Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Genesis Chapter 1

1-5 All the events of verses 1-5 appear to have taken place on the first day - because God wouldn't have created the earth nor would His Spirit have moved upon its formless void for a purposeless, timeless period. This calls into question the "Gap" theory and the "Pre-Adamic Race" theory.

When God gives us an opportunity, at first the circumstances may seem formless and void - but it is up to us by faith to speak light and form and thereby to give definition to the opportunity. We can exercize the faith of God. Even the Spirit of God awaits our faith-enactment through our spoken word followed by our action. And you have to know what to say, what to decree.

There is also a progression in development. One day builds upon the former. Achieving a divine purpose often requires building consistently over a period of days. You might not get far if you fulfill a divine purpose only for one day.

4 God assesses His work. When we assess our work, can we conclude that it is "good"?

God distinguishes between things: between light and darkness; between holy and profane; between soul and spirit.

5 A "day" begins at evening and concludes with daylight.

The days were 24hour periods - one period of darkness followed by one period of light. If a day was a thousand years or longer, plant-life which depends upon photosynthesis for growth, could not have survived.

God names and numbers things.

6 God speaks, pronounces, decrees, before doing. His Word is supreme. See note on verse 26

8 The "Heaven" of verse eight is probably the same "heaven" in which the birds fly (verse 20). This may help to identify the "firmament".

14-18
The sun, moon and stars were made for earth's benefit. There is no mention of them being made as a home for extra-terrestrial life.

When God made animals and trees, He evidently made them with the appearance of age - that is, He made them to instantly appear fully grown. In the same way, God caused light from distant stars to immediately begin appearing on the earth. Modern dating methods may give exaggerated results for the age of the earth or universe because they cannot take this instant appearance-of-age at creation into account.

Plants and animals were created after their kind and given the ability to reproduce after their kind. This is a denial of the theory of a common origin of all species.

26 There is a plurality of persons within the Godhead.

God - began every action with a spoken pronouncement, a decree. His Word was spoken in consultation with two or three witnesses. There was a first speaker within the Godhead, meaning that authority was recognized. Every action was later assessed and deemed to be not only good, but very good. That is godliness.

Both male and female are made in God's own image.

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