DAY ONE:  The Creation

Genesis 1:1-2:25

Good morning, friends!  Welcome to Day One of the 100 Essential Bible Passages study.  You'll notice that today's Scripture passage is a link to the Bible Gateway site.  I've set the English Standard Version as the default, but you can choose from over twenty other English translations as well.  If you click on the link today's passage will open in another window so that you can go back and forth easily.

There's no better place to begin than in the beginning.  And "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This simple sentence is perhaps the most profound in all of the Bible.  God created everything there is.  Further, God existed before the creation and is separate from it.  Two important truths come from this verse; if we have a Creator, He created us with a purpose (the rest of our reading today will give us insights into that purpose); and if we have a God-ordained purpose for our lives, we are accountable to God to fulfill that purpose.  

We go on to read in verse two that the world was "without form and void."  The Hebrew words indicate a state of chaos.  The world was an uninhabited and dark wasteland.  Yet God was present!  "And the Spirit was hovering over the waters."  This is the Bible's first mention of the Holy Spirit.

Then God got to work! Over the course of six days He brought light and life to this dark wasteland. The sun, moon and stars in the sky, the fish in the deep and the birds of the air, and all sorts of plants and animals.  Last of all He 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Here's where we start to see the Creator's purpose for us.  We're made in God's image and likeness. That means not that we resemble God physically, but that we have His attributes. God is intelligent and we also can think; God creates, and we can be creative; God is just, and we have an innate sense of right and wrong. God is unlimited and we are quite limited.  Nevertheless, God made us this way so that He can have a relationship with us.  We see in the next chapter that God visited His image-bearers every day to fellowship with them.

When He was done creating, He called it all "very good." He was satisfied with His work.  Then He rested on the seventh day. Not because He was tired, but to set an example for us. The Sabbath is not only a command, it is also a blessing for us. The fourth of God's Ten Commandments is "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy." He told His people to rest from their work, just as He did. This day is set aside for worship and rest.  Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28) We see the consequences of our 24/7/365 world. God knew we'd need that day of rest, so He ordered us to take it.  I'll talk more about this when we consider the Ten Commandments in a few weeks.

Chapter 2 verse 4 is a re-telling of the creation, with a special look at the creation of man.  This has led some to conclude that the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) are a compilation of different sources which were combined at a later date.  This is called the Documentary Hypothesis. What we see here, however, is a common literary device of ancient times. The author provided a quick overview and then went into detail on the most important aspects. This isn't a separate story, but a continuation of what we read in the first chapter.

Again we see God's purpose for us. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." (2:15). Work was a part of God's plan from the beginning, and a result of being made in His image. God is not idle, and we must work as well. There is dignity in any honest work, and we can do it all for the glory of God.

And here's the accountability.  God gave Adam just one rule. Don't eat from that tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They day you taste it you'll surely die.  I'll spend more time on this as we look at how Adam and Eve violated this one simple rule.

God noticed that the man was lonely. He needed someone to share his life. None of the animals could satisfy this need. So God created a "a helper fit for him.” The words here have a sense of corresponding to, that this helper would fill in all the gaps in Adam's life.  God made this helper from the man and called her in Hebrew ishah, from the word for man which is ish.  Remember from the first chapter how God created man as male and female. Men and women both bear the image of God and complete one another. We read that Adam was overjoyed and fulfilled when Eve came into his life. They enjoyed a beautiful relationship.  They were "naked and unashamed." Just as they didn't hide behind clothes, they also didn't hide their inner lives from one another.

That's a lot for today, and I haven't touched on some of the things I thought I would, like the Biblical account of creation and modern science. I'll just say this: in the whole discussion of HOW God created everything, we sometimes forget WHO created everything and WHY.

It's your turn! You can post your replies below. What are your thoughts and questions? Let's discuss the passage we read just like we were face to face. I'll use your insights and questions to shape Sunday's sermon. And if you're not able to worship with us on Sunday you can listen online.