Genesis: The Creation Hymn

Genesis 1-2:25 "The Creation Hymn"

The Creation Hymn details how the universe was created. As I mentioned earlier it is important to remember that The Bible begins with God, not with philosophic arguments for His existence. God has always been and always will be. It's hard for us to understand this concept as we on earth have such a definite timeline versus the infinity of God's time, of course once we cross over after this life we will begin to have a clearer understanding of this infinity. However on earth we do not, and that's why trusting that God has been, and always will be is a key element to faith.

I like to think of it like this. To us some of the oldest structures are the Pyramids (just an example) and they are approximately 4500 years old. You look at a mountain in the Rockies and some of that rock is 1.4 billion years old...God's time is similar to that rock...it is stable and linear. We come into the time line later on, however the creation of the universe and the events in the Bible and occurring now are part of God's master plan.

Okay so we all know that God created the Universe in Seven Days. Creationalists believe that each day was a 24 hour period, others feel that God's 'day' was a longer period. I tend to agree with the latter, but respect the Creationalist theory. The word "day" is used in Scripture in four ways 1: that part of the solar day of 24 hours, which is light. 2) a period of 24 hours, 3)a time set apart for some distinctive purpose as "The Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27)" and 4)a longer period of time, during which certain revealed purposes of God are accomplished. The use of "evening" and "morning" may be held to limit "day"to the solar day, but frequent parabolic use of natural phenomena may warrant the conclusion that it simply means that each creative day was a period of time marked off by a beginning and ending

God's Creation of the World is presented in three stages over the course of seven days:

- Declaration of the creation of matter out of nothingness

- Ordering of Creation

- Filling of Creation, in which God puts inanimate objects and animate beings on the earth.

God enacts three creative acts within the 7 days chronicled in the Creation Hymn:

1. The Heavens and the Earth

2. Animal Life and vegetation

3. Humans

Let's break down the days:

Day One:

Passage: Genesis 1:1-3  1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was [a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

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.

God's initial creative act resulted in shapeless matter that God molded and arranged or ordered in several stages.  The Light mentioned was not the sun, which did not become visible until the fourth day.

Day Two:  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. 

God introduces three fundamental distinctions in the physical world: sky, sea, and dry land

Day Three:  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.

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. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

The Third Day of Creation is a biggie.  It is on this day that vegetation, which will allow future animals and human life to be sustained on the earth as the vegetation provides food, shelter and we know know regulates our air and seasonal weather.

Day Four:  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 God 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.

The Fourth day God creates the sun, moon, and stars...the stars help guide the seasons and days and years are created.  I read in a guide to the symbolism of numbers in the Bible that the number '4' represents creation, which is evident in this passage.  The Four Seasons the four corners of the earth, etc...not a major point, but very interesting!  

Day Five:  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.

God creates the birds and fish of the sea.  He also issues his first explicit blessing in  in the Bible.  By pronouncing a blessing, God granted the power of procreation to the animals he created.  His blessing shows his consideration for the creatures welfare ad care.

Day Six: 4 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.

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, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

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."

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.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

The Sixth Day is a major day in the Creation Hymn for a number of reasons.  First, God created livestock, animals/creatures, which could roam on the earth's land, not just in the sea or sky.    Most importantly this is the day God created us - he created Man.  God then blesses the human race (then Adam and soon to be Eve) and gives them dominion of the earth.  This shows that God puts us as caretakers of the earth and to tend his creation.

God made us in HIS image, which has typically come to mean that man is personal, rational, and a moral being. While God is infinite and man finite, nevertheless man possesses the elements of personality similar to those of the divine Person: thinking, feeling, and willing. It is important as humans to remember that God made us, and gave us dominion over the world, however God is above us in all things, and anything we choose to do on this earth should be in accordance with his will, not our own pride or selfishness. We will discuss this a bit more in the next entry when we discuss Adam and Eve, the Fall, and Adam's line.

I also think it's interesting that Man was created on the Sixth Day.  In the Bible the number 7 is typically associated with God's divinity.  Man is made on a day just short of seven, showing how we are made in the likeness of God, but that God is above us.  

Another Note: I think it's very topical to consider the task that God gave the human race.  He gave us dominion over the creatures of the earth and vegetation, however in that gift, God expected us to tend and take care of the earth he'd given us to live off of.  He expected us to respect and care for the earth and the creatures inhabiting it.  This wasn't just a silly request, but a practical one.  God knew that as long as we cared for the earth then we could live off of it.  Unfortunately we have faltered on our responsibility and we will suffer for it.  As the efforts of pollution and lack of conservation takes hold, we will be faced with extreme weather and will be forced to either change our ways or face the consequences of our actions.  I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty of contributing to the pollution, however if we make small steps to change our ways and take on the task to preserve the earth as God commanded us then I think we can do a lot of good.

Day Seven:  2: 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [a] 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.

Insights:

"it was good..." So why does God say that refrain at the end of everyday in the Creation Hymn?  God judged that this first step in ordering His creation conformed to His will.  God is purely good and therefore everything he creates within his will is good.  Don't kid yourself, God was logically planning and crafting a creation that was pleasing to him.  He thought it out to the smallest detail.  When you look at a craggy cliff or a rambling creek, God planned it all to a tee.  I personally believe that God uses natural forces, and science to mold the mountains and sea, because God is a logical God.  He has a plan and when you step outside notice the grass and wind and the trees and God's hand crafted it.  

In Genesis 1:26 scripture says "And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..."  Why the 'we'?  A lot of people unfamiliar with the Christian faith have a hard time understanding the Trinity.  We are a monotheistic religion, however God is made up of a Trinity: God, Christ and the Holy Spirit - the form one God - The Trinity. At first it's easy to assume that God didn't have the plan of sending Christ to save man thousands of years after the world's creation, but here we see the vastness and preeminence of God's plan.  

Quote from Study Bible: While affirming the singularity of God, it is not unusual for the Old Testament (OT) to use the plural when speaking of God and his activities.  This anticipates the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.  

Some scholars believe this to only be a grammatical device, a plural of majesty or an honorific plural, with no specific theological significance.  I personally tend to think that when God refers to himself as 'We' it foreshadows the Trinity as from the offset of the fall, it seems obvious that God is working toward Christ and ultimate redemption for mankind.

Thanks for reading this entry.  Next up in this Weeks Chronological readings I'll summarize Adam and Eve and the Fall.  I'll also be posting another entry soon on the Lectionary readings and their significance in the 5th Sunday of Lent.