Genesis 1:3-2:3
Generation I: In the Beginning
Gen. 1:3-2:3
- Locate the passage
This pericope contains the days of creation and the Divine assessments of them. The division through 2:3 concludes the first 7 days. Here are recorded the six days of creation and the Sabbath day of rest. The pericope beginning in 2:4 in the first toledoth division and represents a narrowed focus on the 6th day of creation.
- Genre
The passage is narrative. The fact that God is speaking implies the Divine audience with whom He was communicating. This passage is the first recorded “conversation” among the Godhead. There is also a conversation between God and mankind He has created.
- Determine the structure of the passage
1:3-5 – Day One
1:6-8 – Day Two
1:9-13 – Day Three
1:14-19 – Day Four
1:20-23 – Day Five
1:24-31 – Day Six
2:1-3 – Day Seven
- Exegete the passage
The text reveals God’s accomplishment of His will through His Word. As such, it anticipates the appropriate respect for and impact of the Word of God.
This passage is about Divine activity. That God is, He has acted, and He has spoken reveal the greatest truths mankind will ever know. God’s activity is designed to prepare creation for habitation by mankind and the facilitation of his living out of his blessing.
The repetition of key phrases mark this pericope:
- “And God Said” (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29)
- This phrase begins each new day of creation (1:3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24) except day seven
- Creation was spoken into existence
- “God called” (1:5, 8, 10)
- God assigned names to His creation
- Note that this same word and activity is later assigned to Adam (2:19)
- “Let there be”
- The jussive verb form (“let X happen”) is prominent in this pericope (3, 6, 6, 9, 9, 11, 14, 20, 20, 22, 26)
- “and it was so” (1:7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30)
- This phrase chronicles the cause of effect of God’s divine pronouncements of creation
- This phrase precedes the Divine assessment of the goodness of creation in four of the days (9, 11, 24, 30)
- God saw – ra’ah
- The word, ra’ah occurs frequently in Gen. 1 (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
- In every occasion it is associated with the Divine assessment of the goodness of creation
- The emphasis of Divine inspection
- This is not the seeing of discovery, but the looking by inspection
- The word, ra’ah occurs frequently in Gen. 1 (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
- “God blessed”
- God’s blessing for both animals and mankind involved being “fruitful” and “multiplying” (1:22, 28)
- “It was good”
- This is the Divine assessment of the first 5 days of creation (4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
- The phrase “very good” was expressed for the completed creation.
- Note that there is not explicit designation of “goodness” regarding day two. Though, it seems that the designation of 1:10 regarding the dry land relates to the firmament of the second day, while the assessment in 1:12 relates to the remainder of the activities on day three.
There is an obvious parallel between the days of creation: Day 1 with Day 4; Day 2 with Day 5; and Day 3 with Day 6
- Day one is the creation of Light with Day and Night; Day 4 is the creation of lights in the sky (sun, moon, and stars)
- Day two is the division of sky and waters; Day 5 is the creation of water and sky animals (birds, fish)
- Day three is the creation of Dry land; Day 6 is the creation of animals and mankind to inhabit the dry land
The terms for creation:
Create (“bara”) – 1:1, 21, 27; 2:3, 4
Made (“asah”) – 1:7, 16, 25
Formed (“yatzar”) – 2:7, 8, 19
Built (“bana”) – 2:22
- The terms seem to have some distinctions:
- The word, “create” (“bara”) is only used in Scripture of God. Only God creates. It generally conveys the idea of initiating something from nothing (Cf. Ps. 51:10; 102:18; 104:30).
- The word, “make” (“asah”) is a more general term for the activity of God.
- The word, “formed” (“yatzar”) carries the idea of taking something and making it into something else (cf. Jer. 19:1; 33:2).
- The word, “build” (“bana”) seems to involve more hands on crafting; specialized.
- One significant distinction between these words is that “bara” implies creation from nothing, while the other words imply forming, making, or building something out of that which already existed.
- See Gen. 2:3 – God rested from all He “created” and “made.”
The “Days” of creation
- It is true that the Hebrew word, (“yōm”) is used in 3 different ways in Genesis 1 and 2
- A description of the period which inhabits the light – 1:5
- A definite length of time – 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31; 2:2
- An indefinite length of time – Gen.2:4
- However, there is no reason to see these days as anything other than 6 literal, 24-hour days
- Though that would make for a very busy Day 6.
- Reasons for interpreting the word “yōm” as 24-hour period:
- The phrase “evening and morning” suggests the normal passing of time in a 24 hour day
- Typically in Scripture when a numeral is used with “yōm” it always refers to a 24 hour period (the first day; the second day; 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31; Gen. 22:4; 31:22, etc.)
- The concept of the Sabbath on the seventh day “yōm” only makes sense in the context of a 24 hour day
- Adam’s age in Gen. 5:5 (with the use of the word “yōm”) suggests the normally understood passing of 24 hour days
- Other passages in Scripture describing creation support a 24-hour understanding of the word – Exodus 20:11; 23:12; 31:17; Deut. 5:12; Heb. 4:4
1:3 – God said, “Let there be light”
- There was no previous “substance” out of which to form creation
- So God created something from the nothingness by His Word
1:3 – Light was separated from darkness
- Throughout Scripture, light is symbolic of good; darkness is symbolic of evil
1:5 – God called the light, Day
- “God called to the light … ‘Day!’” (and “to the darkness, He called, ‘Night!’”)
1:9 – let dry land appear (Hb. ra’ah) – let it be seen
1:16 – to “rule” the day … and … “the night”
- The word here is the same relationship established later between the man and the woman (cf. 3:16). It does not suggest importance, but function. It is significant in 1:18, that God “saw” this relationship and stipulated that it was good.
1:22 – Be fruitful
- This is the first imperative of Scripture
- It grows out of divine blessing and is intended for their security and survival
- This command foreshadows a similar command to mankind (1:28)
- The difference is that mankind is given dominion over the animals
1:26 – Let “Us” make man
- The Godhead all involved in the creative activity and Divine conversation
- Some have seen this as a reference of God speaking to the heavenly council (angels). However, the fact that the “Us” who is being addressed seems to be involved in the creative act, suggests the Triune God. Moreover, mankind is not made in the image of angels, but that of God
1:27 – In our image (“tselem”) … our likeness (“demut”)
- These terms occur together in two places (Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1, 3; cf. 9:6)
- We are something like something about God; but God is nothing like us
- Interpretations for image and likeness of God revolve around both physical and spiritual dimensions.
- See Mathews – “It is thought that “image” refers to the ability to reason while “likeness” refers to a person’s correspondence to God in spiritual attributes. As a consequence of human sin, the “likeness” has been lost but the “image,” while distinguishes a person from the animal order, persists unaltered.”[1]Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 1:1-11:26, New American Commentary, vol. 1A (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996): 165.
- Paul says that we are of the “image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15).
- The writer of Hebrews states that Christ was of the “exact image of God” (Heb. 1:3).
- The text does not explicitly define the terms, but implies the consequence of the fact that mankind is in God’s image and likeness. Two ideas immediately follow the description of mankind’s creation in God’s image: unity in diversity (they are male and female) and dominion (they are to rule over creation)
- Male and female – this is not a suggestion of God’s gender, but the uniqueness of Godhead. God is three and yet one; mankind is two and yet is to be one.
- A key aspect of this is seen in the expectation of procreation
- Gen.5:1, 3 – This passage, which is the only other occurrence of these two terms together, documents the fulfillment of the Divine mandate to procreate.
- Dominion – they are the highest of God’s creation and thus have dominion over creation.
- Male and female – this is not a suggestion of God’s gender, but the uniqueness of Godhead. God is three and yet one; mankind is two and yet is to be one.
- Is 40:18 – what likeness (“demut”) will you compare to Him?
- Dan. 10:16 – Daniel encountered one in the “likeness” (“demut”) of the sons of men.
- It is significant that the next time (outside of Gen. 5) we encounter the word, “likeness,” it is in the command not to make a likeness of God
1:28 – Fill the earth
- The Divine intention is for mankind to inhabit all of His creation
1:29 – I have given you herbs, trees, seed
- As with the animals, mankind has the privilege and responsibility of dominion over all of creation. They exist for mankind’s sustenance.
1:31 – God saw everything
- When God overlooked the whole of creation – He noted that it was very good.
2:1 – all the hosts of them
- “tsava” – this word is often used for “army.”
2:1 – “finished”
- God’s creative work was accomplished. The word carries the idea of completeness
2:1 – on the seventh day … He rested
- The word for “rest” in Hb. is “shavat” (שָׁבַת)
- This word comes from the Hb. word for “seven” (shiv’ah)
- The pattern of rest is established
- The word conveys the intentional cessation of labor
- This word is later in Scripture used to refer to Canaan (Ex. 33:14) and ultimately in heaven (Heb. 4:3-11)
2:3 – God blessed the seventh day
- God’s blessing adds significance to the day and suggests a pattern of honor for the day of rest
- “created and made”
- Here a distinction is made between what God created (Hb. “bara”) and what God made (Hb. “asah”). God creates from nothing; He makes from that which already exists.
- Let the structure of the text drive the sermon
Exp. God accomplishes His purposes through His Word
Exp. Ultimately, we see the purpose of God in His Word in Christ
Exp. John 1:1 reveals that in the beginning was the Word, that Word was with God, and that Word was God.
- The God of Every “Day”
- He is the Creator of everything
Exp. The One before time made time for those who come after Him
Exp. Time has no meaning without Him
Exp. Nothing exists outside of His hand- The power of His Word
- The sovereignty of His Will
- The goodness of His Work
- The intricacy of His creation
- The totality of His creation (1:31)
- He is the Creator of everything
- He is the Lord over His creation
- He is sovereign over His creation and yet involved in it
- He is above His creation and yet we are created in His image
- He provides for His creation
Exp. 1:29 – “I have given you every herb … [and] every tree ….” - He establishes the pattern for work and rest
- God’s rest in creation points to a future eternal rest
- God blesses the “rest”
- We are created in His image and called to maintain His likeness
- God’s image-bearers
- The uniqueness of God’s creation (male and female)
- Much of the history of mankind has been the pursuit of Divine likeness in which we were first created
Application
- Like all of creation, the purposes of God for our lives are accomplished through His Word
- The Word of God, who was the agent of all creation (John 1:2), came and dwelt among us (John 1:14), and all who believe in Him have the right to become His children (John 1:12), and grow into His likeness.
- You and I have the opportunity to make the Lord of creation the Lord of our lives.
References