bible, of course, teaches God is One.
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4, ESV).
So it is with great care we unpack the doctrine of the Triunity of God. He is One, yet His one divine essence possesses three eternal distinctions: Father, Son, and Spirit. These distinctions are persons, not mere manifestations, so we can talk of the tripersonality of God.
Christians don't get the doctrine of the Trinity from speculation, but revelation. God is clearly one, but the Father, Son, and Spirit all have divine attributes and abilities attached to them. The Scripture declares each divine and declares they are together one.
And this isn't the first time Genesis has hinted at a plurality within the godhead. He is called Elohim (Genesis 1:1). This is plural and might infer the Triunity of God. It certainly allows for it, and though this isn't the place for detailed teaching on the Trinity, allowances for the further development of this doctrine are made by God saying, Let us make man in our image.
The Image Of God
But the more astounding portion of the paragraph is the fact humans are made in God's image (26, 27). We are to have dominion over the creation (26). Later, we are told to subdue the earth (28). This automatically puts us in a position above the created world. We are part of it but made special over it by the God who put His image in us.
What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
Like Him
God is Spirit, and we have bodies, but that difference actually serves to highlight a way we are made in His image. He gave us bodies so we could imitate Him. He sees, speaks, serves, and loves. He gave us human bodies so we could do the same, albeit in a more limited sense. So we are made in His image in that we're like Him.
From Him
But we're also made in His image in that we're to extend from Him. In ancient times, kings would set up images of themselves in places they reigned, but from afar. Even the image of idols is thought to be representative of the true power behind it. Humans were to be the image of God on earth.
By His sovereign will, God created. He spoke things into existence. His Word divided water and land, the atmosphere and outer space, and the species. On the first six days of creation, God expressed His dominion and will. And God's intention for humankind was that they'd express His likeness by practicing dominion. With love, self-control, and faithfulness, they were to steward all God had created. They were to be in, not out, of control.
Turn to Jesus to get your dominion back!
Though we lost our dominion through sin, Jesus came along, offering a way of escape. Through faith in Him, we can become fundamentally new. He brings us back to glory (Hebrews 2:10). Once again, we can have dominion. We have been set free from the world system, the pull of Satan, and the demands of our sinful desires. The victory was His, so it is ours.
Implications
There are thousands of implications of this understanding of humanity. Here are four.
1. Humans have a purpose.
Evolution teaches we are mere accidents, caused by wild chance, the happenstance mixture of gasses. Descendants of primates, we might as well live like animals. What is the point of trying to make life about anything more than pleasure?
But Scripture shows us we have a mission. God made us so we could live out dominion by taming this wild planet for human flourishing. We are to build and buy, save and feed, love and serve because we are extensions of our God.
2. People are valuable.
Human dignity is also demonstrated in this passage. People are more important than anything else in creation, according to God. This protects us from errors like the worship of creation, abortion, or genocide. It helps us love our neighbor. Everyone has God's image imprinted onto them.
3. Both genders are required.
Though God chooses to be referred to in the masculine, it is clear from the passage that the full image of God cannot be known through men alone. God said, Let us make man in our image (26). Then: male and female He created them (28).
For us to express some of the complexity of God's image, His Triunity, we need both male and female. Neither of us can express God without the other. We'll learn more about this in Genesis 2.
4. God initiated human industriousness.
We are meant to fill the earth and bring it into subjection. We are meant to figure this place out, not for greed, but for human good. We should flourish here on earth! We are meant to steward the earth, in part by taking the raw material of the earth and using it for human life and flourishing.
Refuse to automatically see commercial enterprises as evil. Look, God told us to subdue the earth. This doesn't mean we should greedily hoard for ourselves, but it should also help us have a healthier perspective about money and the marketplace. Too many times the idea that big companies or the pursuit of financial well-being are evil perpetuate our airwaves. We must resist a non-thinking view and allow for more nuance.
5. Jesus Christ gets restores the tarnished image of God in humanity.
Through the fall, the image of God is tarnished, though not completely lost. Though depraved, we often see the remnants of God's image in the good people do. Humanity is currently living out a tiny bit of the dominion God gave them. Through Jesus Christ, however, we can be restored:
"and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." (Colossians 3:10)
Or:
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:29)
Directions
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
So, humanity was created under God's blessing: And God blessed them (28). At this stage of human life, the plants were given to them for food (29). We'll get more details about this in chapter 2, and again after Noah's flood. They were also told to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it (28).
This is God, blessing, and handing off creation to humanity. And this theme of blessing will follow us throughout our study of Genesis.
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
God Redeems
On the sixth day God declares creation is not only good but very good (31). He is pleased with what He's produced.
And from the first day through the sixth day (31), we learn a massive first truth about God. We discover He's a redeemer. Remember the scene?
"The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2, ESV).
Though there is a debate about the meaning of the earth's description as without form and void, the general consensus is that it wasn't a positive development. But, here, God comes along and said, "Let there be light," and keeps on going (3)! As the passage develops, God solves the formlessness of the universe in the first three days and emptiness of the universe in the final three days.
So God is a redeemer, able to take chaos and formlessness and fashion something entirely new out of them. Israel needed to know this. Moses needed to know this. And, thousands of years later, we need to know this.
Paul said:
"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6, ESV).
God redeems people. He takes their chaos and repurposes it for His glory. And He can redeem us and all our situations for His purposes!
Creation vs. Naturalism
In our next Genesis teaching, we will get into some particulars of the creation vs. naturalism debate. And that is the debate, by the way. The case I will present is that there are many good Christians who believe in long ages of creation. They believe the "days" we'll see in Genesis 1:3-2:3 are long periods of time, or that gaps were inserted in between 24-hour periods. Other Christians hold to a more recent creation along with literal 24-hour days of creation. But both can get along.
It is naturalistic evolution, however, which is the common enemy of both camps. Creationists debate the details of how creation took place, but all believe God is the originator of all things. He is the uncaused causer, the first cause. But the naturalist believes God had nothing to do with all we see and know, that He doesn't even exist, and that the world is an amazing accident.
Like I said, in our next study in Genesis we'll get take a little time to consider some particulars of this debate. But for now, let me simply urge Christian charity towards the varying views within the church. The key is that we believe God created the universe.