The Creation Story - The Book Of Genesis (Biblical Stories Explained)

the creation story The Book of Genesis the fundamental creation story is found in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 with the account of what occurred in the Garden of Eden in chapter 3 Genesis chter 1 starts before the existence of anything except God himself God's revelation of himself and his will for mankind is the beginning of the creation story Genesis is a Greek word that means book of generation or production and it contains an account of the creation of everything there is no other ancient history like it Genesis 1 in the beginning God created the heavens

and the earth now the Earth was formless and empty Darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters and God said let there be light and there was light the first sentence in Hebrew contains seven words alluding to the seven days of creation poetically the whole creation unfolds and is completed in the first sentence the rest of the chapter shows how the heavens and the Earth came into being the poetic elements of the text help to convey what is essentially Beyond human understanding pointing to One Sovereign

Creator who formed a good universe Colossians 1: 15-1 17 who is the image of the invisible God the first born of every creature for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or dominions or principalities or Powers all things were created by Him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist John 1: 1-3 in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God he was with God in the

beginning through him all things were made without him nothing was made that has been made in the six days of creation God formed light in the Earth the sky and the atmosphere dry land and all plant life the stars and Heavenly Bodies including the Sun and Moon birds and water creatures and all the land animals and man we can learn about the tremendous Creator's Power by looking at heaven and earth oh what high thoughts should there be in our minds of that great God whom we worship and of that great mediator in whose name we

pray observe that there was nothing appealing to the eye at first for the world was devoid of form and void it was chaos and nothingness similarly Grace's activity in the soul is a new creation Genesis 1: 4 and 5 God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness God called the light day and the Darkness he called night and there was evening and there was morning the first day God said let there be light he willed it and at once there was light oh the power of the word of

God and in the new creation the first thing that is rought in the soul is light the Blessed Spirit Works upon the will and affections by enlightening the understanding those who by sin were darkness by Grace become light in the Lord Darkness would have been always upon Fallen man if the Son of God had not come and given 1 John 5:20 approved of God divided the light from the darkness for what Fellowship has light with Darkness 1 John 5: 20 we know also that the Son of God is come and has given us understanding so

that we may know him who is true and we are in him who is true by being in his son Jesus Christ he is the true God and eternal life In Heaven There is perfect light and no Darkness at all in Hell utter darkness and no gleam of light the day and the night are the Lords Genesis 1 and God said let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water so God made the Vault and separated the water under the Vault from the water of above it and it was so God

called The Vault sky and there was evening and there was morning the second day and God said let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear and it was so God called the dry ground land and the gathered Waters he called seas and God saw that it was good then God said that the land produced vegetation seed bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it according to their various kinds and it was so the land produced vegetation plants bearing seed according to their

kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds and God saw that it was good and there was evening and there was morning the Third Day the Earth was emptiness but by a word spoken it became full of God's riches and his they are still though man is permitted to utilize them they are gifts from God and they must be used in his service and honor at his Direction the ground produces grass plants and fruits all the benefits we obtain from the Earth's fruit must be given to God if we have

an interest in him who was the fountain because of Grace we can rejoice in in him when the streams of temporal mercies run dry Genesis 1: 14- 26 and God said let there be lights in the Vault of the sky to separate the day from the night and let them serve as signs to Mark sacred times and days and years and let them be lights in the Vault of the sky to give light on the earth and it was so God made two great lights the greater light to govern the day day and the Lesser

light to govern the night he also made the Stars God set them in the Vault of the sky to give light on the earth to govern the day and the night and to separate light from darkness and God saw that it was good and there was evening and there was morning the fourth day and God said let the water team with living creatures and let birds fly above the Earth across the Vault of the sky so God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teams that moves about

in it according to their kinds and every Winged Bird according to its kind and God saw that it was good God blessed them and said be fruitful and increase in number and feel the water in the seas and let the birds increase on the earth and there was evening and there was morning the fifth day and God said that the land produced living creatures according to their kinds the livestock the creatures that move along the ground and the wild animals each according to its kind and it was so God made the wild animals according to

their kinds the livestock according to their kinds and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds and God saw that it was good then God said let us make Mankind in our image in our likeness so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground in the ancient world rulers were regarded to be the Earthly manifestation of their God however every human being in Genesis is a reflection

of the Divine and has unlimited value this is especially revent in light of the Ten Commandments which prohibit the fabrication of any image of God Genesis 1: 27 so God created Mankind in his own image in the image of God he created them male and female he created them mankind is special above all other creatures because he Bears the image of God Genesis 1: 27 and has the responsibility to Steward and subdue the Earth let us make was the one God Consulting with someone as he created Humanity Hebrew Adam was this plural usage like the

Royal we in English was God perhaps holding a Heavenly Court as in the beginning of job the unusual wording sparked a wealth of early Christian interpretation Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them be fruitful and increase in number fill the Earth and subdue it rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground the Commandment to be fruitful and increase in number is given twice in verses 22 and 28 applying first to animals and then specific specifically to humanity at the

same time God instructed human beings to rule and subdue the Earth it seems to be a mistake to think Humanity has a god-given right to do whatever it wants with God's creation is it possible that humans are responsible for ensuring that all living creatures can reproduce and multiply the meaning of the verbs Rule and subdue appears to be working with and caring for God's creation as a king May care for his subjects Genesis 1: 29-31 then God said I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that

is fruit with seed in it they will be yours for food and to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground everything that has the Breath of Life in it I give every green plant for food and it was so God saw all that he had made and it was very good and there was evening and there was morning the sixth day all if Creation in all of its immense variety and magnificent Beauty was accomplished in six days God declared his creation

to be very good Genesis chapter 2 sees the ending of God's creative work and gives a more detailed account of the creation of man thus the heavens and the Earth were completed in all their vast array by the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing so on the seventh day he rested from all his work then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done God's rest is symbolized by the seventh day the rest does not indicate

that God was exhausted rather it was just a break from work God had completed his work and the universe had become exactly what he desired God's six days of work followed by a day of rest established a pattern of taking one day off every seven and established the number of days in the week that is being used today the Sabbath became a distinguishing symbol of God's chosen people later on Exodus 20: 8 to1 remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work but the seventh day is

a Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it Thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy manservant nor thy maid servant nor thy cattle nor nor thy stranger that is within thy gates for in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it Genesis CH 2 delves deeper into the creation of man this is not a second creation account nor does it contradict Genesis chapter 1 Genesis chapter 2

simply deviates from a linear report to refocus the reader on God's unique work in relation to man God created man from the dust of the earth he had previously created after forming man's body God breathed life a soul into him the fact that God chose to form man this way shows his great care in this process God next placed the first man Adam in a special place the guard of Eden Eden was beautiful and bountiful Adam had almost everything he needed including food and productive work however God was not done with man Genesis 2: 4

to 20 these are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens and every plant of the field before it was in the Earth and every herb of the field before it grew for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the Earth and there was not a man to till the ground but there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground and the Lord God formed man of the Dust

of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and Man became a living soul and the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed and out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is Pleasant to the sight and good for food the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil and a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from then it was parted and became

into four heads the name of the first is pison that is it which compasseth the whole land of haval where there is gold and the gold of that land is good there is delium in the onx stone and the name of the second river is gyon the same as it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia and the name of the third is hidekel that is it which go toward the east of Assyria and the fourth river is Euphrates and the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress

it and to keep it and the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil Thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof Thou shalt surely die and the Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone I will make him and help meat for him and out of the ground the Lord God formed every Beast to the field and every fowl of the air and brought them unto

Adam to see what he would call them and whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof and Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowls of the air and to every beast of the field but for Adam there was not found an help meat for him God helped Adam to see his need for a mate by having him view all the other creatures and naming them at the end of the naming process Adam understood what he lacked God caused Adam to sleep and then formed Eve with as much care as

he had formed Adam Eve was made from Adam's Rib when God brought Eve to Adam the man immediately understood that she was special she was his counterpart his compliment and flesh of his flesh God made both Adam and Eve in God's image Genesis 1: 27 the Bible's creation narrative shows the family as the basic building block of society Matthew Chapter 19: 5 and 6 and said for this reason a man will leave his father and mother to be United to his wife and the two will become one flesh so they are no longer two but

one flesh therefore what God has joined together let no one separate Adam and Eve were created in a state of Innocence Genesis 1:25 and had not committed any sin they enjoyed communion with God in Eden and the freedom to eat of whatever trees of the garden they wished except for one one simple rule was included as part of their relationship with God Adam and eve were forbidden to eat from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil Genesis 2:1 17 at some point Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat from The Forbidden tree

which she did Adam also weit and joined his wife in Disobedience Genesis 3: 1-6 now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made he said to the woman did God really say You must not eat from any tree in the garden the woman said to the serpent we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden but God did say you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden and you must not touch it or you will die you will not

certainly die the serpent said to the woman for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom she took some and ate it she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it when Adam and Eve sinned against God they forfeited their innocence and their nature was corrupted Genesis 3: 7-2 sin carried consequences

the process of death began immediately God cursed the serpent to crawl Forever on the ground and be hated by men God punished Eve to pain and childbirth and conflict with her husband and he punished Adam with toil and hardship in his labors Genesis 3: 22- 24 and the Lord God said the man has now become like one of us knowing good and evil he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat and live forever so the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden

to work the ground from which he had been taken after he drove the man out he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of Life and Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden and denied entrance to the Tree of Life in his great mercy God also covered Adam and Eve's shame and gave them a message of Hope and the promise of a redeemer the Bible's remark of the imminent Messiah is found in Genesis 3:1

15 Genesis the book of Beginnings overflows with lessons it profiles some of the greatest leaders in the Bible you and I were created to lead and to rule sin degraded our ability to lead however and Genesis presents the story of God's plan to redeem sinfully disconnected people from the bondage of following their fallen character isn't most of History the story of conflict among people trying to lead and Rule one another independent of God's Direction that's why Genesis usually gives accounts of men and women trying to sort out whether to leave or follow obey or Rebel

or live for themselves because God designed people to lead to have dominion over the Earth we know that we possess a ruling capacity Genesis 6 tells us that Society became so wicked and self-serving that God determined to start over God flooded the Earth sparing the family of only one man Noah After the flood the the Earth began to repopulate itself and people learned to cooperate with one another but still they failed to obey God the Tower of Babel gives this a significant symbol of humankind's arrogance Genesis 11: 1 to9 now the whole world had one

language and a common speech as people moved Eastward they found a plane in Shar and settled there they said to each other come let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly they used brick instead of stone and tar for Mortar then they said come let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole Earth but the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that people were building the Lord said if

as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this then nothing they plan to do will be possible for them come let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other so the Lord scattered them from there over all the Earth and they stopped building the city that is why it was called Babel because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth the people had an exact vision and strong leadership but they rebelled

against God that is why God confounded their speech and inaugurated a new leadership plan for them he divided the people into language groups then later chose one of those groups the Hebrews as his very own to set a model for others God's oversight of the Hebrews began just before his eternal Covenant with Abram and persisted with the Patriarchs like Joseph God's role in Genesis God desired his creation to begin well he transmitted his vision for the world to Adam to Noah to Abraham then to Isaac and Jacob like all exemplary leaders God took initiative gidy

never forced his leadership on anyone each time as people failed he laid out his plan then selected those he would invite to take appropriate action he relentlessly sought his plan of redeeming men and women from their failures even as he maintained a relationship with them have you ever acknowledged God as the ultimate leader not only did he create the universe redeem Humanity he also leads although God could have ruled and redeemed planet Earth on his own he chose to welcome Mortals in his plans think about it he could have restricted his creation to animals of

instinct however he didn't he created human beings with a will of their own men and women who must choose to follow his leadership according to his plan God always brings others with him as the ultimate leader God always initiates he commenced the creation of the universe he initiated the birth of our species and he initiated the Redemption process extending himself to us so that we might be saved as you read the Bible watch How often God shows his magnificent leadership truly he is the ultimate leader you and I were born to lead take a look

at five observations that suggest our god-given leadership potential first being made in God God's image means we were created to lead after God says let us make man in our image he then says let them have dominion one way we Mir God's image is by Leading second God commanded both men to have dominion both men and women have been given the ability and authority to lead leadership is not gender specific third we are to rule over the Earth but not necessarily over each other we were not directed to rule each other but over the Earth's

animals history is mostly the story of how men and women have perverted their god-given roles by trying to rule each other fourth all of us are to serve one another in the areas of our gifting and purpose God made everything for a purpose our general goal goal is to lead but each of us should ask Lord what's my specific purpose fifth each person's leadership is best exerted in his or her area of giftedness when we locate our gifts we will naturally lead in those areas where we are most effective intuitive relaxed influential and satisfied for