We have examined how Moses was led by God to select from various accounts and perhaps documents in composing Genesis. The Creation Account is actually two different accounts. The first one, Genesis 1:1-2:3, is the theological account of Creation. It follows the particular logic of Hebrew thinking, and provides an explanatory foundation for parts of Hebrew culture. This by no means denies the facts in this first account; rather, we place it in the proper perspective.
1:1-5 -- There is much dispute over words and phrases here, but that's the result of Western logic. The Hebrew mind sees the picture of God hovering over His unformed Creation like a mother hen over her brood. Only a Western mind would point out that liquid water is a primary ingredient for life as we know it. Don't chase details; get an overall image. The first thing God does is to separate Light (Truth) from Darkness (Deception). He established a standard -- there is a right and and a wrong. Night gives way to dawn; falsehood gives way to Truth. Also note: the pattern of Hebrew reckoning is established for what constitutes "a day" -- evening and then morning. The new day begins at nightfall.
1:6-8 -- A "firmament" was created. Most presume this means an expanse of sky or air was inserted between the waters of earth and the waters of the sky. Primordial earth was wrapped in a cloud layer. Our Western mind notes that this would make the entire surface of the earth tropical or subtropical, like southern Texas where these studies were developed. The cloud layer would also serve to block out many of the cosmic particles that cause human aging, and would obscure the sky. You would be able to detect the sun and moon, but little else. To squeeze out that much factual detail is missing the point. These are popular notions, but the idea of firmament is more of a separaton of planetary masses. Firmament means "space."
1:9-13 -- Dry land and plants were formed. Land was pushed up, and water ran off into the low places. There was now a place to introduce the first form of life: plants. Everything living is organized according to a pattern on earth, that everything would bear the seeds of its own reproduction. Those seeds would produce more of the same thing, not some other thing. Species of life could not readily cross by accident. We would note that God created DNA structures to enforce this plan.
1:14-19 -- To our Western logical minds, it makes no sense that the sun (a necessity for plant growth) came after plants were grown. That misses the point. What is the reason given for celestial luminaries? So that humans could mark seasons, and mark the passing of time in cycles that were predictable. Such a thing was so critical to humanity that most pagan religions have some sort of celebration of seasons, luminaries, and the cycle of life. Notice that the plants were a large part of the reason for celestial lights.
1:20-23 -- Fish and fowl come next. The seas from third day were filled with living, moving creatures. The sky of the second day was filled with creatures that were at home on the wind. A zoologist might note that, according the Theory of Evolution, these two are related somewhat, noting that the Hebrew word for "fish" includes a lot of things we don't under the English word. In the Hebrew mind it is enough to note that each step brings ever-increasing complexity. Fish and fowl are the simplest of animals.
1:24-30 -- Land animals were the last group. Again, notice the inter-species barrier, "after their kind." Notice how, so far, the logic has been from the simplest to the more complex. Finally, God makes a creature in His own image. Whatever else that means, it means that this creature was inherently designed to commune with God. Further, this creature was the final step, the culmination, the whole purpose for the rest of His Creation. This resulted in the creature having dominion over the rest of Creation. There are other, unspoken purposes hinted at, and they are the reason for the rest of Scripture.
1:31-2:3 -- The Sabbath, the day of rest. The cycle of Creation was complete, and God set apart the seventh as a day of rest. It was designed to bless the human race, by giving them a break from labor -- no employer or master could require anyone to work that day -- and providing an opportunity to turn and commune with God, one of the primary purposes for humans to exist.
We have established, then, the theological picture of Creation. Had we been there to witness it, would we have reported it this way? Would it have taken place in this exact sequence? Silly question. The right question is: What does this demand of humankind?
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Ed Hurst
Last revised 25 October 2003
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