Other than the Gospels, Genesis chapter one is probably the most dissected chapter of the Bible. It is also one chapter that has been ridiculed and poured scorn upon by non Christians and many have tried to link the Biblical creation account to other mythical accounts.
However, reading through chapter one, one does not find in the account many of the embellishments that you find in other mythical accounts. There was no epic battle of good-versus-evil, teardrops becoming the ocean etc. The Biblical account is a simple matter-of-fact narration of how God brought the heavens and earth into being. It introduced God as having existed before time and space, and in the same way, there was no embellishment of what God looked like. God is Spirit and that was it.
Leaving the “gap theory” which I described in a previous post, the earth started out as a planet which is covered entirely by water and darkness was over the surface of the deep (v 2).
The Creation Account and Sequence
The sequence of creation was then narrated:
(1) Light (Day and Night) - Some have identified this light as the Shechinah or the Glory of God's Presence.
(2) Expanse / Firmament (heaven)
(3) Dry Land (earth) and Gathering of the Waters (seas)
(4) Vegetation: Plants Yielding Seed and Fruit Trees on the Earth bearing fruits with seed in them, after their kind
(5) Lights in the expanse: Sun, Moon and Stars
(6) Swarms of living creatures in the waters and Winged Birds, after their kind
(7) Beasts of the earth (wild animals), Cattle (domesticated animals) and Everything that creeps on the ground (reptiles and amphibians), after their kind
(8) Man and Woman
It is not my intention to debate on the sequence of God’s creation. There will be questions on what was the light that God created if the sun, moon and stars were created on the 3rd day, how the plants survived without the sun, how the solar system be sustained with the Earth created before the sun, moon and stars etc. To me, these questions are rather superfluous. To those who do not believe in the supernatural, the first action would be a denial of God’s existence from the beginning. To those who can entertain the concept of supernatural, it would not be too difficult to believe a God who can create out of nothing could temporarily create the necessary conditions to answer these questions.
No Room for Theistic Evolution
God seemed to have the evolution advocates in mind in the very first chapter of the Bible by making 2 clear statements repeatedly:
(a) Each of the days of creation was a 24-hours day. Genesis Chapter One was deliberate to a fault by repeating the constant refrain - “and there was evening and there was morning, one (and a second, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth and the sixth) day”. Even without the sun, moon and stars on the first three days, the refrain was constant - they were all 24-hours day. Some have, interestingly, decided that since the sun, moon and stars were created on the third day, that Day 1, 2 and 3 need not be 24-hour days. Most of them subscribe to this view because of their need to entertain what they felt are irrefutable "proofs" that the earth and the universe are billions of years old. They pointed that Moses had no choice but to use the same term "day" to describe Day 1-3 or that he wanted to maintain the consistent literary structure of the creation account. I feel that we should let the plain text speak for itself and there is no need to artificially differentiate the term "day" within the same passage. If you are not convinced, then I suggest you consider what the same Moses said further down in Exodus 20:11
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
(b) The strict biological taxonomy was deliberately emphasized. The plants yielding seed, fruit trees bearing fruits with seed in them, swarms of living creatures in the waters, birds, beasts of the earth, cattle and everything that creeps on the ground were all created after their kinds (species).
These 2 statements set up the case against the theory (I rather call it a hypothesis since it cannot be experimentally tested to become a theory) of evolution in that the Bible does not give it the time or the space to stand.
Interesting Trivia
Some interesting trivia in the creation account can be noted here:
(a) God declared the work done by Him as good with the exception of Day 2 when He created the expanse (firmament) which was called heaven. Some have expounded on the reasons why this was so but a simple explanation would be that God did not "finish" what he started on the second day. The making of the expanse, the gathering of the waters below the expanse and the appearing of the dry land was deemed as one "complete" activity. Which also explained why God "saw that it was good" twice in Day 3.
(b) The uniqueness of Day 6 of creation was noted in the way the writer of Genesis described the end of that particular day. Unlike the first 5 days, the end of the 6th day was mentioned with the definite article the, pointing to the uniqueness of this day when man was created. It was also Day 6 that not only God declared what He as created as not just good but very good.
The Plurality of the Godhead
The concept of the ONE Godhead and the PLURALITY of the Godhead is introduced at the very first chapter of the Bible.
- The Hebrew word translated as God in English is “elohim”, which is plural form of “El” or “Eloah” - God. While it is true that “elohim” can also be used in the form of plurality in majesty, this term does introduce the possibility of the plurality of the Godhead.
- The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit?) was described as moving over (or hovering) over the surface of the waters.
- In the creation of man, God is quoted as saying: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (v 26). At the same time, in the very next verse, Genesis recorded that “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”.
God’s Mandate for Mankind
The uniqueness of man (and woman) in comparison with other living things that God has created can be seen in 2 aspects: (1) that man was the only living organism that God was said to have created in His image and (2) man was given dominion over the rest of God’s creation.
It was here that the Edenic Covenant was made between God and Adam (part 2 of the covenant is given in Gen 2:15-17) in which Adam stood as the representative head of the human race.
The covenant consisted of seven provisions of which 4 are mentioned in Chapter One:
(1) Man was told to populate the earth (Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth).
(2) Man was given authority over the earth (Subdue it [the earth]).
(3) Exercise dominion over all living things (Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth).
(4) Vegetarian diet for mankind and animals (v 29-30).
Completion of God's Creation (Chapter 2 Verses 1-3)
With the creation of man and woman, the heavens and earth were declared as "completed" and God rested on the 7th day. He also blessed and sanctified the 7th Day because in that day, God rested from all His work.
2 points should be noted here:
(1) Some commentators go into a deep theological discussion on whether we are still in the 7th Day given that the Bible did not do its previous refrain of "and there was evening and there was morning, the seventh day". I think this is unnecessary since God did not do any more creating on the 7th day and hence there was no reason to reiterate the 24-hour day again. Furthermore, Chapter 1 should have logically been extended to Chapter 2 verse 3. Hence at the end point, there was no need to say anymore. (See my blog in Chapter 5 for the divisions of Genesis).
(2) Some have also wondered whether God indeed was omnipotent since He was described as having a need to rest from His works. Again, this is unnecessary since what we have here is a case of anthropomorphism, in this case, applying human characteristics to God. If we need the Bible to convince us that God is not resting in the sense of being made tired by all the creation work, Isaiah 40:28a tells us:
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.
Thus ends the creation of the heavens and the earth.
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