Season 3, Day 2 Genesis Chapter 1 Creation
Sue’s Notes:
Intro-Genesis-more about Identity-who is God, what is His character, who are we, than about science which is mechanism of creation.
Moses didn’t offer arguments for existence of God, but describes personal encounters with God. To know His identity, our identity in Him
1:1
In the beginning God…. It starts with Him, ends with Him! He was, is and is to come! (God-Elohim is plural) First verse summary then dig deeper-God created the heavens (skies, cosmos beyond earth) and the earth (land, firmament)
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.
He is the Creator of all. So important to know and believe this in our hearts. Foundational!!!!! Who is He to us first, Creator!!!
Gen 1:1 create-bara to fashion, shape, create always used with God as subject (Creator) in the OT
Definition of Create is to bring something into existence!
Jer 10:12a, 16 But the Lord made the earth by His power, and preserves it by His Wisdom. 16 But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel (Sue, Joy, etc) His own special possession. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is His Name!
Isa 64:8 And yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand.
1:2
The earth was formless (tohu) and empty and darkness (hosek-darkness, obscurity) covered the deep waters (tehome). Israelites understand water as formless (word play: tohu-formless, tehome-deep). Image of undefined formless matter, nothingness as limitless ocean.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Begins the work of creating, ordering, and organizing what was, nothing, chaos, deep abyss. Even His Spirit hovering over darkness begins change from deep abyss, nothing waters (tehome) to just waters (mayim).
Then God said, “…” with just His Word, God’s Spirit speaking or breathing out words brings order, organization, life, boundaries to chaos!
Created out of nothing, just speaking and all through Jesus:
Heb 1:2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance and through the Son he created the universe.
John 1:1-5 In the beginning the Word(Gen: In the beginning God…) already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a]
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.[
Elohim-plural Father, Son, Holy Spirit
1:3-5
Then God said, “let there be light”, and there was light. Light first, separating darkness and light (not the sun & moon, lesser lights). He was, is and will be light. His light is the source. His Light comes in and changes everything! Just as in new heaven and earth in Rev 21:23, 22:5, He is the only light source needed!
Jesus embodies the light John 8:12- I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness (chaos, disorder, unorganized, opposite of creation), because you will have the light that leads to life.
The Light brings life, darkness is opposite.
Ordering, boundaries, organizing, LIFE starts with light. Shining His light in the darkness. Light-hebrew is or-illumination, bright, clean
Psa 36:9 For you (God) are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.
Ps 43:3 Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.
Ps 89:15 NIV Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your Presence.
Ps 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
Exodus 10:22-23 So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness (hosek) covered the entire land of Egypt for three day. During all that time the people could not see each other; and no one moved. But there was light (or) as usual where the people of Israel lived. (Talk about boundaries!!!)
Isa 9:2 The people who walk in darkness (hosek) will see a great light (or) (Jesus). For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
Isa 42:16 I will lead blind Israel (any of us) down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed to these things; I will not forsake them.
And God saw that it was good! All He creates is good because He is good. Identity!
Light called day and darkness night. Gives darkness a limit, a boundary. Evening and Morning, day 1. Each day ends this way, until day 7. God ordering time, evening and morning, first day, etc.
1:6-8
Days 2 separating waters, space between is the sky. Evening and morning, 2nd day.
1:9-13
Third Day bringing land out of waters and organizing land and water. Boundaries for the water. Then, let the ground sprout with vegetation-every sort of seed-bearing plant and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came. Repeated! Seed bearing leads to producing fruit, it grows and multiplies and feeds those that are hungry! Abundance! Seeds produce kind of plants and trees from which they came. Yes, seeds of God’s Word or of the world!!!! What seeds are being planted in your heart. What is the soil of your heart? What type of trees and fruit are being produced in your life! Matt 13:3-8. Gal 6:7 Don’t be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.
1:14-19
Middle day-4th Day-Sun, moon, stars, lights to separate day from night. The lesser lights that reflect God’s light. Interesting to hear a teacher speak about not being able to see God’s face directly in the old testament or we would die. His light would burn us. Even the light of the sun would burn us and God places a barrier between us and the sun, just as He seems to always do in the old Testament between His light and the people. Cloud or fog. Boundaries that keep us safe! Until Jesus as above in John 8:12 and John 1. Also, this light needed now for growth of vegetation! Light needed for growth, always!!! Light before life and growth!!! We have to bring everything into the Light.
1:20-23
5th Day-Water and bird life. Water and sky filled. Waters swarm, skies filled! Abundance. Every sort, each producing offspring of the same kind. Then a first command to water and bird life, “Be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” The plants did this by design. The water and bird life given a command, but they are also designed to multiply.
Abundance, fruitfulness, multiplication built into God’s design! It takes time to reach, a journey.
1:24-30
The 6th Day-All land animals and Adam and Eve
All of the land-living animals, each producing offspring of it’s own kind, livestock, small animals, wild animals. Repeated, emphasis.
So God created human beings (Adam) in his own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female he created them.
What is different, humans are created in God’s Image, not gods, but in his image, likeness.
God blessed humans and said, “be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground (every living thing that moves on earth).”
God made humans in his image to fill the earth and reign over it. Inviting humans to reign with him, not as gods, but in relationship with Him. Fruitful in descendants, living in His abundance, and in living as Image-bearers, producing His good fruit in life!
Gal 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit (living in relationship with God) produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things.
1:31
God looked over ALL he had made and saw that it was very good. Each day, except 2nd, God saw what He created, was good. Six times it says, God saw that it was good. After finished all creating looked over everything and saw that it was “very good”. 7th time to say. 7 is complete! Wholeness, Completeness of what He has made is very good!!! Very good heading into the 7th day!
Many occurrences of 7 in this first chapter of creation, all pointing to completeness of what God has created, who He is!