Genesis 1 through 2:3
Date: Unknown
Place: The Middle East
Here is a world map showing where the Middle East is. It is not actually a country, it is just highlighted here to show where it is. It is considered to be part of Asia and part of Africa.
So now, if we zoom in on the middle east, this is what we see.
So, we begin in Genesis 1 with the creation of the world.
The world starts off in complete darkness and nothing but water.
God's presence is there moving around preparing to create the world and everything in it.
Day 1
God creates light. The better to see with?
Day 2
God places a space or expanse between the waters and names the expanse sky.
Day 3
God gathers the waters together and gives them names: 'land' and 'seas'. Then he plants trees and seeds for fruit and vegetation.
Interesting, God is orderly. Light comes before plants so plants can grow?
Day 4
God decides we need different lights. A greater light (sun) and a lesser light (moon) and the stars too. This allows for days, nights, seasons and years. Time starts here in a way I think. I also like that in verse 17 it says that God 'put them in the sky'. Cool
Day 5
God now creates birds and blesses them to increase.
Again, orderly, plants before animals.
Day 6
God makes animals on the land and then he creates man and woman.
God was pleased with His work. Thats Us!
God made man in 'our' image. What is 'His image'? God has no physical body. Rather it must be his character, His soul image. Love, patience, kindness, ability to reason, create, etc. It is our souls that are reflective of Him.
Both man and woman are equally created in His image. There is no differentiation here.
He now blesses them and gives them the ability to subdue the earth and rule over it and it's creatures.
The earth God created is ultimately His. He delegated the care of it to us. Shame on us for how we care for it and take it for granted.
He then gives us all the trees and plants for food.
It doesn't say He gave us animals for food, only the plants. Hmm, we were vegetarians at first. It wasn't until after Noah's flood that God gave us animals for food.
Now in Chapter 2:
Day 7
God is done and He rests. (If God demonstrates the importance of rest from His work, I guess we should too).
He blesses the 7th day and makes it holy. Holy - meaning to set aside as special. Later, in Exodus God commands that a sabbath day be observed. Is it on a Saturday or a Sunday? It used to be Saturday. Who changed it and why?
What is 'observing the sabbath' anyways? Going to church? Not doing any work? What?
I think it means to stop, to be still a little, to enjoy all that God has given you, to appreciate the people in your life and to remember God and how great His love is and to rest up.
The idea of an organized church as we have it today is a people idea. Not that it's a bad one, just that it becomes more of an obligation and a routine when it's done like that rather than coming from the heart. There is nothing routine about God. And yes, God did say to 'not forsake the gathering together of yourselves' and we shouldn't but that can be done in many forms and places. What he wants is our heartfelt expressions of love and happiness. Man has made church a routine and an obligation led by someone who passes judgement not on whether you have done what God asks of you but whether you are doing what a pastor decides is right or wrong.
Why did God create the world and us?
Here is a world map showing where the Middle East is. It is not actually a country, it is just highlighted here to show where it is. It is considered to be part of Asia and part of Africa.
 |
 |
| Middle East |
(I like to envision where I am at when I'm reading)
Later, we'll actually zoom in further to point to places we're reading about.So, we begin in Genesis 1 with the creation of the world.
The world starts off in complete darkness and nothing but water.
God's presence is there moving around preparing to create the world and everything in it.
Day 1
God creates light. The better to see with?
Day 2
God places a space or expanse between the waters and names the expanse sky.
Day 3
God gathers the waters together and gives them names: 'land' and 'seas'. Then he plants trees and seeds for fruit and vegetation.
Interesting, God is orderly. Light comes before plants so plants can grow?
Day 4
God decides we need different lights. A greater light (sun) and a lesser light (moon) and the stars too. This allows for days, nights, seasons and years. Time starts here in a way I think. I also like that in verse 17 it says that God 'put them in the sky'. Cool
Day 5
God now creates birds and blesses them to increase.
Again, orderly, plants before animals.
Day 6
God makes animals on the land and then he creates man and woman.
God was pleased with His work. Thats Us!
God made man in 'our' image. What is 'His image'? God has no physical body. Rather it must be his character, His soul image. Love, patience, kindness, ability to reason, create, etc. It is our souls that are reflective of Him.
God speaks of Himself here in the plural sense. Why?
Does He mean the Trinity? Is He using it as Royalty do when they refer to themselves? Are there others there? I think there are.
Both man and woman are equally created in His image. There is no differentiation here.
He now blesses them and gives them the ability to subdue the earth and rule over it and it's creatures.
The earth God created is ultimately His. He delegated the care of it to us. Shame on us for how we care for it and take it for granted.
He then gives us all the trees and plants for food.
It doesn't say He gave us animals for food, only the plants. Hmm, we were vegetarians at first. It wasn't until after Noah's flood that God gave us animals for food.
Now in Chapter 2:
Day 7
God is done and He rests. (If God demonstrates the importance of rest from His work, I guess we should too).
He blesses the 7th day and makes it holy. Holy - meaning to set aside as special. Later, in Exodus God commands that a sabbath day be observed. Is it on a Saturday or a Sunday? It used to be Saturday. Who changed it and why?
What is 'observing the sabbath' anyways? Going to church? Not doing any work? What?
I think it means to stop, to be still a little, to enjoy all that God has given you, to appreciate the people in your life and to remember God and how great His love is and to rest up.
The idea of an organized church as we have it today is a people idea. Not that it's a bad one, just that it becomes more of an obligation and a routine when it's done like that rather than coming from the heart. There is nothing routine about God. And yes, God did say to 'not forsake the gathering together of yourselves' and we shouldn't but that can be done in many forms and places. What he wants is our heartfelt expressions of love and happiness. Man has made church a routine and an obligation led by someone who passes judgement not on whether you have done what God asks of you but whether you are doing what a pastor decides is right or wrong.
Why did God create the world and us?
Maybe because He is Love and love can best be expressed by sharing it?
And also, How? Was there some big sudden explosion that He caused to happen when He spoke it?
Did He start it and things evolved over billions of years?
Was it literally a day? 24 hours? And how long is a day in God's timing?
Did He start it and things evolved over billions of years?
Was it literally a day? 24 hours? And how long is a day in God's timing?
Who knows? Either way, He created it. And what a wonderful thing it is.
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