Reshith

Introduction

Reshith

reshith (912a); from 7218;

beginning, chief:—beginning(19), choice(2), choicest(3), finest(2), first(16), first fruits(7), foremost(2).

Genesis is a book of beginnings

Beginnings:

o Creation,

o Human History,

o Sin and Death,

o Civilization,

o Jewish Nation

o Civilization,

o Jewish Nation

We are conscious every day of the visible world around us. We need to remember that this world speaks to us of God. His existence, His wisdom, and His power.

With that, let’s look at Genesis Chapter 1.

I. God Creates

Everything begins with God.

Water was not created until Day 2. God created the water out of the formless material described in Day 1. The Hebrew word for “waters” is a euphemism for a deep, dark space, like the depths of the sea. We can see how Moses uses the word waters in this way when we notice he compares the word to the "deep" earlier in that verse. Moses juxtaposes the words "deep" and "waters" in the verse in a parallel fashion as synonyms.

Therefore, on Day One of Creation, literal water did not yet exist. Instead, a formless void existed, which Moses compares to deep, dark waters. In reality, Day One describes the beginning of all matter yet without atomic or molecular form. Beginning in Day Two the Lord creates form out of the formless material of Day One.

· Creation Day 1 (Genesis 1:1-5)

Gen 1:1-5

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 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.

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.

God created the heavens and the earth. “The heavens” refers to everything beyond the earth, outer space. The earth is made but not formed in any specific way, although water is present. God then speaks light into existence. He then separates the light from the dark and names the light “day” and the dark “night.” This creative work occurs from evening until morning – one day.

· Creation Day 2 (Genesis 1:6-8)

Gen 1:6-8

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.

God creates the sky. The sky forms a barrier between water upon the surface and the moisture in the air. At this point earth would have an atmosphere. This creative work occurs in one day.

· Creation Day 3 (Genesis 1:9-13)

Gen 1:9-13

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.

God creates dry land. Continents and islands are above the water. The large bodies of water are named “seas” and the ground is named “land.” God declares that all this is good.

God creates all plant life both large and small. He creates this life to be self-sustaining; plants have the ability to reproduce. The plants were created in great diversity (many “kinds”). The earth was green and teeming with plant life. God declares that this work is also good. This creative work takes one day.

· Creation Day 4 (Genesis 1:14-19)

Gen 1:14-19

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.

God creates all the stars and heavenly bodies. The movement of these will help man track time. Two great heavenly bodies are made in relation to the earth. The first is the sun which is the primary source of light and the moon which reflects the light of the sun. The movement of these bodies will distinguish day from night. This work is also declared to be good by God. This creative work takes one day.

· Creation Day 5 (Genesis 1:20-23)

Gen 1:20-23

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.

God creates all life that lives in the water. Any life of any kind that lives in the water is made at this point. God also makes all the birds. The language allows that this may be the time God made flying insects as well (or, if not, they were made on day six). All of these creatures are made with the ability to perpetuate their species by reproduction. The creatures made on Day 5 are the first creatures blessed by God. God declares this work good, and it occurs in one day.

· Creation Day 6 (Genesis 1:24-31)

Gen 1:24-31

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.

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.

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. 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 creates all the creatures that live on dry land. This includes every type of creature not included on previous days and man. God declares this work good.

When God was creating man, He took counsel with Himself, “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26). This is not an explicit revelation of the trinity but is part of the foundation for such, as God reveals an “us” within the Godhead. God makes man, and man is made in the image of God (men and women both bear this image) and is special above all other creatures. To emphasize this, God places man in authority over the earth and over all the other creatures. God blesses man and commands him to reproduce, fill the earth and subdue it (bring it under the rightful stewardship of man as authorized by God). God announces that man and all other creatures are to eat plants alone. God will not rescind this dietary restriction until Genesis 9:3-4.

God’s creative work is complete at the end of the sixth day. The entire universe in all its beauty and perfection was fully formed in six literal, consecutive, 24-hour days. At the completion of His creation, God announces that it is very good.

II. God Separates

God divides. He separated the light from the darkness, the dry land from the waters, and the waters above from the waters beneath. This principle of separation is basic in all the Bible: He separated Abraham from Ur, the nation of Israel from the Gentiles, His church from the world (John 17.14-16). He wants His people today to be separated from all that defiles (2 Cor. 6:14—7:1).

III. God Blesses

The first man and woman were the only part of creation especially blessed by God. Because we are created in the image God, we are different from the other creatures God has made, and we must be careful how we treat one another (Gen. 9:6, James 3:9). Sin has marred that divine image, but one day all true believers will bear the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The more we are like Christ, the more we will enjoy His blessing (2 Cor. 3:18).