Gen 1
Gen 1
Summary: The History of Creation:
The first five days of Creation (v1-23)
The creation of land animals on the 6th day (v24-25)
The creation and blessing of human beings also on the 6thday (v26-28)
God’s provision to humans and animals (29-30)
God saw that everything He had made was indeed very good (v31)
Notes:
1) Three days of creating dominions: day/night on Day one, Heaven on Day two and the Earth (with vegetation) and Sea on Day three.
2) Three days of creation to fill dominions: filling day and night with the two great lights and stars on Day four, filling Heaven and Sea with birds and sea animals on Day five, filling the Earth with animals and humans on Day six.
3) The interaction between the masculine Elohim and the feminine Ruach divine beings in Gen 1, represents ‘Us’, ‘Our image’ and ‘Our likeness’ in v26. This is the context for the image of God which is replicated in humans and where male and female in human beings come from. Gen 1 shows us that there is a feminine aspect in the image of God and this feminine aspect, based on the context, is from the Spirit (Ruach) of God (because Ruach is grammatically feminine).
Additionally, the Gospel of John tells us that the Word of God, who is the Son of God, was also present in the beginning (John 1:1-3). The reference to “In the beginning…” in John 1:1, is a reference to “In the beginning…” in Gen 1:1. Hence, we should understand that the whole family of God, Father, Spirit and Son, as a tri-unity were present in the Creation of the universe in Gen 1. Therefore, ‘Us’, ‘Our image’ and ‘Our likeness’ in v26, also refers to the Trinity of Father, Spirit and Son, according to NT revelation.
We should also see, while there is a sense that God is plural (Elohim is plural grammatically), there is also a sense of the unity of the Godhead. Notice that ‘Us’ (v26) becomes ‘He’ (v27).
4) At the end of the six days of Creation, God saw that everything He had made was very good. It was very good for many reasons including how there was no death as death only entered into creation after humans sinned against God (Rom 5:12). So, it makes sense that the animals, dinosaurs and humans at the beginning (before the fall), were not eating one another, they were vegans (as God originally gave them a plant based diet in v29-30)!
5) The Hebrew word for ‘Day’ in Gen 1, is ‘Yom’ which normally refers to a 24-hour day. From the perspective of the original hearers of the Torah back in Moses’ time, they would have understood, the word ‘Yom’ to mean a literal 24hr day. There’s a Jewish physicist, Gerald L. Schroeder,[1] who argues that the estimated approx. 13 billion years age of the universe, may be reconciled to a literal 6-day creation by understanding the relativity of time (according to Einstein’s theory) that time at the centre of the Big Bang undergoes time dilation (a time difference) where each 24 hrs from the perspective of the centre of the Big Bang would translate to billions of years from the perspective of Earth. Hence, reconciliation between a literal time interpretation of Gen 1 is possible with our current understanding of astronomy, by reading Gen 1 with a time perspective at the centre of Creation (or the Big Bang) rather than from the perspective of Earth.
Gen 1 seems to be a summary of Creation history rather than a detailed explanation. God did not reveal the specifics of Creation and the magnitude of time in Creation from Earth’s perspective for multiple reasons: 1) to show God’s transcendence: He has the right to reveal as much or a little as He wants. It is God’s glory to conceal a matter (Prov 25:2). Additionally, what people may see to be billions of years, for God, He sees it as just some days (2 Pet 3:8). 2) For God to institute the prophetic sabbath day as part of a memorial of Creation in Gen 1 (Exo 20:8-11), so that when we live our week and rest on the sabbath, we understand that we are to rest on the 7th day sabbath as and because God rested on the 7th day. The sabbath is greatly important in prophetically revealing the plan of salvation, where we will rest in the future Messianic kingdom of God (Heb 4:8-11). Additionally, 3) To simplify the History of Creation for pre-scientific humans 3000 years ago (in Moses’ time) and onwards to understand.
6) Gen 1 may be seen to be part of the grand Biblical theme of ‘the Kingdom of God’.[2] From Genesis, Schreiner sees that the opening Creation account (Gen 1:1-2:3) shows God’s majesty and power.[3] Arguably, Gen 1 is all about God building His “very good” kingdom (Gen 1:31)! Gen 2 is seen to be the throne room of the kingdom.[4] The fall of the first humans is seen as a rejection of God’s lordship.[5] Therefore, God is in the process of redeeming fallen humanity and Creation, because God wants to establish His “very good” Creation kingdom, thus, defeating all opposition including sin and its curse. Therefore, Gen 1:31-2:3 is programmatic for the rest of Genesis and indeed of all Scripture. God’s dual missions in Genesis are ultimately fulfilled in Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is both humanity’s 1) King and 2) Saviour.
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Schroeder
[2] Schreiner, T.R., The king in his beauty: a biblical theology of the Old and New Testaments, pp. xii-xiii
[3] Schreiner, The king in his beauty, p. 3
[4] Schreiner, The king in his beauty, p. 8
[5] Schreiner, The king in his beauty, p. 9