Genesis - Week Two

Introduction

This study should address...

What does the Bible say?

What does the Bible Mean?

How can we apply that to our lives

Legend

Important

Questions

References

Personal Thoughts

Chapter 1

Verses 6-8 (Day Two)

Genesis 1:6–8 ESV

And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 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. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Questions or Comments on Day Two

“expanse”

raqia

dome that separates the waters above and below leaving a space for creation

“under the expanse”

earthly waters - i.e. oceans, rivers, seas

“above the expanse”

What is meant by this?

literal water dome

clouds

ANE imagery

Some would say this is the water prepared for the flood

Some would also say that the thicker atmosphere contributes to longer lives

“called the expanse heaven”

Call back to three heavens concept

Verses 9-13 (Day Three)

Genesis 1:9–13 ESV

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. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 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. 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. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Questions or Comments on Day Three?

Creation of the realms to be filled in days 4-6

The vegetation created here is needed to sustain the creatures of day 6

“called the dry land Earth”

separation of the safe land from the chaotic seas

God naming parts of creation shows His claim on creation

“He called seas”

separation of the earthly waters from the vaulted waters

includes all earthly waters

“Vegetation, plants yielding seed … each according to its kind”

adornment of the earth

not just function but beauty

God’s creation without fruits would be empty, like a Christian without fruits in their life

not a complete list of botanical varieties

likely just plants used for human consumption

God’s first indirect command, “bring forth”

the kinds are broad categories, and not necessarily linked to modern botanical categories

Did God create a mature creation?

Verses 14-19 (Day Four)

Genesis 1:14–19 ESV

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, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 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. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Questions or Comments on Day Four?

The lights are all set in the firmament, a literal view of this would have the stars inscribed into the large dome

Again not meant to teach how these things were created, but show that the stars are not deities and were instead created for humans

“let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens”

creation of stars

stars were not to be worshipped since they are a creation of God

“for signs and for seasons, and for days and years”

the assigning of function to stars to the ancient world

“the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night”

The Sun and Moon are not referred to by their Hebrew names, nor any names that refer to Pagan deities

The ESV Study Bible Genesis and Science

Not even the sun and moon get their ordinary Hebrew names (1:16).

the text avoids using terms that were also proper names for pagan deities linked to the sun and the moon. -Crossway Bibles. 2008. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The term asa can be made or simply fashioned/worked on

the focus is on the ordainment of these lights as the keepers of time and not necessarily their creation

Many see this not as a creation but a revealing

“give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness”

assigning of function to sun and moon, further showing the change from chaos to order

Verses 20-23 (Day Five)

Genesis 1:20–23 ESV

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.” 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. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

Questions or Comments on Day Five?

Fulfillment of the two realms made on Day 2, air and sea

“Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures”

living creatures is “nephesh” which likely refers to animal life

While the Hebrew word nephesh (often translated as “soul”) can refer to animal life, it can also refer to human life or a person’s life force (their soul) along with emotions, intellect, personality, and will (see Gen 9:5; 27:4; Exod 23:9; 1 Sam 19:11). Nephesh can also refer to human corpses (Num 6:6, 11). -Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. 2012, 2016. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

“Let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens”

Another call back to the three heavens, this time the air

“God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves”

sea creatures is translated from “tannin”

The term tannin occurs in Canaanite mythology for supernatural sea creatures who served the god Yam in his primordial battle with the god Baal. Yam was depicted as Leviathan, a chaotic monster of the primordial deep. Attributing the creation of the tannin to the God of Israel served to assert His superiority over the gods of Canaan, especially those symbolizing the watery chaos that existed before God brought order to the world. It was a message of hope that God was the Creator of even the chaos and thus could subdue it. -Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. 2012, 2016. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

“According to their kinds”

not directly connected to any known zoological category

Some people against the common ancestor idea will define each kind as the most basic type of each animal that has no crossover with any other kind

This is the first place where we could discuss evolution, but we’ll save that until the flood so be thinking about that

“Be fruitful and multiply”

The first time this command is issued

Fertility and sexual reproduction is a divine blessing

Verses 24-31 (Day Six)

Genesis 1:24–31 ESV

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. 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. 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.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 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.” 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. 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. 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.

Questions or Comments on Day Six?

“Livestock and creeping things, and beasts of the earth”

These categories are not scientific or exhaustive

Likely the three categories a nomadic Shepard would see animals

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”

Two big themes in this line, imago dei and the divine council

Imago Dei

Applied to humans and not animals, so we are the only creatures in God’s image

Similiar to ANE kings that were imagers of gods

Connected to dominion over creation in phrase

What does it mean to be an image of God?

Many Theories

https://drmsh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Image-of-God-LBD.pdf

Physical Appearance?

Physical Attributes?

Reason, free will, intelligence, emotions, etc.

Spiritual Abilities?

Prayer, morality, ability to know God

Possessing a Soul?

Relationship?

A Responsibility?

This is the Heiser view, which essentially says that being an imager of God is a role that we have to represent God in the human realm

Just as the Elohim and angels are His imagers and representatives in the divine realm

Who is us and our?

Some say its a way of speaking

Some say Trinity

Reading NT into the OT

How would the Israelites would have read this?

Some say Heavenly Host or Divine Council

Heiser view, points to the Elohim also being imagers

Man is the Hebrew “Adam” which can mean mankind, or male, and becomes the proper name of the first man

“Male and female He created them”

Equal and yet distinct in their responsibility as Imagers

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion”

Divine command for sexual reproduction

Creating imagers is part of God’s plan for mankind

Subduing the earth is to bring it to submission

(Hb. kabash) elsewhere means to bring a people or a land into subjection so that it will yield service to the one subduing it -Crossway Bibles. 2008. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The earth and all other creation is made for man, to be used and governed

Continue to control the Chaos as God did during creation

“Behold…”

God provides for His creation, man and creature alike

These are the plants provided on Day 6

“Very good”

Creation is inherently good

Sin was not present at the beginning

God spent five days preparing the Earth for humans

However, God is also the God of all creation not just mankind

General References and Sources

Study Bibles

ESV Study Bible

ESV Church History Study Bible

ESV Literary Study Bible

Spurgeon Study Bible

Faithlife Study Bible

Commentaries

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Matthew Poole’s Commentary

Dennis Prager’s Rational Bible on Genesis

David Atkinson, The Message of Genesis 1-11

John Davis, Paradise to Prison

Church History

Augustine, City of God

Augustine, Confessions

Aquinas, Summa Theologica