Freshmen “Old Testament

Lesson Three“The Six Days of Creation”

• Genesis 1:1-3 

•  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.

Days of Creation in Genesis One

• 1. What is the purpose of verse 1?

• a. It sets the stage for what is to follow.

• b. It establishes that creation was no accident.

• c. It tells us that all things began with God.

Days of Creation

Day 1

• 2. In what verse does Creation begin?

• a. Is it verse 1?

• b. Is it verse 2?

• c. Or is it verse 3?

• c. What difference does it make?

• 3. If “creation” begins in verse 1 then the verse makes no sense because it is merely an announcement.

• 4. If “creation” begins in verse 3 then it opens up the possibility of “gaps of time”.

• 5. Verse 2 makes the most sense.

• 6. If Creation begins in verse 2 then what was created on the first day?

• a. The earth

• b. Water

• c. The Laws of Nature—Gravity

• d. At this point in time the earth had no form or shape

• e. No room for “gaps of time”.

• 7. What is the significance of the word “And” at the beginning of verse 3?

• The activity of verse 2 (first day creation) continues to happen in verse 3.

• 8. So what did God create in verse 3?

• “Light”

• 9. How did God do it?

• By the power of His word—”He said…”

• 10. What did He think about this creation?

• It was good!

• Genesis 1:4-5 

• 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

• 11. What did He do with the “light”?

• He separated it from the darkness.

• 12. What does He do with the separation?

• Light is called “day”

• Darkness is called “night”

• 13. And so what was also established on Day One?

• a. “Time”

• b. 60 seconds to a minute

• c. 60 minutes to an hour

• d. Twenty four hours in a day

• e. Seven days in a week

• f. 365 days in a year

• g. The rotation of the earth

• “And there was evening, and there was morning –the first day.”

• 14. What other question should we ask about Day One?

• “From where did the light come?”

• 15. Let’s look at some Scripture:

• a. Isaiah 9:2

• “2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

• b. John 1:4

• “4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

• c. John 8:12

• “12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

• d.II Corinthians 4:6

• “6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,“ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

• e.Ephesians 5:14

• “14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

• f.Revelations 21:23

• “23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

g.Perhaps the “light” was Christ who pierced the darkness.

Days of Creation

• Genesis 1:6-8 

•  6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Day 2

• 16. What does God create on Day 2?

• He creates the “sky/atmosphere”.

• 17. How does He do that?

• He separated the “water under the expanse from the water above it”.

• 18. What do you think is this “water above and water below”?

19.Four Theories about the “water above and the water below”• a. Theory One…• 1) The “waters above” refer to the clouds

in our atmosphere. • 2) The “waters below” refer to the ocean.• 3) Read Genesis 1:16-17 and tell me why

this might not be true. • Does not fit with Scripture if the expanse

includes the place where the sun, moon and stars are located.

• b. Theory Two…

• 1) The “waters above” refer to the oceans, while

• 2) The “waters below” refer to underground water.

• 3) Why might this not be true?

• Doesn’t fit with Scriptures apparent definition of “expanse” and once again what about the sun, moon and stars

• c. Theory Three…• 1) The “waters above” refer to a water

vapor canopy above our present atmosphere.

• 2) What might of happened at the time of the Flood?

• This canopy collapsed at the Flood and supplied the necessary water to flood the Earth.

• 3) The “waters below” are the oceans.

• 4) Why might this not be true?• Hard to fit with Scripture if the expanse

includes the sun, moon and stars.• 5) Where would be its location?• This canopy would have to be between the

atmosphere—where the birds fly—and the sun, moon and stars.

• If the canopy is between the sun, moon and starts and the earth how would sunlight and heat get through to the earth for the vegetation to grow and to sustain life.

• If the canopy is around the sun, moon and stars and then we have the earth then how would the heat from the sun escape the earth—everything would burn up.

• d. Theory Four…

• 1) The “waters above” refer to the boundary of the universe;

• 2) The “waters below” refer to the oceans.

• 3) This would mean that our universe/or God’s creation is bounded—it has limits.

• 4) Evolution would say that our universe has no boundaries.

• 5) No real way for us to prove this theory.

Days of Creation

• Genesis 1:9-13 •  9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be

gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

•  11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Day 3• 20. What does God create on Day 3?• a. He gathers the water into certain places

on the earth.• b. He gives “boundaries” for the water and

calls them “seas”.• c. He causes the land to appear.• d. He creates vegetation and trees on the

land.• e. Each would bear more “according to

their various kinds”.

• 21. What importance do you see in the phrase, “according to their kinds”?

• a.There is an “order” to His creation.

• b.Nature can not do whatever it pleases.

• c.Fruit Trees produce:

Fruit!!

• d.Vegetables produce:

Vegeta

bles

Days of Creation

• Genesis 1:14-19 

•  14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Day 4• 22. What did God create on Day 4?

• The sun, moon and stars

• 23. Why did He create the sun, moon and stars?

• a. To separate “day” from “night”.

• b. To mark the “seasons, days and years”.

• 24. What other question might come up as you look at what was created on day 4?

• What about the “light” before day 4?

Days of Creation

• Genesis 1:20-23 •  20 And God said, "Let the water teem with

living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

Day 5

• 25. What did God create on Day 5?

• a. Fish and the “great creatures of the sea”

• b. Birds

• 26. How did God create the fish and the birds?

• “According to their own kind”.

• 27. Therefore, fish will produce:

Fish

• 28. And birds will produce:

Birds

• 29. What does God do different with the fish and birds that He does not do with the trees and vegetation?

• a.He orders them to “be fruitful and increase in number.

• b.He orders them to “fill the sea and the sky”.

Days of Creation

• Genesis 1:24-25 

•  24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Day 6

• 30. What does God create on the Day 6?

• All the land animals both domestic and wild.

• 31. How did God make them?

• a. He brings them forth from the ground.

• b. He creates them “according to its kind”

• 32. Which means that dogs produce:

Dogs

• 33. That cats produce:

Cats

• 34. That cattle produce:

Cattle

• 35. That “creatures that move along the ground” produce:

Yikes!!!!

• Genesis 1:26-30 •  26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our

image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

36. Also on the sixth day God Created “man”!• a. How did God create

man?

• 1) In His own image.

• 2) What does it mean “to be made in the image of God”?

• Aa. Not a physical likeness since God is a spirit.

•

• Bb. Not with the same qualities of God like:• aa. Omnipotence• bb. Omniscient• cc. Omnipresent• dd. Creator• Cc. But Adam and Eve are like God in

terms of:• aa. Being sinless.• bb. Being perfect.• cc. Being compassionate.• dd. Being caring.

• b. A specific description of the creation of “man” in Genesis 2:7

• 1) God took the time to “form” man.

• 2) This implies an intimate relationship between God and man.

• 3) God did not just say “come forth”.

• 4) God “breathed” life into man and He did not do this with the rest of His creation.

• 5) Man became a “living being”, the possessor of a “soul”.

• c. God gives man responsibilities:

• 1) Rule the earth

• 2) Increase in number/fill the earth

• 3) Subdue the earth

• Genesis 1:29-31  • 29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-

bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

•  31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

• 37. What do you observe about the source of man’s and animal’s food ?

• a.In the beginning all were vegetarian!

• b. In contrast what does “evolution” think about the source of food?

• Meat

• c. Therefore, “evolution” has to conclude that what was in the world from the very beginning?

• Death, suffering, pain

38. And God saw His total creation and what was His response?That “it was good”!• a. “Good” used seven times in Chapter 1.

• b. Seven is a number for perfection/complete.

• c. So God’s creation (man) was perfect/complete.

• d. What is interesting is that here on the last day and after creating “man” God says “very good”.

• 39. Reflecting in Psalm 8:3-8• “3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your

fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”

• a. What does the psalmist find puzzling about God?

• That God would think about “man” compared to the rest of creation.

• b. What is man’s position in regards to the rest of creation?

• Man created just a little lower than the angels. A position of honor!

• c. What has God made us “over the works of your (God’s) hands…?

• Ruler• d. Where has God placed “all of His creation”?• Under man’s feet—his control.

• Genesis 2:1-3 

•  1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

•  2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Day 7

• 40. What happened on Day 7?

• a. God finished His creative work.

• b. God “rested”.

• c. God blessed the day and made it holy.

• Meaning “to be set apart”.

• 41. So let us sum up this third lesson by means of the picture at the right. This picture will help us remember what Genesis 1 is all about!

• 42. The hands lifting the world out of the mist—We have a God who brought all into existence.

• 43. God’s hands are chained to the world—We have a God who is bound to His creation..

• 44. The halo of light around the world—We have a God who made it all “good”.

• 45. The man holding the crown—We have a God who has made us the “crown” of His creation.

• 46. The four jewels of the crown—We have a God who gives us His creation as a gift to:

• a.Rule it• b.Subdue it• c.Replenish it• d.Care for it

• 47. The banner encircling the man—We have a God who longs for a living relationship with each one of us.