Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris.
Genesis 1:1-AV In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
0430 ’elohiym {el-o-heem’}
plural of 0433; TWOT - 93c; n m p
AV - God 2346, god 244, judge 5, GOD 1, goddess 2, great 2, mighty 2,
angels 1, exceeding 1, God-ward + 04136 1, godly 1; 2606
1) (plural)
2) (plural intensive - singular meaning)
2d) the (true) God
2e) God
This term for God is a Hebrew word called ’elohiym {el-o-heem’}
We see it that from the beginning it is understood that there is a God. The Bible in no way tries to prove the existence of God. From the beginning it is understand that there is a God. The Bible has no place for people who don’t believe in God. Ps 14:1 reads " The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God"
So this in turn answers alot of questions for the question. It answers the existence of God and that he has been eternal. This verse does not say,"In the beginning of God, God created." But it says in the beginning God. God has existed for eternity there is no beginning or end God is just God. So in the beginning of time God created. It answers the trinity of the God head. In the Hebrew Bible we see that there were many words used for God. The word here is ’elohiym {el-o-heem’. This is a plural word that includes the trinity. In verse 26 God said let us create man in our own image. This refering to the trinity. We also see that it answers the question of the origin of the earth. It was created out of nothing by God. God created it. How he created it we don’t know all we know is that it was created by God.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
A lot of scolars believe that there was a gap of millions of years between verse 1 and 2 this is called the gap theory. It came about around the time that the theory of evolution came about. A lot of great men have taught this. But I just don’t believe that we have to use this theory. First of all evolution and the age of the earth has been disproved by secular and Chrisian scientists. Nothing says that God did not create the earth as the appearance of being older than 6 or 7 thousand years. Also I believe that if some of these theories that are broght up are true then God would have clearly put it in his word. And that he did not.
So we see that the earth was or as God formed it he formed it with out form and it was void. There was no light it was total darkness. It was a desolate place no land any where. And we also see a reference to Gods spirit, it is said that it "moved upon the face of the earth" I believe that the spirit was beginning his ministry upon the earth. This was his part he was coving the earth. Just as he covers us and watches over us.
Day One-The Light
3. And 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 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening
and the morning were the first day.
Here we see where it is told that God actually spoke. He spoke the words and it happened. He said "let there be light". And as we see there was light. God speaks it and it comes about. This is the formation of the light. God does not like darkness. Whenever the earth was created it was dark and void and I believe that God did not like this so he decided first of to create light. God likes to dwell in the light.
We also see a reference to the light in 2Corinthians 4:6-AV For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God give light so that we can see better he gave us the light of knowledge to see Jesus Christ.
I believe that this was 24hr days as we see today. We see references to this in Exodus 20:11, and 31:17.
Day Two-Air Spaces
6. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide
the waters from the waters.
7 And 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. And the evening and the morning were the
second day.
Here God separated the water from the water. The Hebrew word for firmament is "air spaces" and this is what God did, he made air spaces. It is somtimes amazing to see how much water we have in the skies. God called this heaven. This is not the actual heaven but it is what is known sometimes as the atomshperic heaven as in Jer 4:25. There is a reference in scriptue to three different heavens. We see these in Is 13:10, Heb 9:24.
Day Three-Dry Land and Plant Life
9. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto 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
called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the
fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth:
and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding seed
after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in
itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
We see here that God is preparing the earth for man. He brought up the land out of the sea and made a distinct separation. Man lives on earth. This is itself proven in the scientific realm. Most believe that the earth was at one time covered with water. We also see that God created plant life. The earth did not create it for God did. He is the beginning and sustainer of life. God created it and will provide for it.
Day Four-Sun, Moon, Stars
14. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the
heaven to divide 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 firmament of the heaven to
give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And 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 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give
light upon 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 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
God makes the distinction between day and night as he did in creation of the light. He makes a way to have day and night. He makes way for seans and years. And he makes a provision for the light, the sun for the day and the moon and stars for the night. But most of all God made the distinction between light and darkness. Just as he does today. God makes the distinction between the light of Christ and the darkness of evil. If you want to know what is the difference and where do you draw the line go the the Creator and he will tell you.
Day Five-Animal Life
20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the
moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above the
earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their
kind, and every winged fowl after his 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 fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Here we see God the sustainer and creator of life creating animals to roam the earth. He created animal life and he sustains it. Let us notice here also that God said "after their kind" They were created to reproduce their own kind not any other. God created life so that only certain kinds of birds will mix with each other. We see this when God created the plant life and we will see it again when God creates the animal life. In evolution this is called the missing link but in creation it is the way God made it. And it still stays to this day. Man can only go so far with the reproduction in the this world and then they have to stop. You see this in all life.
Day Six-Fertility of Animal Life
24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature
after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the
earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and
cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the
earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.
Here we see God creates the animals of the earth
Creation of Man and Woman
26. And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all
the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the
earth.
27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree,
in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the
air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein
[there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it
was so.
God makes a distincion between all other creation and man. He shows us his main purpose for creating earth. No longer is the emphasis on anything else but man. Man is to be over dominion over all the earth. He is to be the ruler. It is a big responsilitiy for man.
We also see that man was created in Gods image. Man was created with as a trinity, physical, mental, and spiritual. Man was created with a conscience. Man was created with a free will. These are all the attributes of God. We are not Gods but we are similiar to God. This should make us respect him and ourselves more.
31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it
was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth
day.
As in all the ending of his days he saw his creation and said that it was good. All that he had created was good. Whenever God creates he creates it to be good. He created the earth to be good. Man is the one who corrupted it. Man allowed for sin. God made it good.
Genesis 2
1. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the
host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made;
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had
made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because
that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made.
Here we see God rested. God took a day off. As God also expects us to do. God expects us to have a day of rest.
1. God worked for six days. Not five but six. I believe this is the formula for hard work. That is to work six days. Maybe not on the same job but not to slouth around for 2 days and work for 5 but to rest.
2. This day off is to be santified and given to him. It should be a day of rest. Taking time to spend with God. One defenition that Holmes give me was it was to be a day that you do not do the same activies that you did over the past 6 days but to rest. And mainly spend time with the Lord. It is amazing how we sometimes go through the week doing the things of ourselves and when it comes to Gods day we always have something else to do but take time with him. Maybe it is catching up on chores or watching the taped programs. God wants this day for him. I believe that sometimes we need to give up our own time during the week so that we can spend time with God on Sunday.
4. These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth
when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the
earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and
every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not
caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to
till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the
whole face of the ground.
The Word repeats the creation. Just a summary of the story.
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 soul.
Origin of man from the dust of the earth. Man is made up of about 6 chemicals from the earth. We started there. So as phiysical bodies we are not worth much but as the breath of God inside us we are worth alot. God breathed into our lives and made us worthy to be a part of him. It is him the sustainer who created us and keeps us.
8. And 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 made the LORD God to grow every tree
that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of
life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge
of good and evil.
It was a beatutiful garden. Just take all the beauty of nature in this world. The great water falls. The great flowers and trees and all of natures beauty and place it in one garden and then you may have a glimpse of the garden of Eden
10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from
thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11 The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which
compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold;
12 And the gold of that land [is] good: there [is] bdellium and
the onyx stone.
13 And the name of the second river [is] Gihon: the same [is]
it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14 And the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel: that [is] it
which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river [is]
Euphrates.
It is believed that the name of the river in Ethopia is the nile and the name of the Hiddekel River is the Tigris. These are very fertile and beautiful lands to this day.
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden
of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of
the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou
shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die.
There had to be a test for man show that he could show his true love to God. Without a test then there is no true devotion. This is the reason God tests us. Our passing shows our devotion to him.
18. And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should
be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the
field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to
see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every
living creature, that [was] the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the
air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not
found an help meet for him.
God put man in the garden of Eden and man began to name all the animals. He had to be pretty smart to do all of this. He was created smart. I believe that he was probably smarter than anyone today. I believe he would have understood alot of what we understand today. He just did not need a lot of it. But we see that man was alone. It was not designed for man to have relations with animals but with his own kind and with female. We see this from the beginning.
21. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and
he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh
instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he
a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Woman was created different from any other creature she was created from Adam. As a part of Adam as a helpmate to Adam. It is said that if God would have pulled a bone from Adams head then woman would have been superior to man and if God had pulled it from Adams feet the woman would have been inferior to man but God pulled from his side and woman is equal to 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.
Adam named her woman because she was taken from man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and
shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
A man once he is married is no longer a part of his old family but has a new responsibility to his new family. He has left his father and mother and cleaved to his wife. They are one now. I don’t mean cutting off the old family but I mean paying more attention to the new family.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed.
Man is in a state of innocence. He has no understaning of his nakedness. It was not wrong or dishonorable. Gods glory covered them.
One thing that we must understand is that we see from this two chapters that creation was created for us. It is for our purpose that we might glorify God. So we must take advantage of the time that we have here and glorify God as he has created us for that purpose.
