Expository Outlines of the Old Testament

The Six Days of Creation

cf. Genesis Chapter One
Doug V. Heck  

Main Idea: "To introduce the OT and the Book of Genesis by mentioning the Creator and what His creation reveals about Him. To explain the six days of creation; leading to man, the crown of creation and to explain God's New Creation, i.e., the Church."

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (vss. 1-2)

The title for is , derived from a root meaning "to fear" or "to reverence." God as is the one who by His nature as seen in His works, i.e., of creation, is the one who rouses man's fear and reverence. ⁽¹⁾ This is the primary title for God, used 2,570 times in the OT. Primarily the work of creation displays God's majesty in power or His omnipotence. (cf. Rom. 1:19-20)

No argument is entered into to prove the existence of God; instead, His existence is affirmed as a fact to be believed. And yet, sufficient is expressed in this one brief sentence to expose every fallacy which man has invented concerning the Deity. This opening sentence of the Bible repudiates , for it postulates the existence of God. It refutes , for it distinguishes between God and His material creation. It abolishes , for it predicates that which necessitates a personal God. (Pink, p. 9)

The verb (i.e.,

The Gap Theory or Original Judgment Theory of Genesis 1:1-2 (cf. Schofield Reference Bible note) has been proven to be wrong. ⁽²⁾ Most scholars today hold to the Original Chaos Theory, i.e., that these verses provide the first stage in the creation account. ⁽³⁾

The (Hebrew has no word for "universe") points out that the universe is bipartite: the heavens (Heb. ) or "upper regions" and the earth (Heb. ' erests ) "that which is lower."

The terms void (Heb., and ) mean "unformed" and "empty," speak of a region without inhabitants, i.e., empty formless space. The third deficiency is .

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

As the psalmist reminds us of the immediate creation of God by His word and the response that we should have to it...

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap; he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke and it is done; He commanded and it stood fast." (cf. Psalm 33:6-9) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (cf. Heb. 11:3)

God called the light into existence, even before it had a body to attach itself to for the sun, moon and stars come into existence on the 4th day. (cf. vss. 14-19) The pronouncement by God (i.e ., it is good refer to vast periods of time, such as the theory that God created by evolutionary process. "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." (cf. Exod. 20:11)

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Evidently, before the creative act of the second day, there was a dense connecting fog between the upper waters and the lower waters.

Apparently God suspended a vast body of water in vapor form over the earth, making a canopy that caused conditions on the earth to resemble those inside a greenhouse. This may account for the longevity of human life (Gen. 5) and for the tremendous among of water involved in the worldwide flood. (Ryrie, p. 8)

Notice the omission of and God saw that it was good , but the double pronouncement of "excellent" on the double work of the third day. (vss. 10, 12)

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

The first stage of this third day, included the elevation of the land from the water, causing the dry land to appear. The psalmist poetically describes this...

At thy rebuke they [i.e., the waters, vs. 6] fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. (Psalm 104:7-9)

The include grass, mosses, etc. (Heb. "to be damp"); , include vegetables and various forms of grain ; tree yielding fruit ,, includes various fruit trees.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And 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. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 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. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (cf. vss. 14-19)

This fourth day records the establishing of luminaries in the sky, from the perspective of observation from earth. This doesn't demand that the sun, moon and stars were created on the fourth day (evidently, there came into existence on the 1st day), but rather, light somehow affixed to them. Hence, the emptiness of the firmament of the heavens is filled with bodies of lumination. ⁽⁴⁾

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. (vss. 20-23)

The KJV gives the wrong impression. Literally, "let the waters swarm with swarms," without any direct reference to what the fish and birds sprang from. Hence, the emptiness of the firmament (i.e., the clouds) and the seas, are filled with living souls.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
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Twice the length of space is devoted to the of the sixth day of creation, to emphasize it's importance. Because of its importance we divide this into major sections:

A. (vss. 24-25). The three forms of living creatures all come from the earth and return to the earth. Literally, these three forms are called "souls (Heb. ) of life."

...according to the Scriptures not only man has a soul but also all living creatures even down to fishes and birds. However, the soul as such is then regarded merely as the animating principle, the thing that causes them to breathe. Yet the soul of other creatures is not the same as that of man; it originated in a manner which makes it inferior by much to the animating principle in man, as a comparison of 2:7 indicates. (Leupold, p. 83)

The first is the or , from a root meaning "to be dumb." These are the domesticated animals. Second, is the or meaning "to move lightly." These are the insects, and reptiles. And thirdly, is the or ha'arets , from a root meaning "to live." These wild animals thrive with the vital energy of life, and so move freely upon the earth.

B. (vss. 26-27). God counsels with Himself (i.e., a hint of the Trinity) before the creation of man, indicating the uniqueness and dignity of mankind. ⁽⁵⁾ The being is called ' adham , meaning "the cultivator of the soil." Then the second aspect of man's dignity is stressed, i.e., he is created In some way man is patterned after the Creator Himself. The second term explains the first, i.e., "in our image, that is, after our likeness." (cf. vs. 27) What does this refer to? In what way are we made in the image of God? Two NT passages define some areas, i.e., and .

And that ye put on the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Eph. 4:24) And have put on the new , which is renewed in knowledge after the of him that created him: (Col. 3:10)

Man resembles his Creator when he is righteous and holy in character. "Be ye holy, for I am holy," is to realize our full manhood. (cf. 1 Peter 1:15-16; Lev. 11:44, etc.) Actually, we would expand this to refer to man's moral sense. Perhaps also his self-consciousness or reasoning ability. But the Genesis account itself suggest one other aspect of likeness with the Creator, i.e., over the earth! What does it mean to have dominion? The term means "to master" or to "trample down." Leupold comments...

We then list, as belonging in this department of activity, man's mastery of the powers of nature, physical, electrical, chemical, physiological and the like. Whatever true scientific endeavor has produced comes under this broad charter which the Creator has given to man. (p. 92)

C. (vss. 28-30). Similar to the creatures of the sea, the fowl of the air and the living creatures of the earth, man is to and fill the earth . Also God outlines the of mankind, i.e., vegetables and fruits. Animal meat was added only after the fall and flood. (cf. Genesis 9:3) Before the fall, vegetables and fruits would provide all the nourishment man in innocence needed; following the fall, no doubt the vegetable and fruits would be corrupted by the fall (cf. Romans 8:16ff.), along with the weakening of man's constitution because of sin, resulting in the need for a broader diet, i.e., meats.

The stress is placed on the creation of man and woman, to highlight the importance of them being created in the image of God. Hence, all creation, from the Genesis 1 record, builds to the climax of the creation of mankind!

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (vs. 31)

The final pronouncement carries a stress on it being very excellent! The point is being made clearly, that before the fall, as it came from the creative hand of God, everything was very good. ⁽⁶⁾

So what should my response be to God creating everything that exists? What practical response should we make, should I make when reflecting on the Creator?

The Bible teaches that all things created are for His glory and praise...

[Paul points out the creating through the agency of Jesus Christ and the ultimate purpose for it] For in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. (cf. Col. 1:16) [John the Apostle acknowledges God's glory for creating] You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. (cf. Rev. 4:11) [Nehemiah records the universal praise of heaven, at the creation by God] You are the Lord, you alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. (cf. Neh. 9:6)[the early disciples reflected on threat of persecution, in view of God the creator and commander for them to share the Gospel] And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God, who hast made heaven, the earth, and the sea, and all that in them is...And now behold their threatenings; and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word. (cf. Acts 4:23-30)[at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas corrected the false worship of the Lycaonians, affirming God's creative work] Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them. (cf. Acts 14:15)[in a similar way Paul corrected the false worship of the Athenian philosophers, calling them to repent, based on the creative work of God] God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things...And the times of this ignorance God overlooked, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. (cf. Acts 17:24-25, 30)[and finally, by God reminding us about His creative work, He sets Himself apart as unique and majestic in His sovereignty] For thus saith the Lord who created the heavens, God Himself who formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, He created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is none else. (Isa. 45:18)

General Application: "If God created everything that exists, then He owns you and me. We should live to glorify God by obeying Him and praising Him."

Note to parents: The theory of Evolution is clearly disputed from Genesis 1. Nor , i.e., that God created everything by long evolutionary ages, called "days." (cf. Exod. 20:11) Parents should work toward arming their children with the fact that they will be taught throughout life, humanistic theories, such as evolution. And when a child asks questions about evolution, parents should take the time to refer to Genesis 1 and establish the fact of God's creation.

You cannot put one little star in motion;
You cannot shape one single forest leaf,
Nor fling a mountain up, nor sink an ocean,
Presumptuous pigmy, large with unbelief!

You cannot bring one dawn of regal splendor,
Nor bid the day to shadowy twilight fall,
Nor send the pale moon forth with radiance tender;
And dare you doubt the One who has done it all?

1. In Genesis God is revealed as the Creator-God, as the Covenant-God, as the Almighty-God, as well as "the Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth." (Pink, p. 5)

2. The Original Judgment theory, suggests that the fall of Satan probably took place between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. They translate the phrase, "and the earth became without form and void." They also quote from Isaiah 45:18 suggesting that God wouldn't make the earth tohu va bohu - "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain (i.e., tohu), he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else." But that doesn't demand that the early stages may not be void or empty. The Original Judgment theory does answer the question of Satan's fall and perhaps even the existence of dinosaurs, but is not supported from the text, where vss. 1-2 are a heading of what follows.

3. The Summary Statement view, i.e., that verse 1 is a heading of the section to come similar to a newspaper heading, giving the gist of the article, cannot be true due to a conjunction (i.e., "and" starting verse 2. Rather, verses 1-2 are a heading and verse 3ff. the body of the chapter.

4. The sizes of the stars vary considerably, from super-giant stars several hundred times larger than the sun, to dwarf stars that are much smaller than the earth. The sun itself is a medium-sized star, with a diameter of about 865,000 miles, nearly 109 times the diameter of the earth. In contrast, Antares - one of the largest stars known - has a diameter about 330 times that of the sun....It is possible to see about 6,000 stars with the naked eye, and using a small telescope as many as 60,000 become visible. More powerful telescopes reveal, in addition to individual stars many thousands of galaxies. Each of these galaxies contains from less than one billion to as many as one trillion stars. The most powerful telescopes, such as the 200 inch reflector at Mt. Palomar Observatory in southwest California, can probably detect 1 billion galaxies. Yet despite the immensity of these galaxies, they appear as the tiniest blotches of light surrounded by vast reaches of empty space. The universe...is clearly unimaginably large.

5. The common explanation, perhaps the most popular at present, that God is addressing angels has been shown up in its deficiencies by Koenig. It cannot be denied that on occasion God addressed the angelic host before His throne; Isa. 6:8; 1 Kings 22:19-22. Angels are found standing in His presence Job 1; 38:7; Dan. 4:14; 7:10. But never once does God actually counsel with them. The distance between God and angels is seen to be a very pronounced one. Even in Isa. 6:8 this important difference stands out: "Whom shall I send?" God acts independently without angelic counsel. Besides, it must be considered that neither here nor by the time 3:22 is reached has anything been revealed about the creation of angels. And lastly, man is not considered in the Scriptures to have been made in the image of angels. (cf. Leupold, p. 87)

6. Wiersbe summarizes: "What does creation reveal about God? Creation reveals: (1) His wisdom and power (Job 28:23-27); Prov. 3:19); (2) His glory (Ps. 19:1); (3) His power and Godhead (Rom. 1:18-21); (4) His love for insignificant man (Ps. 8:3-9); (5) His providential care (Isa. 40:12ff.)" (cf. p. 19)