Bible Basics: Genesis 1-2

Background

Early church Fathers as well as present-day Christian scholars generally agree that God inspired Moses to write and compile Genesis. While the exact date of authorship is unknown, it is estimated at around 1445 B.C., based on corresponding historical events in other portions of the Bible.(1)

Chapter 1

The Beginning

Verses 1–2: God made planet earth, with all its raw materials ready for sculpting. He also created the “heavens,” or what we commonly call “outer space.”(2) All was enveloped in darkness.

Day 1

3–5: God created an unknown source of light and limited the length of its shine, alternating it with a set period of darkness. He called these two-part, dark/light cycles “days.” By dividing eternity into even, successive segments, he essentially invented time.

Day 2

6–8: God separated the water on Earth from the water suspended in clouds (presumably, or in a different form), by putting space between them. He called the space “sky.”

Day 3

9–10: God gathered the waters together, which allowed dry ground to appear, forming the “seas” and oceans as we know them today.

11–13: He also made all vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit-bearing trees. Twice on this day, God surveyed his work and called it “good.” This affirms the inherent value of our planet, all that he created on it, and the order he gave it.

Day 4

14–19: God created the sun, moon, and stars. Instead of a lone light source marking the passage of time in days, these sky lights received the assignment. They also began marking the seasons and years, as the earth revolved around the sun and impacted temperature and other factors. God called this good as well.

Day 5

God made the birds and all water creatures. For the first time, we see God's command to reproduce, spread out, and fill the earth. Yep. This was good too.

Day 6

24–25: God made livestock, wild animals, and land creatures. All good.

26–28: He also created humanity in his image or likeness. The plural “our” in verse 26 likely refers to the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working together as one God in the act of creating). Just like God, we have a will for making choices, emotions for feeling the ups and downs of life, a mind for exercising rational thought, and language for communicating with him and others. What's more, we’re made with inherent dignity and value, which reflect God's infinite worth. What an honor!

Like other living creatures, God created us to fill the earth and enjoy it, but with one distinction: we are given the responsibility and privilege of managing God's world. We’re not to damage and exploit it, but recognize its inherent value and care for it well.

29–30: God gave humanity and every living creature the plants for food. No steaks yet!

31: In summing it all up, God affirmed that everything he made was very good!

Chapter 2

Day 7

1–3: With his creation complete, God took a break from his work. He set aside the seventh day as a special day to rest from work, and, as we'll see later in the Bible, enjoy time with him and others.

Detailed Retelling of the Creation

4–8: These verses refer back to day three of creation, when God made all plant life. We see that these plants were created in fully mature versus seed form. There was not yet sun, or rain, or mankind to sow and cultivate plants.(3) Rather, springs flowing up from the earth’s interior watered the land. After this, God made a man from the ground, gave him breath and life, and placed him in the Garden of Eden.

9: God made many trees in the garden, including the “tree of life” and the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

10–14: A river flowed through and out of Eden, splitting into four smaller rivers: the Euphrates, the Pishon, the Gihon, and the Tigris; all located in the present-day Middle East.

15–17: Referring back to day six of creation, God made Adam and commissioned him with the task of caring for the garden. He gave him freedom to use any tree for food except the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” We see God's love for humanity from the very beginning, as he warns Adam away from the one thing that would cause his downfall. He does no less for us today.

18–25: For the first time, God says that something (aloneness) is “not good” (v. 18). This is a powerful statement, revealing our undeniable need for connection with others. It’s a need so essential to our well-being that God created another person, different from Adam, to help fulfill it.

The animals were brought to Adam, and he named them, but none of them were “suitable helpers.” God didn't make another guy for Adam to hang out with, simply a friend, but someone to compliment and complete him. Putting Adam into a “deep sleep,” God used one of his ribs to make Eve. He gave Adam the privilege of naming her as well, and “woman,” meaning “taken out of man,” was an apt choice. It reflected the exclusivity of this relationship as the most intimate of all human bonds—where two people become as one. While it wasn't intended to completely meet the need for human connection, it’s the one relationship that was intended most to reflect God's selfless love for humanity.

(1) https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_678.cfm

(2) http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVanswers/2013/01-19e.html

(3) https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/23129/does-genesis-25-7-suggest-the-passage-of-time