Creation Prologue
Gen. 1:1-2:3
CHIASTIC STRUCTURE OF THE PROLOGUE
D 14-19 Fourth Day: Luminaries and Stars
for signs and appointed times
This prologue is arranged in a Chiastic structure (symmetrical pattern) to deliver some important spiritual concepts. While the opening formula, A, introduces the Godhead, the closing formula, Aʹ, concludes with the Shabath on the seventh day. Serving as the central theme, D, identifies the two great luminaries in the expanse of heaven. Their purpose is to point to signs and appointed times, but not to predict them. We often miss this very important concept throughout the Bible, because we fail to recognize that Scripture is often dovetailed with astronomy (not astrology).
See Psalms 104 for a poetic version of the Genesis Prologue.
SEVEN DAYS
DAY ONE
On Day One, God calls for Light to appear.
Introduction:
• Hebrew uses parallelism to express a thought between words, or between lines to compare and contrast.
• Seven means divine perfection or completion.
(1-3) We are introduced to the Godhead.
(1) Composed of seven words in the Hebrew, this verse signifies divine inspiration.
• The first word, in the beginning (bereshith), is derived from the word, head (rosh).
◦ The beginning of the year was called Rosh HaShanah.
◦ Later, we will learn that this word reshith points us to the waving of the barley, a special feast day, signifying the Risen Christ.
◦ In John’s explanation of Jesus Christ, he said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (1 Jn1:1)
• God, whose name in Hebrew is Elohim, means Strong or Mighty One.
◦ By the way, our word for god is derived from the Anglo-Saxon, and means good. In fact, God approves his work by using the word good seven times in this creation account.
• The verb, has created (bara’), is perfective in the Hebrew, which means the word is viewed as being complete, single, and whole.
◦ Does this mean that God regarded the creation to be completed before He actually took seven days or seven millennia to create the heavens and the earth as outlined in the rest of the passage? Or does it mean that He created the heavens and the earth beforehand and the rest of the passage gives us a seven day detail of shaping the earth for man’s habitation? Because He is infinite, I am not eager to box God into man’s finite view. Besides, isn’t fun just to ponder His words?
(2) The two parts of the verse contrast each other:
• (2a) The parallel words formless and empty, or in the KJV without form and void, are used to express something totally deserted. Darkness upon the deep suggests utter lack of light.
• (2b) We are being introduced to the Spirit (Ruach), the second person of the Godhead, who brooding upon the face of the waters, is likened to a bird brooding.
• In Gen. 8:8-11, the dove is represented as flying upon the face of the waters, and in Matt. 3:16-17 as descending upon Jesus at his baptism in the waters of the Jordan. Are you able to connect the concept of baptism here in Creation?
(3) Central Theme: Light immerses everything.
• In Jn. 1:1-9, 14-17, John explains that the Light is Jesus Christ, the third person of the Godhead.
(4) God perceives (sees and knows) the Light to be a blessing.
• Since darkness is the absence of light, darkness and light cannot co-exist. For the earth and heavens to be complete, they have to be bathed in His presence.
(5) The two parts of the verse parallel each other so as to be noticed.
• Notice how Light is repeated and reversed (chiasmus) by using the word — morning, and Night is repeated and reversed by using the word — evening.
• The first day begins with evening before morning because darkness prevailed before Light appeared. The Jews recognize that evening begins when the sun has set and they are able to see three stars.
• Although this is the first day of seven, the cardinal number, one, is used to show that the evening and morning formed a unit, one day.
Scripture Reading - BPV
Gen. 1:1-5
1 1 IN the beginning God has created the heavens and the earth.
2a And the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep,
b and the Ruach of God brooding upon the face of the waters.
3 And God says, “Let Light be”; and Light is.
4 And God sees the Light that it is good, and God separates between the Light and the darkness.
5 And God calls to the Light ‘Day’, and to the darkness He has called ‘Night’.
And there is evening and there is morning, Day One.
NASA - Public Domain
SECOND DAY
On the second day, God makes an expanse.
Introduction:
• Seventeen means glory.
(6) The expanse, raqiya, is like a celestial sphere above the earth, separating us from outer space.
(7) Central Theme: The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse shows his handiwork.
• Composed of seventeen words in the Hebrew, this verse signifies God’s glory.
• God didn’t create an expanse out of nothing, but He makes it out of the existing material that he has already created.
• By making an expanse, God was protecting us from harmful radiation and providing a biosphere that would support the best ecosystem for mankind.
• Could this expanse have been God’s glory surrounding our planet?
(8) The expanse is given a name, Heaven. However, it is not the third Heaven that the Apostle Paul speaks about in 2 Cor. 12:2.
Scripture Reading - BPV
Gen. 1:6-8
1 6 AND God says, “Let an expanse be in the midst of the waters, and let it be separating between waters from waters.”
7 And God makes the expanse, and separates between the waters which are under the expanse, and the waters which are above the expanse; and it is so.
8 And God calls to the expanse ‘Heaven’;
and there is evening and there is morning, a Second Day.
THIRD DAY
On the third day, God calls out for two events to happen:
(9-10) God calls for the the appearance of dry land from the waters.
(11-12) God calls for the the sprouting of vegetation.
(9-10) God calls for the the appearance of dry land from the waters.
(10) The gathering of the waters, which were collected together into one place are now called Seas.
• What is a miqvh? The word is used here as a gathering together of the waters. Any body of water is a miqvh, including manmade pools of water. While there is no mention of the Jews using the miqvh for ceremonial bathing until the 1st century BC, a miqvh became important to religious Jews. Of course, the Christian rite of baptism is done in a natural or manmade miqvh, too.
• Consider how the Earth and Seas are contrasted here, and yet work in harmony on our planet.
• God perceives (sees and knows) that the Earth and Seas are a good blessing.
(11-12) God calls for the the sprouting of vegetation.
• Did you notice that God says for the earth to vegetate (to bring forth) vegetation, and then the earth put forth vegetation? Yes, vegetate originally means to produce. To vegetate vegetation gives us a good translation of the Hebrew words, although in this case it could mean to sprout sprouts.
• In Biblical taxonomy [*], Vegetation is the first Life Mode and has two Primary Distinctions: herbage (herbaceous) and trees (woody).
• The herb sows seed, yet the tree yields fruit.
• The term “according to its kinds” means a definite genus.
[*] Berndt, Chard (2000). Biblical Classification of Life: A Framework and Reference for Authentic Biblical Biology. Idaho: Elihu Publishing.
(11) Central Theme: For the earth to produce vegetation.
• Although the passage for the Third Day is not chiastically arranged, this verse plays somewhat of a central theme because of its central location in the passage.
(12) God perceives (sees and knows) that the herbage and trees are a good blessing.
Scripture Reading - BPV
Gen. 1:9-13
1 9 AND God says, “Let the waters under the heavens be collected together unto one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it is so.
10 And God calls to the dry land ‘Earth’, and to the gathering together of the waters He has called ‘Seas’; and God sees that it is good.
11 And God says, “Cause the earth to vegetate vegetation: herb sowing seed, fruit-tree yielding fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself on the earth”; and it is so.
12 And the earth causes to put forth vegetation: herb sowing seed according to its kind, and tree yielding fruit whose seed is in itself according to its kind; and God sees that it is good.
13 And there is evening and there is morning, a Third Day.
FOURTH DAY
On the fourth day, God makes two luminaries for special purposes.
(14-19) This passage of the Fourth Day is the central theme for the entire Prologue.
• We are being directed to something very important here.
• God perceives (sees and knows) that the luminaries are a good blessing in three ways:
(14a, 18b) To separate between:
The day and the night,
The light and the darkness.
(14b, 18a) To be or preside over:
For signs and appointed times, and for days and years
The day and over the night.
(15, 17) To give:
Light upon the earth.
Notice how this passage is similar to the Day One in that spiritual Light is a necessary part of Creation, and physical light is necessary for the plants, animals, and man to exist.
(16) Central Theme: To understand the purpose of the sun and moon in the celestial heavens. This is the key to unlocking the Prophetic Drama throughout the Scriptures.
• God makes the great luminary to rule the day, and the small luminary to rule the night and the stars.
• The celestial sky is a giant calendar.
◦ If the sun and the moon can be compared to the hands on an analog clock, and the constellations in the Mazzaroth (zodiac) to the numbers on the clock, then can you see how the sun and moon show the observer what is happening in the sky?
• Not only do the sun and moon show us days and years, they show us signs and appointed times in the sky. They point to signs and appointed times, they point to the Messiah, but they do not predict events and foretell the future.
Scripture Reading - BPV
Gen. 1:14-19
1 14 AND God says,
“aLet luminaries be in the expanse of the heavens, to separate between the day and the night;
band let them be for signs and for appointed times, and for days and years;
15 and let them be for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth”; and it is so.
16 And God makes the two great luminaries: the great luminary for the rule of the day, and the small luminary for the rule of the night and the stars.
17 And God sets them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth,
18a and to rule over day and over night,
band to separate between the light and the darkness; and God sees that it is good.
19 And there is evening and there is morning, a Fourth Day.
FIFTH DAY
On the fifth day, God creates aquatic and avian creatures.
(20) God speaks for two types of living creatures to be created: sherets and oph. Each had a purpose.
• The sherets were to teem the waters.
• The oph were to fly on the face of the expanse of the heavens.
(21) Central Theme: God sees that the living creatures teeming the waters and the fowl flying on the face of the heavenly expanse are a good blessing. Fish and birds are often represented in scripture for spiritual symbolism.
• Because the verbs ramas and sharats have parallel meanings, they are hard to translate. ramas means to creep, teem, or glide about. sharats means to teem, swarm, or multiply; but it can also mean to creep and crawl.
• In Biblical taxonomy [*], these creatures are a life mode and have two habitat distinctions: aquatic and avian.
◦ Aquatics have three primary distinctions: small sea creatures (not mentioned in Genesis), fish, and large sea creatures. Large sea creatures, such as whales, although mammalian, are identified by their habitat.
◦ Avians have two primary distinctions: insects and birds.
• “according to their/its kinds” means definite genera.
• God perceives (sees and knows) aquatic and avian creatures are a good blessing.
[*] Berndt, Chard (2000). Biblical Classification of Life: A Framework and Reference for Authentic Biblical Biology. Idaho: Elihu Publishing.
(22) The aquatic and avian creatures are blessed with the mandate to be fruitful, and multiply, and fill and multiply.
Scripture Reading - BPV
Gen. 1:20-23
1 20 AND God says, “Let the waters teem with sherets teeming living creature, and let oph fowl fly about upon the earth on the face of the expanse of the heavens.”
21 And God creates the great tanniynim sea creatures and every living creature that is gliding, which the waters have teemed, according to their kind, and every winged oph fowl according to its kind, and God sees that it is good.
22 And God blesses them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and the oph fowl let multiply in the earth.”
23 And there is evening and there is morning, a Fifth Day.
SIXTH DAY
On the sixth day, God creates terrestrial animal life and man.
(24-25) God speaks for three types of living creatures to be created: the behemah (quadruped), the remes
(creeper), and the chaytow (wild beast). In Biblical taxonomy [*]:
• The behemah (quadruped) are hoofed creatures.
• The remes (creeper) are creeping type creatures.
• The chayyat (wild beasts) are unhoofed creatures.
God perceives (sees and knows) the terrestrial creatures are a good blessing.
[*] Berndt, Chard (2000). Biblical Classification of Life: A Framework and Reference for Authentic Biblical Biology. Idaho: Elihu Publishing.
(26) God speaks for adam to be made in to be made in “Our image, as to Our likeness”. God’s use of the word Our indicates the presence of the Spirit and the Light with Him.
• Parallel words: Image is a shadow, image, or likeness; Likeness is a resemblance. We were made in His shadow and resemblance.
• Man is given dominion over God’s other creatures.
(27) Central Theme: adam was made in God’s image, but as male and female.
• While God is a spirit and is neither male nor female, yet he has attributes of both.
◦ God refers to himself as Father, a male gender; his Son is obviously male; however, the Ruach (spirit) of God is feminine in the Hebrew.
• While God is complete, adam was made incomplete in being created either male or female.
(28) Not only is adam blessed with the mandate to be fruitful, and multiply, and fill and multiply, but he is to subdue the earth and have dominion over God’s creatures. adam is to represent God in good choices.
(29-30) God has mandated that the vegetation be for food for his living creatures and man.
(31) God perceives (sees and knows) that everything He has made is a very good blessing.
Scripture Reading - BPV
Gen. 1:24-31
1 24 AND God says, “Let the earth put forth the living creature according to its kind:
behemah quadruped and remes creeper and chaytow wild beast of the earth, according to its kind”; and it is so.
25 And God makes the chayyat wild beast of the earth according to its kind, and the
behemah quadruped according to its kind, and every remes creeper of the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it is good.
26 And God says, “Let Us make adam man in Our image, as to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over dagah fish of the sea, and over oph fowl of the heavens, and over behemah quadruped, and over all the earth, and over every remes creeper that is creeping on the earth.”
27 And God creates the adam man in His own
image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 And God blesses them, and God says to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, have dominion over dagah fish of the sea, and over oph fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.”
29 And God says, “Lo, I have given to you every herb sowing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree sowing seed, to you it is for food.
30 And to every chayyat wild beast of the earth, and to every oph fowl of the heavens, and to everything creeping on the earth, in which is the breath of life, every green herb is for food”; and it is so. 31 And God sees everything that He has made, and lo, very good;
and there is evening and there is morning, a Sixth Day.
SEVENTH DAY
On the seventh day, God takes a Shabath.
(1) The Hebrew verb, are completed, is imperfective.
• The impefect perspective is an ongoing process.
• Thus, the work that was completed by God, is still in an ongoing process of being completed. Hebrew is fun!
ab1144ae1637be49a4c077f33cecc037_-paintings-of-christ-jesus-clipart-god-rested-on-the-7th-day_236-183.jpeg
(2) Central Theme: God Shabath or rests on the seventh day from His work.
• God created His work, and so the idea of work is good. However, work is not an end to itself.
• The omnipotent God in His omniscient wisdom knew that even His own created work could become its own idol, and thus sought out a time of renewal in Himself. WOW!
• While there are other words for rest in the Hebrew, this particular word means to take a rest and sit down. It’s a time of renewal. Do we make time to renew ourselves in Him?
(3) Not only does God bless the seventh day, he sanctifies (qadash) it by declaring the day as holy and consecrating it.
• The Hebrew word qadash is used often in Scripture.
Scripture Reading - BPV
Gen. 2:1-3
2 1 AND the heavens and the earth are completed, and all their host;
2 And God completes by the seventh day His work which He has made, and He Shabath in the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
3AND God blesses the seventh day and sanctifies it, for in it He has Shabath from all His work which God has created for making.