Genesis 1-3 © John Stevenson, 2012

Title for the Book The Hebrew Title: tyviareB. (BeReshyth); “In the Beginning”The Hebrew Title: tyviareB. (BeReshyth); “In the Beginning” Greek Title:  - “Beginnings”Greek Title:  - “Beginnings”

“These are the generations…” Hebrew: tAdl.At hL,ae - Elleh toledothHebrew: tAdl.At hL,ae - Elleh toledoth Ten setsTen sets History of account follows: “These are the things that followed…”History of account follows: “These are the things that followed…” Adam Abraham Israel Genesis 2:4 – 11:26Genesis 11:27 – 50:26 5 Toledoth from Adam to Abraham 5 Toledoth from Abraham to Israel

Genesis 1-11 Events Predominant – Creation – Fall – Flood – Tower of Babel Genesis People Predominant – Abraham – Isaac – Jacob – Joseph Race as a wholeFamily of Abraham Over 2000 years250 years

Babylonian Creation Account Enuma Elish Seven Tablets World begins in chaos Marduk fights Tiamat Heavens and earth created from her body

Ennuma Elish Tiamat engulfs world in a primal chaos. Genesis Account The world was unformed and unfilled. Light comes from the gods. God brings light into existence. Marduk makes the stars of the zodiac and ordains the year. God sets sun and moon for signs, seasons, days, and years. Marduk makes man from the blood of Kingu. God creates man in His own image and likeness.

Moses is giving to us a refutation of the accepted mythos that was held in antiquity as he goes point by point to show that God is the true Creator of heaven and earth. Ennuma ElishGenesis Account

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Elohim

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. bara An initial act of creation. A summary statement of the entire chapter.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. shamayim aretz

Theories of Creation Supernatural versus Evolutionary. A Superficial Appearance of History. The Gap Theory.

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 6 Days of Re-creation Original Creation Formless & Void

The verb hayeta in Genesis 1:2 can be translated “became” so that we could read that “the earth became without form and void.” The normal rendering of hayeta is “was” and indicates a state of being. SupportObjections Tohu wabohu (“formless and void”) are a destruction which took place after God’s original creation (Jer. 4:23, Isa. 34:11). Tohu wabohu (“formless and void”) can just as easily describe an unconstructed state.

Isaiah 45:18 says that God did not create the earth void (tohu) while Genesis 1:2 says that the earth was now void. It is reasoned that the earth must have come to be in this manner after its original creation. Isaiah 45:18 simply tells us that God’s intention for the earth in its completed form was that it would not be tohu, but rather that it might be inhabited. The prophet is simply stating the purpose of creation. SupportObjections

The darkness which characterized the formless and void condition is indicative of evil. Darkness does not always indicate evil. Both light and darkness existed upon the finished earth and it was still said to be good. SupportObjections

Theories of Creation Supernatural versus Evolutionary. A Superficial Appearance of History. The Gap Theory. The Day/Age Theory.

The word “day” is sometimes used in the Scriptures to describe a period of time longer than a 24 hour period (“the day of the Lord”). The word “day” does not normally refer to an extended period of time when it appears with a modifier (1st day, 2nd day, etc). SupportObjections 2 Peter 3:8 states that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years. These days are clearly defined in Genesis 1:5 when God calls the light day and the darkness night.

The sun and the moon are not created until the 4th day. This indicates that the previous days are not literal. The very purpose of the sun was to rule over the day while the moon was to rule over the night. SupportObjections

Theories of Creation Supernatural versus Evolutionary. A Superficial Appearance of History. The Gap Theory. The Day/Age Theory. The Non-Sequential Theory / Framework Theory.

I personally take the view that Genesis 1 and 2 relate to each other the way Judges 4 and 5 and Exodus 14 and 15 do. In each couplet one chapter describes a historical event and the other is a song or poem about the theological meaning of the event.

When reading Judges 4 it is obvious that it is a sober recounting of what happened in the battle, but when we read Judges 5, Deborah’s Song about the battle, the language is poetic and metaphorical.

When Deborah sings that the stars in the heavens came down to fight for the Israelites, we understand that she means that metaphorically.

I think Genesis 1 has the earmarks of poetry and is therefore a “song” about the wonder and meaning of God’s creation. Genesis 2 is an account of how it happened (The Reason for God, pg 93-94).

Theories of Creation Supernatural versus Evolutionary. A Superficial Appearance of History. The Gap Theory. The Day/Age Theory. The Non-Sequential Theory / Framework Theory. The Literal Interpretation.

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

UnformedUnfilled Day 1: Light Day 4: Light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) Day 2: Water & sky divided Day 5: Fish & birds to fill water & sky Day 3: Dry land & vegetation Day 6: Land animals & man Day 7: Sabbath Rest

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3).

And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Genesis 1:4-5).

Textual Formula in Genesi 1 God’s creative statement: And God said... The fiat: “Let there be...” The creative act: And there was light... A declaration that the creation was good: God saw that it was good. The time limits of that creative period: And there was evening and there was morning... The numerical listing of that day: One day.

Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” (Genesis 1:6)

And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Genesis 1:7-8). [;yqir' (Raqiya)

Defined in verse 8 when “God called the Raqiya heaven” (note that the Hebrew is plural; “Heavens”). [;yqir' (Raqiya) Further explained in verse 20 where God says, “...let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens” (It literally reads “...upon the face of the raqiyah of the heavens”)

[;yqir' (Raqiya) The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their EXPANSE is declaring the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1). Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty EXPANSE. (Psalm 15:1).

Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9-10).

Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth”; and it was so. (Genesis 1:11).

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate 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 expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15).

And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16).

And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:17-18).

Created Kingdoms Created Kings Day 1: Light & Darkness Day 4: Light-bearers to rule day & night Day 2: Division of waters into sky & sea Day 5: Birds to rule the sky and fish to rule the sea Day 3: Dry land & vegetation Day 6: Land animals & man as ruler Creator King Day 7: The King takes His Rest

Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” (Genesis 1:21).

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. (Genesis 1:24).

Genesis 1:26-27 The God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27).

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – In the Image of God – Federal Headship – Stewardship and a basis for Ecology

Genesis 1:29-30 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.

Genesis 1 Light and darkness are made by God on Day 1 The Israelite Experience They had seen God bring light and darkness over Egypt A division of the waters on Day 2 They had passed through the Red Sea The sun and moon and stars created on Day 4 Egyptians worshiped the sun and moon and stars and had seen the sun darkened in Egypt.

Genesis 1 Man is created in the image of God The Israelite Experience Only the Pharaoh was thought to be in the image of God Man is told to rule over the earth Only the Pharaoh had the right of rulership Man is placed into a beautiful garden Israelites are tempted to return to the meats of Egypt, but Canaan is the new promised Eden.

Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed 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.

The Sabbath Given as a memorial to the work of God in creation. Served as a memorial of God’s redemption. “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:15)

The Sabbath Given as a memorial to the work of God in creation. Served as a memorial of God’s redemption. The Sabbath was designed to be a shadow of things to come and not as an end unto itself.

Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17).

Why are there two separate accounts of creation?

Genesis 2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. ~yhil{a/ hw"hy> (Yahweh Elohim)

Genesis 2:5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

Genesis 2:5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground. No rain (corrected in verse 6). No rain (corrected in verse 6). No man (corrected in verse 7). No man (corrected in verse 7).

Genesis 2:6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. hm'd' a] Adamah ~d'a' Adam

Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Literally: “breath of lives”

Genesis 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. The word edenu in Akkadian means “garden” or “paradise.”

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1-3) Man created: Formed from dust (4-9) Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9-14)

Genesis 2:9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers (Genesis 2:10). Pishon (around the whole land of Havilah) Gihon (around the whole land of Cush) Tigris (east of Assyria) Euphrates

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. (Psalm 46:4).

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.“ (Genesis 2:16-17)

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1-3) Man created: Formed from dust (4-9) Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9-14) Man assigned task of guarding & keeping the garden (15) Forbidden fruit (16-17)

Genesis 2:18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

Verse 18 It is not good that man should be alone Verses 19-20Verses The need for a companion for the man Creation and naming of the animals The inadequacy of the animals for this companionship Creation of the woman The providing of the woman as a companion for the man

Creation complete: Heavens & earth created; God finished His work (1-3) Man created: Formed from dust (4-9) Trees & Rivers in garden given names (9-14) Man assigned task of guarding & keeping the garden (15) Forbidden fruit (16-17) Man in need of a helper: not good to be alone (18) Animals in garden are given names (19-20) Woman created: Formed from rib (21-24) Creation complete: Man & woman naked & unashamed in presence of God (25)

Events leading up to the fall Genesis 3:1-6 Serpent introduced Temptation Sin Genesis 3:7-24 Results of the fall God’s pointed questioning Curse of sin Coats of skin Banishment from the garden

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Genesis 3:2-3 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

Genesis 3:4-5 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Genesis 3:8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:10-12 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” The man The woman The serpent Blames

Genesis 3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life…”

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Seed of the Woman Seed of the Serpent Satan Jesus Christ His head bruised on the cross (A fatal wound) His heel bruised on the cross (Humanity)

Seed of the Woman Seed of the Serpent Satan Jesus Christ His head bruised on the cross His heel bruised on the cross

Seed of the Woman Seed of the Serpent Abel & Seth Cain Lamech Enoch Noah ShemHam AbrahamCanaan

Seed of the Woman Seed of the Serpent IshmaelIsaac Abraham JacobEsau Whose Seed are You?

Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.”

Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.”

Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life….”

Genesis 3:18-19 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 3:18-19 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Examples of Retributive Irony More crafty than any beast of the field... The Serpent...is now made lower than all of the other animals. Bruises Christ on the heel... Satan...is bruised on the head. Desires to rule her husband... The Woman...finds that he shall rule over her. Made of dust who would rise to be like God... Man...is returned to dust again. Warren Gage

For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (Romans 8:20-21).

Genesis 3:20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

Examples of Redemptive Irony Who was tempted to sin... The woman...becomes the mother of all living. Will die on a cross... The God- man...to bring life to many.

Genesis 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Taken by the shedding of blood Taken by the shedding of blood Innocent substitutes Innocent substitutes Replaced fig leave of human righteousness Replaced fig leave of human righteousness

Genesis 3:22-23 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

Genesis 3:24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Adam He has been banished from the garden. The People of Israel They have departed from the “garden of Egypt” and are now in the Sinai Wilderness. Adam leaves the garden by the eastern route. The Israelites also leave Egypt by the eastern route.

Flaming Altar Water