The Great Restoration, Genesis 1:3-2:3

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1.

And we know it was good, because God is good, and everything He creates is good and habitable; not a, chaotic barren wasteland covered in darkness. Psalm 100:5, 1 Timothy 4:4, Isaiah 45:18.

Yet, in verse two, the earth became a, chaotic barren wasteland covered in darkness.

This lacks the fingerprint of God; He is light and in Him is no darkness. We’re not told how the earth got this way, but see footprints of one whose very character is that of a, chaotic barren wasteland covered in darkness.

God created lucifer, in the prehistoric, dateless past. Like all God’s creation, He created him, good. Yet, lucifer chose pride, and was cast to the earth; along with a third of the angels who chose to follow him.

We don’t know what they did when they got here, we just see the results.

² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.

But God, showed up.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

And He spoke up.

³ Then God said,

And just to be sure we always remember and always find hope, no matter how chaotic or barren or dark our world becomes, His first words ever recorded for us to hear, are:

“Let there be light”

and there was light.

And thus began the Great Restoration.

⁴And God saw the light, that it was good;

And thus begins the pattern of creation week. God says it, it’s so, and it’s good.

One other thing. “Let there be…” is the first of the 10 Commandments of Creation. Ten times we’ll hear God say, “Let there be…”

and God divided the light from the darkness.

And He’s still doing it today. Every sunrise declares His mercies are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23. His voice still echoes from that day to this, calling whosoever will, out of darkness and into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9.

⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

The original Hebrew word for ‘Day’ is: yôwm. It is used over 2,600 times in scripture;  similar to the way we use the word, "day". 

It can refer to daylight hours; or, it may imply an undetermined period of time, such as, "the day of the Lord" or, we might say, "back in the day." 

Additionally, "day" simply means, a regular twenty-four hour day. 

God specifically numbers and defines each day; the evening and the morning were the first, second, third…day. 

The Hebrew word for evening is: ereb, (eh'·rev). It is found 136 times and means, dusk or night.

Boqer (bō'·ker) is the Hebrew word for morning. It’s used 205 times and means: dawn or daybreak.

Evening and morning are always used in the literal sense. God simply said what He meant.

When, God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night, that is exactly what He meant; a regular twenty-four day, just as it says.

Therefore: Theistic Evolution is not Scripturally sound. It is a theory that tries to marry creation and evolution. It postulates that what God calls a day, may be thousands or millions of years.

DAY TWO:

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” ⁷ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. ⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven…

After God turned on the light, He immediately started to set things in order.

Notice the word, made, is used (Hebrew: asah).  This is not an act of creation (making something out of nothing), as: “In the beginning God created, (Hebrew: bara).

Virginia made those delicious sweet rolls, you made a sandwich, I made the coffee.

The Hebrew word for, firmament, is, raqiya` (rä·kē'·ah), meaning: firmament; an extended surface. The Hebrews believed there to be a visible arch (a dome) to which the stars were attached and over which was a heavenly ocean.

God called the firmament Heaven. In Hebrew; shamayim. The Bible refers to heaven in three ways. 1. The heavens, where birds fly and clouds float. 2. Where the stars hang. 3. Where God hangs His hat—the place He currently calls Home.

Here in Genesis God was simply restoring order to the atmosphere as we know it today, waters below and waters above. Right now, we see the rain clouds hanging in the heavens.

So, the evening and the morning were the second day.

Again, He numbers the day and defines it by evening and morning, and it continues to this very day, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night.

DAY THREE:

⁹ Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. ¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Remember, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (dry land).” Yet here there is no dry land, until the waters are gathered together, to let the dry land appear. This is further evidence of the cataclysmic event of verse two, when the earth became a, chaotic barren wasteland covered in darkness Tohu. Bohu. (See: Without Form and Void).

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. ¹² And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Such precise order as a Master Craftsman prepares His work.

1. Light (walk in shop, flip the switch, let there be light).

2. Atmosphere (turn on the air-conditioner).

3. Land & Sea (set up the work bench).

Explained with perfect simplicity and order, 1. Grass. 2. Herbs (plants) 3. Trees.

Now, like a Master Carpenter, He doubles back to add the finishing touches, to the sky, the sea and the earth.

DAY FOUR:

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens…”

 Notice the word, created, (bara), is not used.

The word, “Let” is Hebrew: hayah. It means: become, became, come to pass, or came to pass.  Same word as in, “and the earth was…” Genesis 1:2.

This word, hayah, is never used as an original, creative act, but here, it expresses permission with already existing things.

Pay particular attention to the purpose the “light fixtures” are hung:

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Notice, a few things here. 

1. Again, the word ‘made’ is being used (Hebrew: asah).  Not created, (Hebrew: bara).

2. God sets things in place, in order and gives them purpose.  To divide… and, for signs and seasons… for, days and years…

For example, He places the 12,000 degree sun, 93 million miles away. Exactly the right place, or we’d burn up or freeze.

3. He sets earth’s clock in motion; gives the sun, moon and stars a spin. To tell of times and seasons.

The earth spins 365 times each journey around the sun. Just perfect for day and night and tilted just right at 23 1/3^rd degrees, to provide four seasons, and seed time and harvest.

God’s giant billboard provides an eternal clock, compass and calendar, for all. From Sailors seeking the lights of shore; to wise-men seeking the Light of the World

Psalm 19:1-3 says it well: 

The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

 

 ¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Again, He numbers and defines the twenty-four-hour day.

DAY FIVE: fish and fowl

Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

The first time created (bara) is mentioned since verse one. Everything else was made or let (asah or hayah) as in setting in order or restoration. But, now, He creates that which has a soul (mind, will and emotion).

The first blessing is to fish and birds. I told this to my grandson, when he was around seven. He was my fishing buddy. He said, “Yep, fish are the most beautifulest creatures in the world; and Papa, the most beautiful is a whale—a 52 Blue.” Whatever that is?

Speaking of beautifulest.

Now that we’re nearing the end of the creation week notice the perfect, beautifulest, symmetry of the Lord’s intelligent, intricate, intimate design.

The first second and third days correspond with the respective fourth, fifth and sixth days.

Day 1 light restored—Day 4 lights in heaven set for purpose

Day 2 divides water and sky—Day 5 fills water and sky with fish and fowl

Day 3 vegetation on dry land—Day 6 life to eat the fruit of the land.

DAY SIX:

²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

After his kind…after his kind…after their kind…

The cattle (domesticated animals), the beasts (wild animals) and even the creeps, (all the other creepy, crawling things), all follow the laws of nature, and nature’s God. No matter how they “identify.”

All continue as they started, from that day to this. There is no room, not even one small link, for evolution in HIStory.

²⁵ …And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let Us make man...” Genesis 1:26. 

We’re about to reach the climactic point of His creation. What everything before was set up for.

The introduction thus far, is actually God introducing Himself to us, His creation.

We’ve seen the Intelligence of His design, the intricacy of His work, now we’re about to hear the intimacy of His heart.

Like the director of a play, God sets the stage, cues the lights, and mics, and checks to be sure the props are just right. And then, when the curtain is about to open, He does something that has all the angels, good and bad, from that day to this…scratching their heads.

He wasn’t satisfied to simply set things in motion and watch from afar. No. He steps up, and steps in, as if to say, “Let Me show you how it’s done.”

It started when He said, “Let us make man in Our image,” and ended the day He said, “It is finished.”

He knew.

He knew giving them life this day, would lead to the day, they take His.

He knew, “In the beginning,” would lead to, “It is finished.”

He knew it before He said it, yet He still did it.

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.

He knew full well the pain, suffering, sorrow, would come, but He also knew…

The veil in the temple would be ripped in two, the letter of divorce torn asunder, the guilty verdict pardoned, and the death penalty paid.

So, for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross; and now…

The dividing wall has been shattered. The door burst open. The wedding bells are ringing, calling whosoever will, be a Bride to the Prince, a child of the King.

Throughout the orchestration of creation, He spoke to the thing from which life sprang; waters abound, earth bring forth…

But when it came to making you, and me, He spoke to Himself.

²⁶ “Let Us make man in Our image…

Now, He didn’t just speak something, create something, make something; here, with the crown jewel of creation, God so loved, that He gave…Himself.

And thus began God’s favorite creation: family.

²⁷ …male and female He created them.

Elohim, Almighty, All Knowing, All Powerful, makes no mistakes, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

²⁸ Then God blessed them…

He handed them the keys and authority, over all the earth.

³¹ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Not just good, but…very good.

Genesis 2:3 God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested…

Man’s first day on the job—God gave them the day off. And therein He sets the precedent for the rest of HIStory.

Jesus says it like this:

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things, will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.

~ End of first scroll, end of introduction to Bible. End of this blog.

But just the beginning of HIStory.

Let's pray.

Lord, You are the Alpha, and Omega, Thank You, for beginning and completing the Good work, You've begun, in us. 

We love You, forever.

Amen. 

 

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