Sun, Moon, and Stars

After creating light on day one, God now makes permanent sources of light for the Earth.

Genesis 1:14-19  And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.  16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,  18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.  19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

The main purpose of the lights would be to “divide the day from the night” (vs. 14).  This describes what our sun and moon do.  These are the “two great lights” in verse 15—one for the day and the other for the night.  We understand that the moon does not produce its own light but merely reflects the sun.  This does not affect the accuracy of the biblical text.  The moon still provides light at night regardless. Reflected light is still light.  No doubt our ancestors understood that the moon was reflecting light given the observable changes in it over the lunar cycle. Continue reading

Grass, Herbs, and Plants

Plant life is critical for the Earth, providing a source of energy for other lifeforms.  This was all part of God’s plan during the creation week.

Genesis 1:11-13  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

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Land Appears, Plants Made

God is purposeful and organized in all He does.  After creating the firmament, He makes the next thing necessary for His plan–dry land.

Genesis 1:9-10  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.  10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

The words “one place” do not necessarily mean that there was one body of water since “seas” later in the verse is plural.  The idea is that the land and seas would be distinct from each other.  Each would have its place in the world. Continue reading

Let There Be a Firmament

After creating light on the first day, God focuses His attention on completing the Earth.

Genesis 1:6-8  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.  8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

The Hebrew word translated “firmament” means “expanse” or “spreading out”.  It refers to the space above the surface of the Earth, which is why it is also called “heaven” in this verse.  The Hebrews thought of it as being where the birds fly or the “first heaven”.  We would call it our atmosphere or sky.   Continue reading

Let There Be Light

God created light on the first day.

Genesis 1:2-5  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

God created the basic physical existence of the universe in Genesis 1:1.  Now He sets His focus on the Earth.

First, although created, it was not completed.  That’s why it was formless and void, meaning incomplete and empty. Continue reading