Genesis 1:2-2:3 The Biblical Creation

Genesis 1:2-2:3 The Biblical Creation
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I would be silly to attempt to explain the Bible’s account of the creation in such a short writing. It is not mine to express expertise on God’s magnificent, vast, and beautiful work. Frankly, I can do little but marvel at the creation account. So I request you to join me in the wonder of the Lord’s handiwork from a bird’s eye view.
After making the general statement expounding on the creation in Genesis 1:1, Moses takes us through the process of our material world coming into existence. And the process begins with a much different earth than that which we have today.

A Primordial Earth
In its beginning stage, the earth was an uninhabited place. It possessed neither life nor the features of a recognizable planet. The earth, fully devoid of the light of the sun, was a watery structure. The earth was formless and void, but the God who created the earth was not void. He was to give both structure and life to the new earth.

God commanded light. At His word, there was light. This light was not the sun for the sun had not yet been created. This was a different sort of light. My guess is that this first light which was upon the earth was the glorious light of the Master Himself, making a distinction from the already present darkness. This distinction made up the first day.

God creates the great expanse. The expanse includes our visible sky, the earth’s atmosphere, the universe and whatever is beyond the universe. This expanse God uses to separate terrestrial waters from celestial waters. The second day of creation is complete.

The terrestrial waters obey the Lord’s command to gather. Their gathering leads to the appearance of dry land. Our planet is changing from a place without form to an organized world. It is now a world of earth and seas.  

A planet endowed with the separation of land and sea is ready for vegetation. So at God’s desire, plants come into being.

The third day is finished.

On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars. The Almighty placed these lights in the expanse and gave them reasons to be. They were to separate day from night, determine signs and times, and give light to the earth.

Next, the Lord created all the creatures of the waters and birds. After blessing them, God commanded them to flourish. The fifth day was complete.

It was after the creation of the sea creatures and birds that God created the land animals and human beings. Mankind differed from the rest of the creation in that human beings were made in God’s image. Being in God’s image, mankind bore a resemblance to God but were not divine. A way in which mankind resembled God was in their commission to rule the rest of the living creatures of the earth, which reflected God’s rule over all creation.

Day six of creation is now done.

On the last day of creation, God rested. He ceased from His creative work.

Implication  
There are some glaring lessons to be learned from our rapid journey through the creation of all things. God creates our material world from nothing, doing so as an act of His will. The heavens and the earth come into existence at the Lord’s spoken command (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26).

Another thing we should notice is that God’s creation reflects the Creator’s magnificent work. The creation is decreed as “good”, representing the perfection of its Maker (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).

God creates the earth to be inhabited (Genesis 1:11, 20, 22, 28). This lesson must be remembered the next time we hear cries of overpopulation. The idea of decreasing human existence through such evil plans as genocide or abortion run counter to God’s plans for His earth.

Tied closely with the previous lesson, the Biblical account of the creation teaches us that God places high value upon all human life. God makes mankind, a species which comes in two models, male and female. All human life possesses worth because God deems them of value. This value is reflected in the fact that God made people…all people…in His image (Genesis 1:27). As beings made in the Creator’s image, human beings bear a divine spark. That spark is a reflection of divine characteristics that no other created thing holds.
 
Pastor Randy