Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 Tonight we are beginning a study of Genesis, which is the first book of the Bible. These first five books are also sometimes called the Torah, which is often translated “The Law.” It is the first book of what the Jews call the Pentateuch. This refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, which the Jews considered the most important scriptures.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 Torah means divine instruction and guidance. In the first five books of the Bible that instruction and guidance from God does come in the form of “The Law” and in other forms as well, as God relates to the people he created in their daily lives throughout the years and throughout all time. However, the Hebrew word “Torah” means much more than “The Law.”

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 Genesis is the first book of the Pentateuch, and thus the first book of the Torah—the first book of God’s instruction and guidance for his people. Therefore, Genesis is also the first book of our Old Testament and the first book of our Bible.

The word “Genesis” means “the origin or coming into being of something.” It is the beginning of the Bible, but it is much, much more than that. It is the beginning of the universe and the world. It is the beginning of history and the beginning of time itself. It is the beginning of God’s people and the beginning of God’s instructions and guidance for his people.

The book of Genesis has two main purposes: 1.To show that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God that led the people out of slavery into the promised land is the same God who created the world. 2.To show that God’s call and promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and God’s covenant made with Moses and the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai have the ultimate goal of reestablishing God’s original purpose in Creation.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 So, Genesis begins from Creation in Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 2:25. After that, in chapter 3 we will see how we human beings began to disobey God, our Creator. Here we will see God’s creating, God’s purpose for His creation and God’s relationship with His creation. Later as we continue through Genesis, we will see God’s work to help his people return to his original purpose for them and for creation.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 Our study of God’s work in Genesis can help us better understand God’s later work in Christ in the New Testament. It can also help us better understand the promise of Christ’s future return in glory to bring in the New Heaven and New Earth prophesied in Isaiah 65:17 and also promised in John’s vision in Revelation 21:1.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 Tonight we begin with the first part of the Creation story in Genesis. Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 will give us a beautiful and powerful overview of Creation and God’s plan and purpose in Creation. Then next week Genesis 2:4-25 will give us a closer look at the creation of human beings and God’s care and love and plan for us.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This simple sentence, which is only 10 words in English and only 7 words in the original Hebrew, is a summary of the whole Creation Story and it has important and deep theological meaning.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 1.This verse already identifies the Creator. God, the one true God, is the Creator. --Although the general Hebrew word for God (Elohim) is used here in this verse, Genesis 2:4 will tell us Elohim is the LORD (Yahweh), using the specific name that God has told us is his name.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 1.This verse already identifies the Creator. God, the one true God, is the Creator. -- All other so-called gods are idols and can do nothing. Psalm 96:5 says, “For all gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD (Yahweh) made the heavens and the earth.” Jeremiah also says, “Tell the nations these gods who did not make heaven and earth will perish…”

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2.This verse also tells us the origin of the universe and the world. --The universe and the world and everything in them did not exist before God’s act of Creation. They began to exist when God created them.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 3.This verse tells us that God was not created and that God existed before the heavens and earth were created, and before anything we know as history or as our human sense of time. --God alone is eternal.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 4.This verse also connects the work of God in the past with the work of God in the future. --This is the same God who called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the same God who called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. --God created everything and continues to relate to His Creation. --God’s purpose and promises and plan continue.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. This verse describes the conditions of the land before God prepared it for human life. It was empty, dark and barren. Completely uninhabitable. It was waiting for God’s call to light and life. Here in Genesis, God will bring light and life into being, just as later God will send Christ to bring the light salvation and eternal life.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. This verse also describes God’s presence ready to begin creating all that now is. In Hebrew the word for spirit and the word for wind are the same word, so some translations say “a mighty wind from God,” while others specifically say, “the Spirit of God.” The NIV translators choose the latter.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. This verse describes God’s presence ready to begin creating all that now is. The Hebrew word which is translated as “hovering” is the same word that is used when Deuteronomy 32:11 talks about an eagle hovering over the young in its nest. This gives me a feeling of God’s caring for all that he is about to create.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he 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. The various detailed acts of creation begin in verse 3.  Throughout the process of Creation, God speaks and it happens according to God’s words.  It is a personal and conscious act from God’s Will, not just by chance.  There is power in the command from God.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he 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.  Throughout the process of Creation, God also looks and sees and evaluates that it is good. He sees that it is according to his plan and it will provide what is good for the human beings he will create.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he 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.  Throughout the process of Creation, God also acts. He takes what he has created and puts it in the proper place and order in his Creation. Here that involves separating the light from the darkness.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he 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.  Throughout the process of Creation, God also names things he has created. To name something is to have power to control it. To name a living creature is also to have a relationship with that creature.  Here God specifically names the light and the darkness.

 This happened on the 1 st day of Creation, but what is a day? Good believers have different ideas about this.  Some believe each day of Creation is 24 hours like the days we know today.  Some look at Psalm 90:4 “For a thousand ages in your sight are like an evening gone” and at Peter 3:8 “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day.”  Most important to remember is that God is the Creator and God created things in order according to his plan.

The next part might be a little difficult for us to understand without some background. When Genesis was first written, people had a little different idea about the earth and the sky. They thought the earth was flat and that above it there was a fixed dome (they called sky) that separated the earth from the heavens. They thought the sun, moon and stars were in that fixed dome.

They thought there were waters held above the dome and when the windows of heaven were opened, that water would pour down as rain. They thought that water from above was separate from the water on and under the earth by that dome. They thought the dome provided living space between the waters above it and the waters below.

If the writer of Genesis had started talking about the earth being round, about the sun and moon being out there in outer space, about our solar system as we know it, about water evaporating from the earth to form the clouds and the water returning to the earth as rain, the people of that time would not have understood. So, God had the writer use words and concepts that the people at that time could understand.

If he had used concepts that we use today to talk about things, the people back then would have had no way to understand. And we don’t have to worry since we can also understand the words and concepts the writer used because we have access to their background. But God has perfect wisdom: By using concepts that the people back then could understand, both they and we can all come to understand.

Moreover, even though we now know that the earth is essentially round and that the water cycles from earth to sky to earth again, the rain still does really fall from the sky; we also see the sun, moon and stars in the sky above us; and the sky does give us a protected living space just as they believed back then. So now let’s read about the creating of and arranging of that expanse or dome that we call sky.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. Here on the second day of creation, again God spoke and God acted and the sky was created, and then God named it.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Now here is how the third day of Creation began: Here as God speaks, he speaks to what he has already created, the waters; and they cooperate in this step of the creation process.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.“ And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land,“ and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Also notice the continuing pattern:  God speaks and it happens.  God names the things.  God sees, evaluates and calls it good. It is according to his plan and will provide what is good for the human beings he will create.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day. Plants were created on the second part of the 3 rd day.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Here again God speaks to what he has already created, this time to the land; and it cooperates in this step of the creation process.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. " And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Again notice the continuing pattern:  God speaks and it happens.  God names the things  God sees, evaluates and calls it good. It is according to his plan and will provide what is good for the human beings he will create.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God Made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 Now the 4 th day of creation begins. God had already created light on the first day of creation, but here God creates the specific lights– the sun, the moon and the stars.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God Made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 Now the 4 th day of creation begins. Also notice that these specific lights (the sun, moon and stars) have a specific purpose—marking the seasons, the days and the years.

17God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day Again notice the continuing pattern:  God speaks and it happens.  God acts and it happens  God sees, evaluates and calls it good. Again, it is all according to his plan and will provide what is good for the human beings he will create.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. On the 5 th day God begins to create animals, creating the fish and the other water animals and the birds.

20 And God said, "Let..." 21 So God created … And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. Again we have the continuing pattern:  God speaks and acts and it happens.  God sees, evaluates and calls it good. But here we have a new element:  God blesses the animals of the sea and the air  God calls them to be fruitful and increase.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. At the beginning of the 6 th day God created the land animals. Note that God again speaks to the land and enlists its participation in the creation process.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Here we see that God created three types of land creatures: livestock (domestic animals) creatures that move along the ground wild animals

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Again we have the continuing pattern:  God speaks and acts and it happens.  God sees, evaluates and calls it good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” In the second part of the 6 th day God created human beings. Note a change in tone here: In the other parts of the creation process, God said, “Let there be…” or “Let (something happen)...” However, here God says, “Let us make…” This is much more personal. God’s purpose includes a more personal relationship.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” In the second part of the 6 th day God created human beings. Different scholars have different ideas about why God uses a plural form here. Some think it may be God speaking to a heavenly court. Some think it is God’s deliberating about what he is going to do. Some think it indicates the Trinity. The NIV translators seem to lean toward interpreting it as the Trinity.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Notice that the other animals were created according to their kinds, but for human beings this phrase is not used. Human beings were/are created in the image of God. Also note that both male and female are created in God’s image. What does it mean to be in God’s image? What characteristics of God’s image do we have?

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Again we have the continuing pattern:  God speaks and acts and it happens. As with the animals,  God blesses the human beings, and  God calls them to be fruitful and increase. But there is also a calling and a responsibility  Human beings are to have dominion over or rule over the animals.

Sometimes we human beings have misunderstood and misused this calling and responsibility to have dominion over or rule over the animals. The Hebrew word that is translated here as “having dominion over” or “ruling over” involves care giving and nurturing, NOT exploitation. How have human beings misused God’s call for us to rule over the animals? How have human beings misused God’s creation? What would we do if we really understood what it means to have dominion?

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. Here God provides the food that we and all the animals need to live. Once again, God speaks and it happens.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.  God takes a look at the entire creation.  God sees that it is according to his plan and will provide everything that the human beings he has created need.  So, God declares it good.

2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.  Having a Sabbath or a day of rest was ordained by God from the very time of Creation.  God made the day holy.  We were made in God’s image, so we too should honor a day of rest each week. It should be a holy day devoted to our God.  Most Christians honor that Sabbath on Sunday because Christ was raised on that day, but I’m glad churches in China offer both Saturday and Sunday as days for the worship of our LORD.