The Work of Creation Genesis 1:1–2:1-3
Memory Verse: Genesis 2:3 – “ And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
Comments about Genesis 1:1–2:1-3. For its literary arrangement and order, the story of creation is a classic. The Divine order of the arrangement of events cannot be improved upon. No one needs to neither give in to or apologize to the evolutionists nor compromise with the theistic evolutionists concerning the Genesis account of creation. This entire study will be done from the Bible believer’s position.
I. THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREATION WORK 1:1-2
A. The Creation has no PRE-EXISTENCE. v. 1
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth.
The word “created” means “to do or make” without any pre-existing materials: it means to make something out of nothing. The same word is used in verses 21 and 27.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: When God did His wonderful creation work, He made all that is - out of nothing. He took nothing and then made something. Isn’t this what really happens when God makes us a new creation. In our total depravity, we are absolutely nothing, but when God saves us, we have a new creation that is in Christ Jesus. A conversion may not seem to be as radical as a creation, but it is just as much a miracle as it was when God created the Heavens and the earth. With God, who is a God of omnipotence, no miracle is either a lesser or greater challenge to Him.
The Creation was with PURPOSE. v. 1
Verses 1 and 2 denote that the creation began with a purpose. These verses describe the beginning of everything in the created realm as it was, is, or shall be. The Lord who is the creator, was also the designer. He knew what creation was to be composed of and had the omnipotence to perform it.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Someone asked, “Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever occurred to God?” This question illustrates that God is not only all powerful in His omnipotence, but is all knowing in His omniscience. Within the boundaries of His purpose, He knew just what He was going to accomplish. It is thrilling to study any facet of God’s creation and while doing so recognize the greatness of His purpose. The Lord also has great purpose for each of us. He wants to accomplish His purpose in our lives as we give attention to His Word.
C. The Creation was with POWER. v. 2 (cf. v.1)
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
The name of God used here, ELOHIM (Hebrew), describes His strength, power, and majesty. Elohim is the name of God, which supports the idea of a Triune God at work in the creation. (cf. John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:10; Col. 1:16-17). When considering God, one should be mindful that the Godhead always works in complete agreement with absolutely no contradiction and that He does it with absolute power.
Albert Einstein introduced how much power is bundled up inside the atom and expressed it with math. His theory was later proven as nuclear energy was harnessed.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: When we begin to accept the Lord as the creator God, we also begin to appreciate the power that He has to minister to us in our weakness. It is wonderful trusting His great power to be sufficient for all of our needs.
II. THE CONTINUATION OF THE CREATION WORK (Vv. 3-31)
THE FIRST DAY – The creation of light. vv. 3-5
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there
was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and
God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the dark-
ness he called Night. And the evening and the
morning were the first day.
The first miracle of creation teaches a great spiritual truth. God created light without anything else producing it but He, Himself. On the fourth day He would create the light bearers (stars, sun, etc.) to allow the light to continue from a natural source (vv. 14-23). By Him creating the light first, we have the benefit of immediately seeing the light from many light years away without having to wait for the light to arrive. The light came first; then came the light bearers.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: He is also the originator of man’s light (John 1:4-5). When man is illuminated at salvation, he becomes a witness, or light-bearer, to let his light so shine forth that others might see Christ in him. (cf. John 1:9; Acts 13:47; Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:8, 14; 1Thess. 5:5)
THE SECOND DAY – The dividing of the vapor above from the water below. vv. 6-8
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the
midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters
from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the
waters which were under the firmament
from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
The word firmament means a “thin stretched out space.” Prior to the Flood there was a dome-like shield of water vapor that shrouded the earth. The protective qualities of this vapor shield may have contributed to the longevity of life upon the earth. It also provided a very dense reservoir of water to be released during the Flood.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This creation miracle could typify Spiritual separation. The heavenly or Spiritual person should walk separate from the earthly or carnal. When we are walking as Christians, we should walk in the faith separated from walking in worldliness.
THE THIRD DAY – The creation of land, sea, and vegetation. vv. 9-13
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
These days were literal, twenty-four hour days. On this third day the vegetation was created, meaning that only one day remains for the bodies of light givers (sun, moon, stars, etc) to appear for the purpose of establishing the seasons.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The emphasis on this day is
fruitfulness. God wants each of us to bear fruit and to continue reproducing as He strengthens us to that end.
D. THE FOURTH DAY – The heavenly bodies appear. (Vv. 14-19 )
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firma- ment of the heaven to divide 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 firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
The light was already in place, filling up God’s creation (galaxies, constellations, etc.). Now God puts the heavenly bodies into place. We would normally think of light, coming from a star one million light years away as a testimony in favor of the evolutionist. Not so! The light was created first, then the heavenly bodies. So on day four, the light that was created on day one gave the illusion of having taken a million years to reach the earth when in effect it was turned on instantaneously.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Can you imagine where we would be if it were not for the benefit of light. We also are here to help bring brightness to a very dark world. We should let our light so shine that others may see Christ in us.
THE FIFTH DAY – The creation of life that moveth in the waters and the fowls of the air. vv. 20-23
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Note the classical order of creation and the logic of His work as He created the fish, which have as their natural domain the waters, and the fowl that have as their natural domain the skies. The similar, hollow boned structure of the fowl and the fish is interesting to note.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Just as the fish and the fowl have their place, we also as believers have a place that fits us. God has a place for us to serve. Each place is important whether you be on a foreign mission field or operating from your “home town” church.
THE SIXTH DAY – Land life, human life, and the blessings upon human life. vv. 24-31
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female cre- ated he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
The great coronation of creation was the creation of man. Yet apart from the grace of God, man is totally insignificant. Man was created in God’s image. Man was then given responsibilities as well as blessings.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: “Be fruitful and multiply” is important physically and is also important spiritually. May we be mindful of how important to live fruitful lives here upon this earth.
III. THE COMPLETION OF THE CREATION WORK 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
A. The day that God ended His work was the SEVENTH. vv. 1-2 Seven in Bible hermeneutics speaks of completion or perfection. This text demonstrates this principle as God completed a perfect work.
B. The Day that God ended His work was SANCTIFIED. v.3God set the work pattern for man in the example He gave of working six days and then resting one. Later,Israel was given the Sabbath (Hebrew – seventh day) as a requirement to cease from normal activities. This day was sanctified or “set apart” as a day of rest.
Coconcluding Remarks: Moses through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, pens the truth of creation in capsule form, not as a scientific treatise, but as a Theological Summary. Yet as a result of these few words, volumes have been written to discount the validity of the Sacred Text.
