Answers. Questions. Genesis 1:1-31

Transcription

1 1 Answers to Questions on Genesis 1: Why can it be said, in Coffman s view, that Genesis 1 is neither history, myth nor science? It is a record of facts that antedate history. It has creditability that myths lack and it deals with a beginning that science has not been able to describe. 2. If Genesis 1 is neither history, myth or science, what is it? It is the revealed, inspired word from God.

2 Modern secular man is in no better position than ancient man to know the truth about the origins of the universe, Smith wrote. 4. Kissling wrote, If Genesis is to speak to us, we must learn to put our questions on the sidelines and attempt to understand it on its own terms. 5. In its original context, this text (Genesis 1) was an assault on the polytheistic myths and world views so common in the ancient world, Kissling advised. 6. Kissling further wrote that, contrary to the myths of ancient Babylon, Egypt, et. al., God is pictured as benevolent, orderly in his approach, and acting for his people s good. 7. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth or, the entire universe. 8. Coffman wrote, That there was indeed a beginning of our universe and the world we live in is absolutely certain. No matter how far back into the mists of prehistoric time men may postulate the point of origins for our universe, it is precisely there that they must confront God! 9. This verse says nothing at all about when the beginning occurred, but declares emphatically that there was a beginning, a fact no reputable science on earth has ever denied, Coffman wrote. 10. What is the significance of referring to God with the term Elohim in the Old Testament? Elohim is a plural word which

3 3 may refer to the triune God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 11. Of how many heavens does the Bible speak? Define each heaven. Three heavens. 1) The earth s atmosphere. 2) The galaxies and constellations. 3) The presence of the throne of God. 12. Even an elementary observation of the wonders of the earth and the unfathomable majesty of the universe reveals the clear evidence of its intelligent design and its intelligent designer! 13. Kissling wrote, Genesis is not a scientific treatise and does not attempt to describe how or when the universe was created. 14. Kissling wrote, The narrative of creation was designed to contest the polytheistic creation stories of Israel s neighbors.

4 Notice that God s existence is not explained. His eternal existence is assumed. Nothing precedes God and everything owes its existence to him. (See Kissling.) 16. Describe in your own words the condition of the earth as pictured in verse 2. The sphere we call earth had no land mass. The surface was completely covered with water and was devoid of light in the darkness of space. 17. We are not told how much time elapsed between verses 1 and 2. As Coffman wrote, If it should be supposed that God launched a waste and void earth upon a journey that required billions of years to complete his wise designs, then, God s power in doing a thing like this is one and the same thing as his ability to have spoken the perfect and completed earth into existence instantaneously. 18. Water is essential to life and the second verse of the Bible speaks of the watery deep indicating not only its presence, but also the huge amount of it on the earth. 19. Initially the earth was unformed, unfilled, covered with water called the deep, enveloped in darkness over which the spirit of God hovered. (See Smith.)

5 Hamilton observed that the ancient near eastern readers would have understood creation as the taming and ordering of the chaos that originally existed. 21. Write Isaiah 45:18 and Isaiah 34:11 here. Isaiah 45:18, For this is what the Lord says, the one who created the sky he is the true God, the one who formed the earth and made it; he established it, he did not create it without order, he formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, I have no peer. Isaiah 34:11, Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her a measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction. 22. What is meant by the Spirit of God as used in verse 2? The spirit of God may equate to God s power. (Hamilton). Spirit can be translated as breath. (Kissling). It may refer to the presence of God. (W.H.)

6 List as many paired opposites as you can which are mentioned in Genesis 1. The heavens and the earth; light and darkness; day and night; evening and morning; land and sea; sun and moon along with stars; water for marine life and air for birds to fly. 24. Did light pre-date the creation of the sun? If so, what was its physical source? Yes. God spoke the command, Let there be light and there was light. Light originated from his command. 25. God separated the light from the darkness. Throughout the Bible light (righteousness) and darkness (wickedness) are opposed to each other. 26. God saw that the light was good. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. The presence of one dispels, banishes the other.

7 Kissling wrote, The right to name something in Biblical times often indicated ownership or authority over it. Here God shows his sovereign power by naming the light and darkness. 28. Coffman wrote, Although this verse appears to mean that the separation of light and darkness was the same as creating day and night, this meaning is not consistent with the appearance of the sun and moon on the fourth day. It is likely that light and darkness in some cosmic sense were divided on the first day. 29. Coffman wrote, This is generally hailed as requiring that the days of Genesis 1 be understood strictly as twenty-four hour periods of time, answering in everyway to our days of the week in an ordinary sense; but tremendous words of caution against such a view are thundered from the pages of inspiration. The very basis for calculating days and nights did not appear in this narrative until the fourth day. 30. How is the word day used in the Bible? The word day is used to designate varying lengths of time in the Bible. It may be a literal 24 hour day, or it could be long eons of time. 2 Peter 3:8 explains that man s concept of time can be markedly different than God s.

8 Coffman wrote, Significantly, the entire six days of creation are spoken of as a single day in Genesis 2: How have the days of creation been variously understood? A) A literal 24 hour day. B) Long periods of time. C) Figurative designation for the creative process. D) The true meaning has eluded us as One of the secret things which belong to God. 33. According to Kissling, why in Genesis 1 is evening mentioned before morning? Kissling wrote, Evening is probably mentioned before morning because of the Jewish custom of regarding the day as beginning at dusk, not at dawn. 34. Coffman concluded, Any basis for dogmatic assurance concerning exactly what is meant by the days of this chapter has eluded us, and we, therefore, leave it as one of the secret things which belong to God. 35. Define expanse as used in verse 6. How does the expanse separate water from water? Of what value is the

9 9 expanse? What purposes does it serve? The expanse refers to the atmosphere surrounding earth. It is a protective shield where evaporated moisture forms clouds which return water to earth as rain or snow. This shield also deflects showers of meteorites. 36. Does the sun rise and set literally, scientifically? How does this relate to Kissling s comment on verse 6, I, C? No. The earth s rotation makes it appear that the sun rises and sets to observers on earth. This is a good illustration of Kissling s comment, concise and easily understood. 37. The waters under the expanse refer to the oceans, lakes, rivers, etc., while the waters above the firmament were water vapors and clouds.

10 Why did some ancients fear the sky? Why did the Hebrews not fear the sky? The ancients feared the sky would fall on them. The Hebrews understood that God had ordered the sky along with everything in it and he would sustain it. 39. How can it be said that the waters under the sky were gathered together in one place? How could Moses have known this? What purpose did this gathering together of the waters serve? God ordered it to be, so it was done! Moses knew this through divine revelation. This allowed dry land to be created. 40. God called the dry ground land and the gathered waters he called seas. Kissling commented, The world is being prepared for habitation by human, animal and plant life to be created subsequently. 41. In Genesis 1, what things did God call good and what things did he call very good? What did God call not so good? As God created everything individually, he proclaimed it as

11 11 good. He judged his completed creation, everything as very good. God did not create anything not so good. 42. On the third day of creation, the entire scope of vegetation appeared. Each was to produce after its kind, like was to produce like. 43. What purposes does vegetation serve on earth? Vegetation provides food for humans and animals. It is a covering for soil that prevents erosion and retains water in the ground. Plants convert the carbon dioxide we exhale into oxygen which we require to survive. Also, the beauty of the landscape of trees, grass and fields is aesthetically pleasing to man. 44. Coffman understood verses to say that God positioned the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day of creation, but that they had existed since the first day of creation.

12 Many ancient people worshiped the sun, moon and stars. This chapter makes it clear that their creator is to be worshiped, not the sun, moon and stars themselves. 46. Hamilton wrote that, on the first three days, God formed various habitats, while on the fourth through the sixth days, God filled them with appropriate inhabitants. 47. God so ordered the universe to run better than the world s best time piece by which directions, seasons, days and years are determined. 48. The sun, moon and stars provide light on earth and throughout the universe. 49. Kissling wrote that the ancient idolatrous nations worshiped the sun, moon and stars and feared the sea creatures which they regarded as semi-divine and things set on doing people harm. 50. In contrast with the ancient pagan view, Genesis 1 presents God as superior to and the creator of the sun, moon, and stars and all sea creatures. God designed these things for the good of mankind. 51. God did not make lesser gods such as Shamash, a sun god, or Yirach, a moon god. (See Kissling.) 52. Many ancients regarded stars as having control of human life. (See Kissling.)

13 What does the Bible have to say about astrology? What is astrology? Astrology is the study of heavenly bodies in an attempt to determine the future or influence events. God s people are not to practice black arts. Deuteronomy 4:19 warns against being seduced into worshiping the sun, moon or stars. Isaiah 47:13 mocks astrologers. Jeremiah 10:1-2 warns us not to follow pagan practices including astrology. 54. Look into the sky day or night and see that, after thousands, millions, billions or trillions of years as the case may be, the heavenly lights continue to shine and to perform their duties as God directed. The world would be much better if we humans would continually perform our duties as God has ordered. 55. The ancients regarded the sun and moon gods as being powerful and which could be capricious and dangerous to humanity. (See Kissling.) Genesis is telling its readers that the heavenly bodies were created by a loving God for the good of man. 56. Look at the heavens. Humans are left astounded, awestruck at what God created. 57. The events of days 4 and 5 are extensions of the activities of days 1 and 2 respectively.

14 Life came from God, only from God! 59. The waters were to be filled with abundant living creatures and birds were to fly above the earth across the lowest levels of the sky. 60. God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. 61. These creatures were not to be worshiped, but were to be seen as the results of God s power, wisdom and genius. 62. What does the Bible say about certain mythological gods worshiped by Israel s ancient neighbors? Do not worship or serve them. (Exodus 20:3-5 and Deuteronomy 5:7) As creator of all things, God is to be worshiped not the objects he has created. (Isaiah 27:1; 51:9; Psalm 74:13; Job 7:12. In addition to sea creatures, they were forbidden to worship the sun, moon and stars as their neighbors did. (Deuteronomy 4:19) 63. Of what did God s blessing of marine life and birds consist? God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply.

15 Those of us who see the fish of the sea and birds of the heaven as God s blessed creation will practice conservation in regard to their preservation and use without waste. 65. What appears to be the traditional Hebrew way of categorizing the animal kingdom? They are categorized into three broad kingdoms of cattle, creeping things and wild animals. 66. Are the theory of evolution and the reproduction of all animal and plant life after their kind compatible? Give reasons of your answer. They are not. Are you an exact copy of your father? Your mother? Of course not. Genetics combines the DNA of the male and female at conception which produces the unique characteristics in each of us. This genetic diversity is designed into every cell, plant and animal, which creates the variations observed in every living thing. The science of DNA disproves the possibility of introducing a new species through evolution. (See

16 16 Creation and Science, Holman Bible Dictionary, pg ) 67. For what purposes did God create humans? God created man to rule over his creation. He placed everything under man s authority and stewardship. 68. To what does Let us... refer in verse 26? The reference is most likely to the triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. John 1:1-2 confirms the presence of Jesus, which would also imply the presence of the Holy Spirit. The reference does not include angels. Even though they were present, they were not made in the image of God. 69. Humans were to be God s representatives on earth. In what ways can it be said that man was made in the image of God? Were the gods of Israel s ancient neighbors made in God s

17 17 image? Give reasons for your answer. 1) God s image in us is our moral, ethical and intellectual abilities. Only man has a spirit, a conscience and the ability to make the choice to follow or refuse to follow God. 2) No. Idols were statutes of men or animals. God is a spirit without physical form and cannot be made into an idol. 70. Man is actually male and female. By Hebrew convention the masculine word adām refers to the male humans and to humanity in general of both genders. 71. What did God s blessing of man encompass? 1) To be fruitful and multiply. 2) To fill the earth and subdue it. 3) To rule over all life in the sea, air and land wisely as good stewards of his creation. 72. In the ancient world of male and female dieties in conflict with one another, this would have been read as a revolutionary statement. (Kissling)

18 Man was to be fruitful and multiply, subdue the earth and rule over marine life, fowls and every creature that moves on the ground. 74. Kissling wrote, in view of what is said in verse 29, This text also implies that, at least in terms of God s ideal, humanity is not to use animals as a food source. The text does not explicitly prohibit the eating of animals, but neither does it authorize it at this stage of God s relationship with humanity. 75. Do you agree with Kissling s statement as given in question 74 above? Why or why not? Yes. By authorizing only plants and fruit from trees as food, the implication is that this is all that is authorized even though prohibitions are not expressed as the Thou shall not... commandments 6 through 10 of the decalogue. 76. What do Hosea 2:18, Isaiah 11:6-9 and Isaiah 65:25 say on this subject? The cited verses prophesy of a time when the earth will return to a state of paradise and we will no longer eat the flesh of animals for sustenance and all God s creatures will dwell in a state of peace, even animals we consider predators will co-exist in harmony.

19 The animal kingdom consisting of birds, beasts and creatures that move on the ground (creeping things) which have the breath of life in them were also provided their food source; that is, every green plant. 78. God spoke and it was done! There was no rebuttal, no argument. Oh, were it still that way! Sinful man has certainly made a mess of things. 79. In six periods, stages, days, steps, God s creative genius accomplished unspeakably wondrous things. 80. On the seventh day, God rested from his creative work. Define rested. How long has he been resting? Are we still in day seven? Rested here is interpreted as completing the process of creation. All things and beings created by him are continuing with their part of the process as God commanded, Be fruitful and multiply. God exists outside of time as we know it. 2 Peter 3:8,... and a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 81. Genesis 1 presents an all powerful God who created in stages called days the heavens and the earth.

20 By his omnipotent word, he brought order out of chaos, created everything that exists from the sun, moon, and stars to vegetation, to the animal kingdom, to humankind. 83. What God created and made was clearly good, very good. 84. This God is to be worshiped and served exclusively and with all our being! 85. What does Galileo Galilei have to do with our approach to understanding Genesis 1? Galileo s discoveries did not negate God s creation of the sun, moon and stars on the fourth creation day, but revealed things that many could not comprehend at that time in history. We can accept that these discoveries reinforce our understanding of the vastness, beauty and wonder of God s creation. In fact, they increase our faith, not diminish it. 86. The opening chapter of the Bible presents God as the unchallenged divine creator, king of heaven and earth. 87. How is man presented in Genesis and the rest of the Bible? Man is presented as a fallen creature, sinful and in need of redemption.

21 Should current, contemporary scientific views drive the process of biblical interpretation? Why or why not? No. The Bible is not a scientific paper full of hypotheses which change over time, but the unassailable enduring word of God. 89. Kissling wrote, The text does not seem the least bit interested in answering modern cosmological questions or harmonizing with modern creation theories. 90. What difference would it make instead if we ask what questions were of concern to an ancient people against a backdrop of their mythological and theological views? That certainly would take the scientific approach out of the equation, wouldn t it?