origins genesis 1:1-19 session 4: earth - clover...

ORIGINS

Genesis 1:1-19

Session 4: Earth

James River Community Church

David Curfman

February – May 2013

Genesis Chapter 1

Earth really is “good”, “beautiful” and

“perfect”!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN-

O4fQTau0

“By doing science, we find God” – Lee

Strobel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN-O4fQTau0




Outline 1. Genesis 1-11 (Introduction)

2. Genesis 1:1-31 (Universe Part 1) – Big Bang Model

3. Genesis 1:1-31 (Universe Part 2) – Old and Young Earth

Models

4. Genesis 1: 1-19 (Earth) – Days 1 to 4

5. Genesis 1: 1-19 (Earth)

6. Genesis 1:13-25 (Plants and Animals) – Evolution

7. Genesis 1:26-2:4a (Man – male and female, Rest)

8. Genesis 2:4b-2:24 (Man and Woman, Garden of Eden & Marriage)

9. Genesis 3-5:1a (Sin & Curse)

10. Genesis 5:1b-6:9a (Decay)

11. Genesis 6:9b – 10:1a (Flood & Justice)

12. Genesis 10:1b -12:4 (Nations and Languages)

Earth: Objectives

Understand the Hebrew words used in

Genesis

Understand Genesis 1:1-19 (Days 1-4)

Quick Review Don’t let changing science drive your understanding of the

unchanging Word of God

You must be consistent in your interpretation of the Word of God

God created the universe and earth

The universe had a beginning

Big Bang requires 95% of matter and energy in the universe to be dark

matter and dark energy

Big Bang is an explanation for the perceived expansion of the universe

Maximum reliable distance measurements are about 500 light years

Moses wrote Genesis as 11 separate “accounts”

Hebrews 11:3 – “By faith we understand that the universe

was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was

not made out of what was visible.”

Young Earth Interpretation

Progressive Creation

Gap Theory

References Old earth

◦ Reasons to Believe – http://www.reasons.org

◦ Old Earth Ministries – http://www.oldearth.org

◦ GodandScience.org – http://www.godandscience.org

◦ American Scientific Affiliation – http://network.asa3.org

◦ Sententias.org – http://www.sententias.org

Young earth

◦ Institute for Creation Research – http://www.icr.org

◦ Answers in Genesis – http://www.answersingenesis.org

◦ Creation Research Society – http://www.creationresearch.org

◦ Center for Scientific Creation – http://www.creationscience.com

Intelligent Design

◦ Discovery Institute – http://www.discovery.org

http://www.reasons.org/

http://www.oldearth.org/

http://www.godandscience.org/

http://network.asa3.org/

http://www.sententias.org/

http://www.icr.org/

http://www.answersingenesis.org/

http://www.creationresearch.org/

http://www.creationscience.com/

http://www.discovery.org/

Hebrew Word Meaning References

Yamim (from yom) Period of time, e.g. 40 years Gen 4:3; 1 Kings 11:42; 2 Chr

21:19

Yowm(from yom)

Period of time, daylight, day,

year, first, “when”

2303 times – Gen 2:4, 17, 5:1-2,

30:14: Josh 24:7; Ps 90:4; Is

11:10-11

Yowm(from yom)

Period of time Most of the prophets – e.g. Ez 30:

3; Zeph 1:14-16 Zec 14:1; Mal

3:2 & 4:5 (period of time)

Yowm(from yom)

Day (24-hr). Forms of “yom”

occur 2303 times meaning age,

day, each, time year etc. No

hours existed in time of Moses,

only night watches. God

called the light “DAY”

239 times – Gen 1:5, 1:8, 1:13,

1:19, 1:23, 1:31, 2:3 (7 x “day”);

Gen 7:4,11, 12, 17, 24, Gen 8:3-14

(24-hr days), Gen 50:3; Ex 12:18;

Ex 16:1-5; Ex 20:8-11

* “Yowm” always means 24 hr.

day when accompanied by a

number.

Earth: Hebrew words for “day”

Earth: Hebrew words for “create”

The Creation Verbs of Genesis – Some say words are interchangeable (young

earth) while others see specific meanings (old earth)

Hebrew Word Meaning Location

Bârâʾ to create (always with God as subject); to

shape, to fashion; possibly to create out of

nothing(ex nihilo)

55 times - Gen. 1:1 (heavens and earth)

1:21 (first life: sea creatures and animals

which fly) 1:27 (human life: man) 2:3-4

(heavens and earth) 5:1-2 (man) 6:7 (man);

Deut 4:32; Ps 51:10, Ps 148:5; Is 45:18

Wayyaas - ʿâsâh to make [produce], possibly to make out

of existing material; to do, to work; to act, to

effect; to prepare; to make (an offering)

Gen. 1:7 (atmosphere) 1:16 (sun and

moon) 1:25 (land animals) 1:26 (man) 1:31

(all) 2:2-4 (all, heavens and earth) 2:18

(woman specifically); Is 45:18

Bânâh ( נָּה ]( בָּ to build, rebuild; to build a house (i.e.,

establish a family); to make, fashioned

Gen. 2:22 (the woman being built,

made of Adam’s rib); Gen 4:17 (city); Gen

8:20 (ark) 10:11 (Nineveh); 12:7 (altars

numerous times)

Yâtsar to form, fashion [by God or man]; to form

[by God in creation, in original creation]; of

individuals at conception; of Israel as a

people

Gen. 2:7-8 (man being formed of the

dust of the ground); Is 29:16 ( potter and

clay); Is 45:18

Earth: Other key Hebrew words


Beresit “In beginning” (one word),

Beginning of time

5 times - Gen 1:1; Jer 26:1, 27:1, 28:1,

49:34 (indicates the beginning of the

Kingdom)

Hassamayim 1) Sky, atmosphere Gen 1:26, 1:28, 1:30, 2:19, 2:20; Gen 7:3-23;

8:2 (Noah’s ark)

Hassamayim 2) Heavens, abode of the

stars, visible universe

3) Originally meant home of

God

236 times – Gen 1:1, 1:8, 1:9, 1:14, 1:15,

1:17,1:20, 2:1, 2:4; Gen 22:17; Gen 24:7, Ex

20:11 & 31:17; Ex 32:13; Deut 1:10; Deut

4:26

Erets Earth, land. Idea of “planet”

did not enter language until

1400 AD

934 times – Gen 1:1; 1:11, 1:12, 1:15, 1:17,

1:20, 1:24, 1:25, 1:26, 1:28, 1:29, 1:30; 2:5, 2:6,

2:12; Gen 7 & 8 (Flood); Ex 20:11 & 31:17;

Is 45:18

To-hu Formlessness, confusion,

unreality, emptiness, chaos,

waste or “no land”

10 times – Gen 1:2; Job 26:7; Is 40:17

Is 45:18,19; Jer 4:23 (may support gap

theory)

Wabohu Emptiness, void or “unfilled”

i.e. “no inhabitants”

3 times – Gen 1:2; Is 34:11; Jer 4:23

*Always used with to-hu



Mayim Waters 96 times – Gen 1:2, 1:6, 1:7, 1:9, 1:10,

1:20, 1:21,1:22; 7:17-24 & 8:1-13: Ex

14:21-28

Yammim Seas 21 times – Gen 1:10; Job 6:3; Ps 65:7;

Ps 78:27; Jer 15:8: Ez 27:25-27

Tehowm The Deep, the sea, the

abyss, “water in

commotion”

21 times – Gen 1:2; 7:11; 8:2; Jonah

2:5; Ps 135:6

Yehi (from Hayah) Let there be, cause to

become, arise, come into

being

3561 times - hayah.

50 times – Gen 1:3(light), 1:6

(expanse), 1:14 (lights)

*most other times “become”

Central Lending Library, Edinburgh,

Scotland


Chosek Darkness, obscurity

(absence of light)

80 times – Gen 1:2; 1:4; 1:5;

1:18; Ex 10:21-22; Ex 14:20 (23

times in Job; PS 18:28)Is 45:7

Layelah (from layil) Night (named by God) 233 times – Gen 1:5; Gen 1:14,

1:16, 1:18; 7:4, 7;12; Ex 13:21-22;

Ex 24:18, Num 14:14

Owr (from Or) Light 52 times – Gen 1:3; Job

31:26(sun); Ez 32:8 (stars); 2

Sam 23:4 (Yahweh)

Maor (also from Or) The Light 19 times – Gen 1:14; 1:15; 1:16; Ps

74:16; Ex 32:8

ereb Evening, sunset 18 times – Gen 1:5, 1:8, 1:13, 1:19,

1:23, 1:31 (6 x “day”) Ps 55:17; Ps

65:8; Dan 8:14

boqer Morning, sunrise, dawn 9 times - Gen 1:5, 1:8, 1:13, 1:19,

1:23, 1:31 (6 x “day”) Ps 65:8


Phrase Meaning References

Wayyabdel

(from badal)

Divide or separate, set apart 42 times – Gen 1:4, 18 (light/dark); 1:6-

7 (waters under/waters above); Gen 1:14

(day/night); Ex 14:21; Lev 20:24-26

(Israelites/others); 1Chr 25:1

Raqia Expanse, firmament (the result of

expanding a metal by hammering

it into thin sheets) God named

it “Sky or heaven”

17 times – Gen 1:6; 1:7; 1:8, 1:14, 1:15,

1:17, 1:20, Ez 1:22-26; Dan 12:3. See

also Job 37:18 and Ps 136:6; Is 42:5, Is

44:24

Towb Good, pleasant 563 times – Gen 1:4, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21,

1:25, 1:31 (very!) (7 x good)

* Note “good” not mentioned on Day 2

Towb Good as opposed to evil Gen 2:9 & 2:17 & 3:5; 3:22

Towb Beautiful (root meaning) Gen 6:2 (daughters of men), Gen 24:16

& 26:7 (Rebekah), 2 Sam 11:2

(Bathsheeba) Est 1:11 (Queen Vashti)


Phrase Translation Meaning

Hassamayim

haares

“the heavens, the

earth” the entire

creation. No word

for “universe”

Merism: 2 opposites create an all-encompassing

whole (see Gen 14:19, 22; II Kings 19:15, Ps

121:2 = heaven and earth (singl.) into an

orderly world. In other places heaven means “sky”

Wahi Ereb Wahi

boqer yowm

“the evening, the

morning, day #”

1) Always 24 hour day. (Ps 55:17; Ps 65:8; Dan

8:14)

2) Merism: 2 opposites creating an all-

encompassing whole, but number following is

inconsistent (e.g. Ex 18:13-14; 27:21)

3) Jewish notation of 24 hour day (sunset to

sunrise comes with “evening” and “morning”,

Tohu-wabohu 1)Formless and void

2)Uninhabitable

and wilderness

3) Desert and

empty

3) Confusion and

disorder

1) French, "tohu-bohu" means "confusion" or

"commotion". German, "Tohuwabohu" means

"great confusion“

2) Chaos part of creation – Young earth

3) Chaos after creation – Gap Theory

4) Chaos before creation – Progressive creation

Earth: Key Hebrew phrases

Genesis 1:1-5 (Day 1) Genesis Text Young Earth Old Earth –

Progressive

Creation

Old Earth – Gap

Theory (Scoffield)

1:1 “In

beginning”

Absolute beginning of

time and creation of

all material things.

Spiritual beings

existed

Universe (stars) and

matter pre-existed

“When God began

to” i.e. an ongoing

process, using

material as a sculptor.

Absolute beginning of

time and creation of all

things.

“God created

the Heavens and

the earth”

Summary of rest of

the week

God began creating

all celestial bodies

over long periods of

time

Actually created all

celestial bodies as

perfect, then the Gap

1:2 “Earth was

formless and

void and

darkness over

the face of the

deep. Spirit of

God hovering

over the waters”

Earth created before

all other celestial

bodies and is lightless,

shapeless, and

landless (deep water),

but perfect (i.e. no

land and no people).

Darkness not created

Earth existed in a

state that was not

able to support life.

God began with an

existing chaos. God

begins to shape

matter into an

orderly planet

“The earth became

formless and void” due to

the fall of Satan & God’s

judgment on creation.

Evil, death, suffering &

dinosaurs enter world (i.e.

judgmental destruction

(Jer 4:23-26).

Genesis 1:1-5 (Day 1) Genesis

Text

Young Earth Old Earth –

Progressive

Creation

Old Earth – Gap

Theory

1:3 “Let there

be light”

Special light of

God “spoken”

into existence by

God, (not the sun,

which came on

day 4)

Light from the sun

broke through the

atmosphere. God is

light, thus not created.

Must be on visibility

God begins a new creation

after a very long period (e.g.

4.5 Billion yrs in vv1-2).

Light from the sun broke

through the atmosphere,

“was made to appear”

1:4 “Divided

light from

darkness”

A result of this

special light.

Light from the sun

broke through the

atmosphere

24 hour days continue, but

this is a special week

1:5 “Evening,

morning, day

one”. The

light was

Beautiful,

perfect,

complete,

good.

24 hour day

(sunset to

sunrise comes

with “evening”

and “morning”

modified by a

number.

Each day was a “rapid burst” of micro-evolution that

lasted millions of years/epochs. The First Creation Day

occurred sometime after the Beginning (Gen. 1:1-2).

God summoned the light to shine out of the darkness

on His vantage point on earth (Gen. 1:2-3). God saw

that the light was useful in its purpose and thus ended

the indefinite period of time He called Day One for

our purposes.


Progressive

Creation

Old Earth –

Gap Theory

1:6 “Let there

be” a firmament

God “spoke” a sky into

existence

God caused the Sky

to “appear” over a

long time

God caused the

Sky to “appear”

suddenly

1:7 God made the

firmament and

divided the

waters

God created the atmosphere

and separated the waters

above (the clouds,

atmosphere) from the waters

below (the sea). There was

a canopy over the earth

that prevented rain

creating a greenhouse

God is separating

the watery clouds

of heaven from the

waters of the earth.

God separated

the watery

clouds of heaven

from the waters

of the earth.

1:8 “God called

the firmament

heaven”

Or sky Or sky Or sky

1:8 “Evening,

morning, day

two” (good not

mentioned)

See Day 1 See Day 1 See Day 1, but

skies not fullly

formed


Progressive

Creation

Old Earth – Gap

Theory

1:9 "Let the water

under the sky be

gathered to one

place, and let dry

ground appear."

And it was so.

God “spoke” the

oceans and land

masses into

existence

Cooling of the earth and

water forms, i.t “bring

forth land” The seas

gather together

exposing the land

The seas gather

together exposing

the land

1:10 “God called the

dry ground "land,"

and the gathered

waters he called

"seas." Land and seas

are “beautiful.”

After a period of cooling, the earth was

relatively flat, without mountains and canyons,

and covered by water. Half-way through the

earth's 4.6 billion year history there arose

through this watery surface a single

continent or land mass. Over time, the

dynamics of plate tectonics, and other natural

processes, resulted in the single continent

separating into the multiple continents we see

today, along with mountains, valleys, etc.


Progressive

Creation

Old Earth – Gap

Theory

1:11 "Let the land

produce vegetation:

seed -bearing plants

and trees

Full grown mature plants

and trees are spoken

into existence on the

earth by God with their

seed. No pollination

God allowed

plants to appear

via some

process

God allowed plants

to appear via some

process

1:12 “The

land produced plants

bearing seed

according to their

kinds and trees

bearing fruit with seed

in it according

to their kinds.”

Species and phylum will be discussed in a few weeks

1:13 “Evening,

morning, day

three”. Vegetation is

beautiful

See Day 1 See Day 1 See Day 1


Progressive

Creation

Old Earth – Gap

Theory

Gen 1:14 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,

The sun, moon

and stars were

created in an

instant by God on

the fourth day for

a purpose.

The sun and stars finally became

visible on the 4th "day" when the

atmosphere became translucent enough

to permit "the lights" that God had

created to be clearly seen. This, then,

allowed them to fulfill their intended

purpose of government

Gen 1:16 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.

Sun, moon and

stars created

Or, "He had made two great lights..",

and "He also had made the stars" The

focus in day four is to make clear the

purpose of the celestial bodies - not their

origin. They are their to separate light

from darkness, to govern the day and

night, and to mark seasons, days and years.

1:13 “Evening, morning,

day four”. Stars, moon,

and sun are beautiful

See Day 1 See Day 1 See Day 1

Introduction: Why is Genesis 1

important? The Bible claims to be truth.

If the Bible does not represent truth, or if those opposed to the

teachings of Christianity can show that the Bible includes errors, the

claims of Christianity are impaired.

If a group interprets the Bible in a manner different than that which

the Hebrew text says, the truth claim of the Bible is impaired.

For evangelism, the issue is clear. Non-believers who decide to

explore the Bible and the claims of Christ will typically start with the

first page of the Bible. If the opponents of Christianity can impugn the

truthfulness of the Bible on the first page, the claims of Christ may

never be seriously considered.

See Psalm 104 – “The Creation Psalm”

Next week – the earth

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