How it All Began: “The Beginning”

Why Genesis?

The word, Genesis, isn’t Hebrew. It is actually both Greek and Latin. It means “origin or beginning”. The reason the book of Genesis has it’s name is because of the first Hebrew word in the Bible… “Bereshit” [Beh-reh-sheet]. In English, we translate it “In the beginning”.

The book of Genesis is exactly that. It is the real life history of the beginning of all things.

In this series, we are going to be looking at the first 11 chapter of Genesis. In these chapters we see why the world is the way that it is. We learn God’s plan and purpose. We discover who God is, who we are, and why all that matters. Genesis helps us make sense of the world while also helping us know what our place is in it.

There is so much to see. So much to earn. So much to know in these first 11 chapters. My hope and prayer is that through this study we will all better know the God of the universe and as a result, and better serve and worship Him in His creation.

Here we go:

Genesis 1:1–31 (NASB)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 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, one day. 6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day. 14 Then 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 for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The Sovereign Creator:

(v. 1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

1 In the beginning God…

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…

There is only one Sovereign Creator.

5 times it says God created:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…

21 God created…

27a God created…He created…He created…

4 times is says God made:

7 God made…

16 God made…

25 God made…

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

One Sovereign Creator God in three persons.

2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

John 1:1–3 (NASB)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Colossians 1:16 (NASB)

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Our Sovereign Creator spoke the world into existence.

9 time in Genesis 1 we read, “God said…” and immediately afterward something was created by His word.

3 Then God said…

6 Then God said…

9 Then God said…

11 Then God said…

14 Then God said…

20 Then God said…

24 Then God said…

26 Then God said…

29 Then God said…

Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God…

Psalm 33:6 (NASB)

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

God is sovereign over all His creation. He made it. He governs it and rules over it. God made and maintains the laws of nature. Our world literally hold together because of the Sovereign Creator.

Colossians 1:17 (NASB)

17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

And everything the Sovereign Creator made was good!

4 God saw that the light was good…

10 …God saw that it was good.

12 …God saw that it was good.

18 …God saw that it was good.

21 …God saw that it was good.

25 …God saw that it was good.

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…

God created everything for a reason! He had a purpose.

Psalm 19:1–4 (ESV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world..

Psalm 50:6 (NASB)

6 …the heavens declare His righteousness…

Psalm 97:6 (ESV)

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

Romans 1:20 (NASB)

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…

Revelation 4:11 (NASB)

11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created.”

We have a Sovereign Creator and He made everything for the purpose of bringing Himself glory. God is in control of His creation. He governs and rules over it. And He is good and what He made was good. Praise the Lord!

The Six Days of Creation:

(v. 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) 5…one day… 8 …a second day… 13…a third day… 19…a fourth day… 23…a fifth day… 31…the sixth day.

Day 1: Light…Time, Space, Matter (v. 1-5)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

How can you have light without the sun?

Revelation 21:23 (NASB)

23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Day 2: The Sky (v. 6-8)

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Ozone layers… Firmament… etc.

Day 3: Dry Ground, Trees, Plants and Vegetation (v. 9-13)

9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

And yes, God did this before He made the sun, moon and stars.

Day 4: Sun, Moon and Stars (v. 14-19)

14 Then 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 for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

Plan life has been around longer than the sun, moon and stars!

Day 5: Birds and Aquatic Creatures (v. 20-23)

20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

Day 6: Man and Animals and Creeping Things (v. 24-31)

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Day 7: God Rested (Genesis 2:1-3)

Genesis 2:1–3 (NASB)

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Prior to the 1800s, almost every single Christian theologian believed in a literal creation week and a relatively young earth. But with the widespread expectance of evolution, that changed.

Man’s perspective might have changed but God’s word didn’t!

We don’t have to just blindly believe either. There are things we can point to to help us know that the 6 Days of Creation were really 6 actual days…

First, the Hebrew word for Day.

The Hebrew word “yom” [yome]: It is used over 2,300 times in in about 1,900 different verses in the Old Testament. It is the word translated “day” here in Genesis 1.

The Hebrew word can mean:

any period of time from a single day to a year and way beyond.

a day (as opposed to night).

a working day, a day's journey, days (as in a lifetime).

time (in general), an unspecified period of time, today, yesterday, or tomorrow.

But the primary definition is just an ordinary 24 hour day.

Some people try to make the argument that since “yom” can mean different amounts of time, it doesn’t have to mean a 24 hour day in Genesis 1. They try to use that to account for evolution’s claim that the universe is billions of years old.

However, when “yom” is paired with the Hebrew words for morning and evening, it just means a normal 24 hour day.

There are over 100 instances where the phrase “evening and morning” accompany the word “yom” in the Old Testament, outside of Genesis 1.

Every time it, without exception, it always refers to a single ordinary day, 24-hour day.

When the word “yom” is preceded by a number, outside of Genesis 1, it is also always understood as a literal, single, ordinary 24 hour day.

There are over 400 examples of that in the Old Testament.

Go back to the text in Genesis 1 and see what it says about the days:

5 …there was evening and there was morning, one day.

8 …there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

31 …there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Simply based on the original language, there is no other way to understand the 6 days of creation in Genesis 1. They are ordinary, 24-hour days.

BUT WAIT, there’s more!

Some say the word for day doesn’t matter here, because there are gaps in the timeline:

Others will embrace the 6 Days of Creation but try to claim that there is a large gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and the rest of the Creation account. This Gap Theory is where they try to fit the billions of years into the Bible. attempting to make evolution compatible with Christianity. But there is an obvious problem:

How did God say He did it in other places in the Scripture?

If a plain reading of Genesis 1 is clear enough, and you buy into the debate that the word for day doesn’t necessarily mean day in Genesis 1, contrary to the hermeneutical context, or that there is a gap between Genesis 1 and the rest of Chapter 1, then take a look at these passages:

Exodus 20:8–11 (NASB)

8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 31:16–17 (ESV)

16 …the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”

Genesis 2:1–3 (NASB)

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The only reason there is debate about the days in Genesis 1 is because a 6 Day Creation week contradicts Evolution and Old Earth Theories and some Christians have a hard time believing what God says over what some Scientists say.

That’s ultimately what it comes down to.

Do we believe what God says or what man says?

Ken Hamm from Answers in Genesis said this, “If we trust what God said He did in Genesis 1, how can we trust what God said He did in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?”

He’s right! The Six Days of Creation matters because it is all about what God said He did.

The Sixth Day of Creation:

(v. 24-31) 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Observations regarding creatures and creeping things…

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

Everything was made after its kind.

Frogs didn’t become dogs, bats didn’t become cats, and monkey’s certainly didn’t become people.

Observations regarding mankind…

When God made people, things went from “good” to “very good”.

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…

Why?

27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

What makes man made in the image of God?

Man has a triune existence: body, soul and spirit.

Spirit:

John 4:24 (NASB)

24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Genesis 2:7 (NASB)

7 …the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

A will that can reason and choose:

2 Peter 2:12 (NASB)

12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed…

In contrast, God made people with the ability to reason and choose. Over 300 times God word gives instruction for people to make a choice.

Joshua 24:15 (NASB)

15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Speaking of which, who have you chosen to serve?

Animals live by instinct, mankind has a will that can reason and choose.

On Abortion…

Understanding that we are made in God’s image is why Christians must be Pro Life. We ought to pray for and advocate for the complete abolition of abortion.

Psalm 139:13–16 (NASB)

13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Every human life, from the womb to the tomb is made in the image of God and destroying that life is a direct assault against the Sovereign Creator.

Notice God’s purpose in Creating mankind:

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

We are supposed to care for God’s creation.

Yesterday, Roseville had an Earth Day celebration. Tomorrow is actually Earth Day. Earth Day has been a thing since 1970 when the U.S. decided to put a focus on environmentalism and conservation of the the Earth.

Christians ought to be environmentalists and conservationists. Now, for different reasons than the typical environmentalists and conservationists. For us, we are commanded to take care of God’s creation. I am not saying we have to buy into climate change and going green and all of that, I am just saying that God’s word says we should care for God’s creation and teach people the real reason why.

We were made in God’s image in order to bring Him glory and reflect Him in His creation. And that means we need to care for His creation.

We are also commanded to spread all over the face of the earth, bringing glory to God as we go. God’s wants all families all over the face of the earth to know Him and worship Him. You can see God’s desires for all to be saved in this first ever command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

Are you being who the Sovereign Creator made you to be?

I am certain we all could be doing a better job. Ask God for help!

Maybe God has revealed to you where you have been in error regarding how you see Him or how you see His creation and you need to embrace the truth of God’s word today and praise and worship Him for revealing the truth to you.

Maybe you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Savior and today you need to confess you sins and failures, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead, and ask Him to be the boss of your life as you Lord. You can also do that now as we pray.

Memory Verse of the Week:

Genesis 1:27 (NASB)

27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.