Genesis 1-2

Genesis 1–2 NKJV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 Then 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 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, 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 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, 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 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended 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. 4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

So, let us start in chapter 1:1:

Genesis 1:1 ESV

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

In the beginning God. This is how our Scriptures start. There was a start. And at the start there was God. I have heard the arguments about whether Genesis is history or theology. It is both. And the genre is narrative, or story-telling and it is plain in what it says. Even within plain speaking there ares similes and sayings. When we say it is raining cats and dogs we do not expect literal pets to be raining from the sky - because we all know it is a saying about torrential rain.

Until relatively recent times we did not think of Genesis as anything other than historical narrative. But along comes an alternative narrative, and I do mean alternative, called evolution and that is now the prevailing theory. But it is not a theory that is accepted by all scientists. And it is 100% incompatible with the Scripture. Even if all scientists accepted the theory the bible does not. And we shall come to those reasons as we go through all of Scripture. It is disingenuous to try to put both narratives together.

What did we read: in the beginning God.

God is assumed from the outset. No question about His existence. Even atheists are a recentish phenomenon! But they will not remain so forever for one day they will face Him.

The world is a beautiful place, or as Louis Armstrong put it: it is a wonderful world. And at the beginning it was all good and in order.

There are alternative creation accounts in the world based on a genre called epic. But Genesis is not that. It is recorded history and it should be thought of as such. The Genesis story is far and above these other accounts of the beginning of our universe.

It is down to us now whether we believe this is an accurate account. I for one do think so.

There is a parallel set forth here of the six days of creation:

Day 1: Light Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars

Day 2: Sea and Sky Day 5: Fish and Birds

Day 3: Earth and Vegetation Day 6: Animal kingdom and Humans (made from earth)

Each day cannot be explained by anything other than a 24 hour period of time as the most learned Hebrew Scholars would tell us. Again recent arguments have tried to overturn this but the scholars are emphatic - in this narrative it means it, especially with the use of evening and morning adding to the weight of argument.

And the narrative puts another nail in the coffin of evolution with saying that all will produce after their own kind. It does not allow for a change of species from a so-called lower to higher. Each were fully formed species that produced offspring or seeds exactly like them. We do not have fish becoming reptiles or any other form of animal over a slow process of time.

Do we trust that the Scriptures are telling us the truth? Or do we trust scientists, who in the normal scientific process are supposed to learn through repeated experiments something they can never show to be true for since Darwin and others produced their theory such changes between species has never happened and, based on that science, never will.

I caution to say that science, which is about accumulating knowledge, is not to be thrown out but theories which have no basis in true science should.

We have an amazing God who created all that is seen and unseen and at the beginning, with us as His crowning achievement, said it was very good.

Beginning: There was a start. The universe is not eternal. Ps 102:25; Pr 8:23; Isa 40:21; 41:4, 26; Jn 1:1–2

God (Elohim: plural form singular verb. States Trinity? What Elohim means is that He is God of gods, Majestic, Sovereign, Incomparable): Must have been before the start to start the universe. Must be bigger than the universe. Where does the concept of God come from? Here it is assumed.

Created: Designed and made. New, fresh and perfect (good).

The NET Bible

The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).

Heavens: Plural, so, what? The sky, galaxies, the universe plus God’s home? Unlikely the latter. Gen 1:6; Ne 9:6; Job 9:8; 37:18; Ps 96:5; 104:2; 115:15; 121:2; 136:5; Isa 40:22; 42:5; 51:13; Jer 10:12; 51:15

Earth: This planet is mentioned exclusively apart from other planets and parts of the universe. Ge 14:19; 2 Ki 19:15; Ne 9:6; Job 38:4; Ps 90:2; 136:6; 146:6; Isa 37:16; 40:28; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12, 18; Jer 27:5; 32:17; Ac 14:15; 17:24; Eph 3:9; Col 1:16; Heb 3:4; 11:3; Rev 4:11; 10:6

Exodus 20:11 NKJV

11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Genesis 2:1 NKJV

1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

What is does not say: God has always been there.

Questions:

Is verse 1 and 2 a summary of what is to come? If so this cannot confirm creation out of nothing though John 1:3 does. For the heaven was created in verse 8 and earth in verse 10.

Is verse 1 and 2 what happens before Day 1? In this case there is matter before the rest of the Days of Creation complete it.

Is verse 1 and 2 part of what happens on Day 1?

What difference do these verses make to us?

300 Illustrations for Preachers “Makes Sense to Believe in God”

Bill Gates is considered the richest man in the world, with an estimated wealth of $76 billion. In 2000 he began a foundation ranked as one of the most generous in the world, and he has since stepped down from his position as chairman of Microsoft to focus on philanthropy. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he was asked if he believed in God. Gates replied, “Science has filled in some of the realm—not all—that religion used to fill. But the mystery and the beauty of the world is overwhelmingly amazing, and there’s no scientific explanation of how it came about. To say that it was generated by random numbers, that does seem, you know, sort of an uncharitable view. I think it makes sense to believe in God, but exactly what decision in your life you make differently because of it, I don’t know.”

Indeed the heavens declare the glory of God, and it is refreshing when a public figure recognizes it.

—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

300 Illustrations for Preachers

Roberto Parada, “Bill Gates: The Rolling Stone Interview,” http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/bill-gates-the-rolling-stone-interview-20140313.

The first five books of the bible are known to us as the Pentateuch and means five vessels. But this is a Christian designation by Tertullian in the 2nd Century. The Jews know these five books as the Torah. They are actually not really five separate books but one and to be read as such. The Author is Moses though there must have been editors throughout history probably up till the Babylonian exile and maybe beyond.

I do not give credence to the JEPD authorship (that is, the idea that Moses did not write it but four groups of authors - not just of each of the five books but of parts within it) that many theologians know about for this would undermine Scriptural authority and adds a layer of complexity that is simply not there in the writing. Jesus claimed that Moses was the author and that is good enough for me. In my degree course I was marked down and ridiculed for this belief and I will write on it in the future to justify not simply on faith, though that is enough, but theologically too. It is a liberal view that is just passed down as if it is gospel and because enough believe it then it carries the day. It is a poor excuse to carry on liberal theology standing in judgement of God’s word rather than letting it judge and inform us.

The first eleven chapters of Genesis are pivotal and foundational to the rest of Scripture and has all the grand themes contained therein. After this is the calling of Abram and Israel giving us the genesis of them. Some have placed an arbitrary division between Genesis 1-11 and the following chapters, calling the former, prehistory or primeval, and the latter as patriarchal history yet we are introduced to Abram in chapter 11! And when reading it there is no division obvious in the text - it is all narrative history throughout Genesis in a linear and chronicle way through the years.

2:1-3

These three verses belong to chapter 1 where the chapter division should have happened after verse 3.

Verse 1 relates to Genesis 1:1 In that the beginning and the finishing are recorded. Creation is complete. There is no new added matter. All that there is is all there will be though the form may change.

And on Day 7 God blessed the day and made it holy. Holy means to be separated to God.

At a later time God designates the Sabbath as recorded in Exodus 29 and Deuteronomy 5 which are specifically for the Jews.

There is no command here only that God makes it holy to Him for it is then that God Himself rested or ceased from creation work. God cannot get tired and He never slumbers or sleeps. And we are told by Jesus that God still works on the Sabbath (John 5:16-7 ).

We are told that Sabbath was made for man and biologically resting and setting it apart specifically for God is proven to be a good thing And we need to hear it all the more these days when Sunday, a day set apart for God’s people to come together for worship, is busier than the other days of the week. The shops are fuller on this day, the gyms are overrun! Sports fixtures are mainly on Sundays.

The principle of one in seven means that six days of work is supposed to be done and in the reality of the world we are in we are to ensure that if Sunday is a day of work we set aside another day of the week to stop, pause, reflect and worship our Creator.

Bibliography

Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.