The creation story begins with the opening chapter of the Bible and these words: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (NIV) This sentence summarizes the drama that was about to unfold.
We learn from the text that the earth was formless, empty, and dark, and God's Spirit moved over the waters preparing to perform God's creative Word. Then began the seven most creative days of all time as God spoke life into existence. A day by day account follows.
Watch Now: A Simple Version of The Bible Creation Story
The Creation Day by Day
The creation story takes place in Genesis 1:1-2:3.
Day 1 - God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light "day" and darkness "night."
Day 2 - God created an expanse to separate the waters and called it "sky."
Day 3 - God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters "seas." On day three, God also created vegetation (plants and trees).
Day 4 - God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and to govern and separate the day and the night. These would also serve as signs to mark seasons, days, and years.
Day 5 - God created every living creature of the seas and every winged bird, blessing them to multiply and fill the waters and the sky with life.
Day 6 - God created the animals to fill the earth. On day six, God also created man and woman (Adam and Eve) in his own image to commune with him. He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate.
Day 7 - God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy.
A Simple—Not Scientific—Truth
Genesis 1, the opening scene of the biblical drama, introduces us to the two main characters in the Bible: God and man. Author Gene Edwards refers to this drama as "the divine romance." Here we meet God, the Almighty Creator of all things, revealing the ultimate object of his love—man—as he concludes the stunning work of creation. God has set the stage. The drama has begun.
The simple truth of the biblical creation story is that God is the author of creation. In Genesis 1, we are presented with the beginning of a divine drama that can only be examined and understood from the standpoint of faith. How long did it take? How did it happen, exactly? No one can answer these questions definitively. In fact, these mysteries are not the focus of the creation story. The purpose, rather, is for moral and spiritual revelation.
It Is Good
God was very pleased with his creation. Six times throughout the process of creating, God stopped, observed his handiwork, and saw that it was good. On final inspection of all that he had made, God regarded it as "very good."
This is a great time to remind ourselves that we are part of God's creation. Even when you don't feel worthy of his pleasure, remember that God made you and is pleased with you. You are of great worth to him.
The Trinity in the Creation
In verse 26, God says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness ..." This is the only instance in the creation account that God uses the plural form to refer to himself. It's interesting to note that this happens just as he begins to create man. Many scholars believe this is the Bible's first reference to the Trinity.
The Rest of God
On the seventh day, God rested. It's hard to come up with a reason why God would need to rest, but apparently, he considered it important. Rest is often an unfamiliar concept in our busy, fast-paced world. It's socially unacceptable to take an entire day to rest. God knows we need times of refreshing. Our example, Jesus Christ, spent time alone, away from the crowds.
The rest of God on the seventh day sets an example for how we ought to spend and enjoy a regular day of rest from our labors. We should not feel guilty when we take time each week to rest and renew our bodies, souls, and spirits.
But there is a more profound significance to God's rest. It figurately points to a spiritual rest for believers. The Bible teaches that through faith in Jesus Christ, believers will experience the delights of resting in heaven forever with God: "So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world."(See Hebrews 4:1-10)
Questions for Reflection
The creation story clearly shows that God enjoyed himself as he went about the work of creation. As noted previously, six times he stopped and savored his accomplishments. If God takes pleasure in his handiwork, is there anything wrong with us feeling good about our achievements?
Do you enjoy your work? Whether it's your job, your hobby, or your ministry service, if your work is pleasing to God, then it should also bring pleasure to you. Consider the work of your hands. What things are you doing to bring pleasure to both you and God?
Here are the things created on each day: day 1 - light and darkness; day 2 - sky and sea; day 3 - land; day 4 - sun and moon; day 5 - birds and fish; day 6 - animals, man, and woman; day 7 - God rests. Now compare day 1 with day 4, day 2 with day 5, and day 3 with day 6.
The first creation account is divided into seven days during which God creates light (day 1); the sky (day 2); the earth, seas, and vegetation (day 3); the sun and moon (day 4); animals of the air and sea (day 5); and land animals and humans (day 6). God rested from his work on the seventh day of creation, the Sabbath.
On the second day of creation, God separated the water above the earth from the water on the earth, placing the sky between the two. The sky (or our atmosphere) is like a blanket of gasses that protects the earth.
On the first day, there was light; on the second day, the sky and the air; on the third day, there was land and plants; on the fourth day, there was the sun and moon; on the fifth day, there were birds and aquatic animals; and on the sixth day, there were animals and man. Interesting, right?
Dry land and plants were created on the third day. On the fourth day, God created the sun, the moon and the stars. Water and sky animals were made on the fifth day, and on the sixth day, land animals and people were created.
the fifth day - creatures that live in the sea and creatures that fly were created. the sixth day - animals that live on the land and finally humans, made in the image of God were created. by day seven - God finished his work of creation and rested, making the seventh day a special holy day.
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: God made animals and people on the sixth day. Also, emphasise that people are different from animals in that we are made in God's image to have a relationship, or friendship, with Him.
So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
On the third day of creation, God separated land and sea and caused dry land to appear. God also created vegetation on the third day. The creation must have begun to take on beauty and majesty. The creation of our world was done in an orderly fashion, leading up to its completion.
On the first day of creation, God spoke, and light appeared. This was not the sun's light because the sun was not created until the fourth day. This was a special light from a source only God knew.
The 8th day was the first day of the following week. At that time, God turned his attention to other work projects, including the maintenance and oversight of his creation.
"1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.
He finished doing everything needed for our salvation –restoring us to eternal life –returning us to His presence. And there's nothing we can add to it! Our life is to be spent trusting Him for all things and telling others about that life which is only possible through His Son Jesus.
By the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing. So on the seventh day he rested from all of his work. God blessed the seventh day and made it a holy day. He made it holy because on that day he rested.
Whereas the first account (Gen 1) pictures God as more transcendent, speaking creation into being by his word, the second account (Gen 2) portrays God as more immanent, forming the human from the dust of the ground (like a potter working with clay), and conversing with humans.
The Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath (from Hebrew shavat, “to rest”) is observed throughout the year on the seventh day of the week—Saturday. According to biblical tradition, it commemorates the original seventh day on which God rested after completing the creation.
Abu Haraira reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) took hold of my hands and said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light on Wednesday ...
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Garden-of-Eden-58b5cae73df78cdcd8bc27a4.jpg "The Seven Days of Creation: What Happened on Each Day? (1)")
