This issue focuses on the forming and filling of the earth during creation. Genesis 1:1 started with the largest picture, the most zoomed-out picture of God creating everything. Then it zoomed in on God’s creation of the earth. Now we will zoom in even further to observe the fulfillment of Genesis 1:2.
In Issue 2, we discussed Genesis 1:2 and how the earth was formless and empty. That’s the background for today’s discussion of four Genesis 1:3-25. I will move a little faster through the text to cover more ground on the themes of the larger creation narrative.
I want to highlight three major themes running through Genesis 1:3-25. The first theme is of the forming and filling of creation after God saw that there was chaos in Genesis 1:2. The second theme concerns how God created in these verses. The third theme concerns the days of creation and God’s declaration over His creation.
Forming and Filling the Earth
Forming the Earth: In the first three days, God forms the environment, preparing earth to be the home of everything He will fill it with. He focuses on the big things that must happen for life to exist on planet Earth.
Day 1: Creation of Day and Night
Genesis 1:3-5: So God said, “Let there be light,” so there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, so God withdrew the light from the darkness. Then God called the light “Day” and the darkness he called “Night.” And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.
In most translations, you will see, “And, and, and…” but in my translation I have tried to break them up a bit. These are called waw consecutives in Hebrew and they are used to tell a story. The events happened right after one another.
Here, they are showing the continuation of God’s creative acts. God speaks and creation responds. But more on that later. First God must create the light to separate day and night. You must have day and night to have days. There must be a separation of time and have a measurable way to the knowledge its differences.
It is not just logical for God to start by creating light and separating it from the darkness. You may notice this is the first time God makes things that separate and make differences between two distinct things. God did that. It is part of His order.
Through the rest of the Bible, the motif of darkness and night will be mixed together by everyone from the prophets to the apostles. Day and light will be synonymous with righteousness and goodness while darkness and night will be associated with wickedness and evil.
Day 2: Creation of the Expanse
Genesis 1:6-8: Next God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and it divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse “Heaven”, and there was evening and there was morning and there was morning, a second day.
For the second time, we see God creating something that separates one thing from another. This time it is an “expanse,” where some translations have a “firmament.” This is an interesting word, and surveying its usage might help us understand a bit more what it is.
It occurs 17 times in 15 versus in the Old Testament. The word is used in the creation narrative 10 times. It is referring to this expanse throughout Genesis 1. This is a firm dome -like separator that cannot be passed through. Other references to the expanse: Ezekiel 1:22, 23, 25, 26; 10:1; Psalm 19:1; 150:1; Daniel 12:3.
Ezekiel describes creatures within wheels in chapter 1 and the expanse refers to this dome-like “structure” that is “shining like awe-inspiring crystal” above their heads. These creatures are flying in but not above the atmosphere. He tells us God is on his throne “above the expanse.” It is clear the expanse prevents anything from coming to where God is.
This expanse or firmament is well named because it is understood by the ancients as impenetrable except by the light of the stars and this vision Ezekiel has of God above it. The same reference of Ezekiel 10:1 refers to the same thing in chapter 1.
Psalms references the expanse twice. The first in Psalm 19:1 refers to the “sky above.” It is consistent with Genesis and Ezekiel. Psalm 150:1 calls worshipers to praise God His mighty “heavens,” referring to God as He sits in a place higher than the expanse. Daniel 12:3 refers to the stars in the sky, the same stars that give their light that can pierce through the expanse.
All these uses tell us this is a divider between the waters and the heavens (sky). Think of it like the horizon. It is that thin separation between what can politically be called the waters of the earth and the waters of the sky, the same blue hue that the waters reflect. This is one of the reasons I refer to this as a poetic account of God’s creation.
A lot of the Ancient Near Eastern cultural understanding comes in here. The Israelites would’ve understood the heavens to be the atmosphere and the stars whose light pierced through the dome above their heads. The “skies” or “heavens” to them where the domain of birds. They also understand it to be God’s dwelling place because it was higher than them and they could not get there.
Day 3: Creation of the Land, Seas, and Plants
Genesis 1:9-13: Next God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place. Then dry land appeared, and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas, and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth sprout forth vegetation, plants yielding seeds, fruit trees producing fruit after their kind whose seed is in it on the earth, and it was so. So the earth bore vegetation, plants yielding seed of their kind, and trees producing fruit which is seed from their kind, and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
God creates dry land by moving the waters away from it. I think you could make a case for Pangaea by the poetic language of these verses. The waters are gathered in one place and dry land appears where the waters are not. The word for dry land is singular, not plural. The word for “seas” is used 396 times, so it does not carry any special meaning.
Part of creation of land and seas is to make it part of the environment suitable for animals and people by making a fruitful end of plants of all kinds. Many science-minded people point out that the plants and trees have seeds “after their kind.” They suggest the reason for this is that a kind of tree will not produce something other than what its seed allows. This can be used as an argument against macroevolution.
But that is not my concern as I read the text. What I see is that God makes these plants and trees with their seeds able to reproduce on their own. It is almost like God puts an automated process into place. God designed the land to produce, and continue to produce, everything that animals and people need.
Later, Adam will learn how to till the soil and plant these plants in the garden. But even if he did not, the plants and trees would do what God created them to do. If you have ever watched the absence of humans in a place after a while, nature takes over and produces plants and trees. This is a beautiful gift from God. We should not ever worry about running out of food from plants and trees.
Filling the Earth: On days 4-6, God turns to filling the environment He has created with the different forms of life that will exist. We see a progression from lesser life to greater life in God’s eyes, culminating in the creation of humanity.
Day 4: Creation of Light
Genesis 1:14-19: Then God said, “Let the lights in the expanse separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years. And that the lights in the expanse of the heavens give light to the earth.” And it was so. Then God made two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night – and the stars. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light to the earth and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
The lights here are the sun, moon, and stars. These fill the heavens and have a practical purpose. God made the light on the first day as an environment for these lights. The formation, or separation, of the light and darkness sets the stage for these specific lights to fill the heavens.
Again we see God creating light that separates day from the night. Created a separate in the light in the formation process of the first day. Now He creates light that can help people tell time, referring to the sun and moon and the stars.
The lights in the expanse are not just for show. They give light to the earth so we can see. It’s amazing how the human eye works. It needs light to see anything around it. Without the light, the darkness conceals everything around us.
What God makes is practical. The expanse protects us by providing an atmosphere we can breathe beyond which is a cold, dead space that would kill us. He gives us light so we can see. The light helps us to distinguish between days, seasons, years, and every other type of discernment of the passing of time.
Day 5: Creation of Water Creatures and Birds
Genesis 1:20-23: Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and birds fly above the earth on the face of the expanse of the heavens. So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, in which the waters swarm according to their kind, and every winged bird to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters, the seas, and the birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
The waters were on the earth in Genesis 1:2 but God ordered and separated them with the expanse on the second day. The environment has been prepared by the forming of the waters and the land, and now God fills them with all kinds of sea creatures.
Remember that the expanse also separated the sky from the water, and the environment for the birds has now been filled with all kinds of birds. The sea creatures and birds are the second day of God’s filling His formed and ordered environment just for them.
The birds fly above the earth on the “face” or surface of the expanse. This is their realm. God put them in the sky, and that where they belong. The same goes for the sea creatures. God put them there because that is the place He made for them.
At the same time, God has given humans wisdom and skill to inhabit to some degree the sky and the waters. We now can make boats and submarines to be on and in the oceans. We have also made airplanes and space shuttles to venture into those places reserved for the birds and the stars. That’s the power of wisdom.
Why did I translate the living creatures in the water “sea monsters”? The word that is used here is used elsewhere in Exodus of the serpent Moses’ staff becomes before the Lord when he lays it down (Exodus 7:9-12). It is translated “serpent” elsewhere (Deuteronomy 32:33 and other places).
Most interesting is Isaiah’s description of the sea serpent and referencing Leviathan (a mythical sea monster) and another reference to it as a dragon (Isaiah 27:1). This seems to be something more than just a sea creature. Isaiah poetically references the “sea dragon” again (Isaiah 51:9) and how God pierced him.
Jeremiah refers to the sea monster also (Jeremiah the 1:34). Ezekiel also refers to the “sea dragon” when referencing Pharaoh (Ezekiel 29:3; 32:2). The Psalms also reference the sea monster along with Leviathan and God’s conquering him (Psalm 74:13; 91:13). Psalm 148:7 calls even the sea monsters to praise the Lord as part of His creation. Job says God puts a guard over the sea monster (Job 7:12).
Referencing a sea monster that is serpent -like may bring to account mythical legends from the cultures around Israel, the Mesopotamians and other cultures. If so, the text of Genesis would be claiming that these evil, mythical creatures were created by God, thereby saying He is sovereign, and more powerful than, them.
Day 6a: Creation of Land Animals
Genesis 1:24-25: Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind, livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and the livestock according to their kind, and everything that creeps on the land according to their kind. And God saw that it was good.
I’m only covering the first part of Day 6 because there are great implications for the creation of humanity that we must slow down to talk about in Issue 4. God makes all kinds of land creatures and animals “according to their own kind.” This harkens back to the plants and trees that do the same.
The language here and there suggests that God has made plants and animals to roam the earth and to always be in abundance. We know today that in this sinful world with poachers and those who abuse their habitats and ecosystems, this is not always the case. It is a problem because sin has made it hard for us to steward the earth.
We will talk about stewardship in the next issue when we talk about the image of God. Animals of all kinds will reproduce on the earth. It takes an awful lot of abuse to destroy the system God set up in the beginning.
As with the above argument, although it is not originally intended in the text of Genesis 1, a case can be made that animals will not make animals not of their own kind. Elephants don’t give birth to horses and flies don’t give birth to bees. God designed to last and provide the nourishment and food that each animal or human in the food chain needs.
It Doesn’t Make Sense
Some may debate the poetic nature of Genesis 1, but poetry is the best literary genre to explain it. Poetry just fits the grandeur and beauty of God’s creative work. It also fits the Israelites in answering questions they might have asked about creation.
We see disconnects between light and darkness being created before the heavenly bodies that give light. Some might ask what separating the waters from the waters means and not receive a satisfactory scientific answer from Scripture. They may ask how plants and trees can survive without rain or water.
We must realize Genesis 1 was not written for us to scientifically understand everything God did in His creation. The Bible is not a science textbook. It was a poetic representation showing the Israelites that God cared about them and created on purpose. They were not an accident or byproduct of a war between the gods.
Poetry does not make literal or scientific sense. But it powerfully speaks to the part of us that here about God’s great care for us and that He doesn’t make mistakes. You are not a mistake.
Even if your parents did not plan on having you, God knew all about you and created you. He cares about you and loves you more than you can know. That’s what the creation account in Genesis 1 is all about.
God’s Powerful Voice
There are two points I want to make about this creation narrative in general. First, God’s powerful voice booms and creation responds in complete obedience. Psalm 29 describes how creation responds to the presence and voice of the Lord.
Creation must respond to God’s presence and voice. Since the beginning of creation, everything in creation has always obeyed God’s voice. Only we have the will to refuse to listen to God’s voice, but I hope for you and me that we would listen and obey Him.
Second, when God speaks His word, the Word completes the action declared by God. I capitalized that for a reason. Remember that John 1:1-5 talks about Jesus as the Word, the Word of Yahweh that appeared to the prophets throughout the prophetic books.
Jesus is the One for whom all creation was made and through whom all creation was made. He is the active Word of God. He obediently carries out God’s commands. He is the powerful voice of God in human form since the incarnation.
Jesus is also the creative Word of God who obediently does what the Father perceives and declares. Jesus completes the will of His Father. He calls us to do His Father’s will (Matthew 7:21; 12:50) God declares creation into the distance. Jesus makes it happen, and the Holy Spirit brings chaos to order. Every Person of the Godhead has His part to fulfill.
The Days of Creation
Just a quick note about the days of creation. People try to stretch the meaning of “day” in this passage of Scripture. I have a problem with that because it doesn’t fit the context or the meaning of “day” in the text of Genesis 1. I’m not just being a super fundamental weirdo.
I agree that the Hebrew word yom has a range of meaning including “era, period of time, eons, etc.” I would agree it could be used in that way in this passage except for one problem. An era or period of time does not have “evening and morning.” This limits the meaning of “day” to a specific period of time, a 24-hour period.
Even more apparent is the 24-hour meaning of day here in that the Jewish people order their days according to this order seen in creation. They celebrate Sabbath from sundown to sundown the next day. Their days work from the evening to the morning. They take it literally and there is very little wiggle room for us not to.
Our faith must take into account that God can do anything. Since time was not set into place until the fourth day when lights in the heavens marked out time, we must be careful how we address the meaning of the word day in this passage.
If we wish to create thousands or millions of years of time to suit our science, we cannot rely on linguistics and taking our favorite range of meaning for words in the creation narrative.
The Saga Continues…
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this first chapter of Genesis. Next, we will discuss one of the most important theological and practical issues of God creating humanity in His image. The image of God and bearing His image is a monumental topic so many people have written about. There’s a lot to gain from this discussion in our next issue.
