Because God created you in His image, you have worth, dignity, and purpose.
New this year: I will be doing a synopsis of the key points of the Lessons on Friday. Reading the notes, I’ve come to realize that not everyone has time to read 6 pages of notes every week. This segment will be a less than one minute read for those of you who just want a snippet of the week.
The writer is telling everyone and everything to praise Him because He created them, from the angels, sun, moon, and stars to the sea creatures, lightning, hail and more.
God points out to Job the fact that He is the Creator of the universe, and Job is but one puny man. God asks Job purely saracastically if he was there when the earth was formed, if he has given orders to the morning, or if he has an arm like God’s. Job responds to the vastness of God in Job 40 that he has no words and that he will speak no more.
13) God is amazing in all that He had done, does, and will continue to do. It amazes me how anyone can deny an Almighty God when passages such as these list all that God has created.
14) Personal Question. My answer: Just to be more in awe of God, who He is, praise Him more, and give Him credit more. Every time the sun rises and sets and you are privileged to see it, you should praise God. Every time you see a shooting star, watch a butterfly fly, or see a raptor soar, you should praise God. Every time you eat, drink, and make memories. Every time you do anything, it is all Him.
It’s kind of cool to read all that God has done and is done.
Psalm 148 calls upon creation to praise God, from the angels and the heavenly bodies to every creation and thing on earth. God should be praised because He made all these things. He alone is God that deserves our worship, honor, and praise. God also deserves our praise because He has drawn near to us.
God answers Job after deliberately not answering him in the first 35 chapters of the book. God calls Job to account, questions Job about what he doesn’t know, asks Job if he knows the boundaries of the sea, if he understands the nature of the earth, if he comprehends the nature of light, darkness, and the sky, if he understands rain and its effects, if he knows the nature of the constellations, the clouds, weather, and the human mind, and if he can understand and master the animal kingdom.
God continues to question Job, asking him about mountain goats, wild donkeys, and wild oxen and donkeys. He asks him if he knows the ostriches, horses, and hawks and if he can master them.
God asks Job now will he challenge Him? Job is speechless before the Almight God and is ashamed of his mouth (or the way he spoke). God asks Job if he is fit to prove Him wrong or to save himself. God uses the example of the Behemoth to show God’s might and Job’s weakness. The precise nature of the Behemoth remains unknown. Many believe it is the hippopotamus.
On the fourth day, God made the stars, the sun, and the moon. God said this was good.
On the fifth day, God made the sea creatures and the birds according to their kind. He told them to multiply. God saw that this was good.
On the sixth day, God made the land animals according to their kind. God said this was good.
9) On the fourth day, God made the stars, the sun, and the moon. God said this was good.
On the fifth day, God made the sea creatures and the birds according to their kind. He told them to multiply. God saw that this was good.
On the sixth day, God made the land animals according to their kind. God said this was good.
10) The lights on the 4th day are more specific. On the first day, God created light. On the 4th day, God created more light with a specific purpose: “to separate the day from the night, serve as signs to mark seasons, days, and years, and to give light on earth.” The stars, sun, and moon were to separate light from darkness and to govern the night and the day.
11) Personal Question. My answer: God knows what is good and what is not good. Thus, in our lives, God’s rules of how to live let us know what is good and what is not. It is clear-cut. Man does not have to decide. Instead, man frequently does what is not good against God’s wishes.
12) I have no answer for this. I have always believed, and when you look around at the amazing vastness and diversity of this earth, it is evident that only a higher power could create this. I think those who don’t believe in the Creator God choose to turn a blind eye, or God blinds them. They are in denial. Let’s face it, it’s easier this way; then you don’t have to follow God’s laws, and you can live as you choose.
I love re-reading the formation of everything on this planet. It’s always so humbling to know how insignificant we truly are.
Man has used God’s provision of the sun, moon, and stars to mark and measure time and direction since the beginning on humanity, as God has intended.
God knew exactly how far to set the sun from the earth. If the earth were closer or further from the sun, life as we know it would be impossible.
We see birds and sea creatures were created at the same time, not evolving slowly over millions of years.
The fossil record totally rejects the idea of millions of tiny changes. Most creatures stay the same over time.
Only an omnipotent God can create such a variety of land animals, and God shows His sense of humor, too, in the variety of unusual creatures that only a Creator could make up.
Credit to enduring word for commentary
On the first day, God made light and called it day. He called the darkness night.
On the second day, God made the sky, separating it from the waters.
On the third day, God made God made dry ground, calling it land. The waters he called seas. This He said was good.
God made vegetation on the land, seed-bearing plants and trees that bore fruit and seed. This He said was good.
5) On the first day, God made light and called it day. He called the darkness night.
On the second day, God made the sky, separating it from the waters.
On the thrid day, God made God made dry ground, calling it land. The waters he called seas. This He said was good.
God made vegetation on the land, seed-bearing plants and trees that bore fruit and seed. This He said was good.
6) Part Personal Question. My answer: Day is a particular period of time, and can be whatever you define it as. Our days are the time it takes the earth to complete one full rotation around its axis, encompassing both day and night. God’s days could have been shorter or longer; there truly is no way to know.
Some Bible scholars wonder if the days are geologic days and ages. Others refute this by saying that why would the writers who were inspired by God use the word “day” then? Again, there is no way to know except when we get to heaven and ask God.
7) “Let there be,” “and there was,” “God made,” “It was so,” “And God saw that it was good.”
8 ) Personal question. My answer: God is Almighty, the Creator, and what He says happens. He is in control always and forever. He can create as easy as He can destroy. God is awesome.
Love the repetition. So powerful for emphasis. All feature God doing and creating while in control of everything.
Note the first step from chaos is light. This holds true in our lives as well. God and the gospel are light (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).
God spoke. His word is enough. Remember that as you study God’s word — the Bible — throughout this year.
Genesis tells us that light, day, and night each existed before the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19). In the new heavens and the new earth, there won’t be any sun or moon. God Himself will be the light (Revelation 22:5).
Land was in existence before; it was just covered by water; God gathers the water into one place and calls them seas.
Plants were created before the sun. If the days were geologic ages, how woudl the plants have survived?
Many say the stars, sun, and moon were created on the first day but weren’t visible until the fourth. (Revelation 21:23) tells us that we won’t need the sun, moon, or stars any longer. It could have been that in the beginning, the plants didn’t need them either.
The plants were created not as seeds, but as full-grown plants each bearing seeds. The chicken really did come before the egg.
According to its kind is a phrase that appears ten times in Genesis chapter 1. It means God allows variation within a kind, but something of one kind will never develop into something of another kind.
And God saw that it was good. God knows what is good and organizes His creation to result in something good.
God does not call the earth good until it has become habitable, a place where man can live. How awesome is that?!
Credit to enduring word for commentary
“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.”
3) God created the heavens and the earth. Creation was nothing, empty space, formless. God created everything from nothing. God is Almighty, powerful. Creation is all His.
4) Personal Question. My answer: God molded everything from nothing like Play-doh. Truly, there are no words how awesome this is.
It’s like the darkness of a cave, which is about as pure dark as it gets here on earth. The beginning was darkness, nothing. Now, look at our world today and the beauty. Only an Almighty Creator can have such vision and power.
There is a ton in Genesis so read each sentence carefully or you may miss something. Read slowly, for what happens in a single line may echo throughout all of history and for eternity.
God is the subject of the first sentence, and He does something — He creates. If you believe this first sentence of the Bible, then you believe the rest. This is the cusp. The original form of “God” here is plural, indicating the Holy Trinity, including Jesus, was present here.
To understand the vastness of the world, you only have to look to the stars. There are a million galaxies in one patch of sky. A galaxy contains on average 200 billion stars. The average distance between galaxies is 20 million trillion miles. The closest galaxy to ours, The Andromeda Galaxy, is 12 million trillion miles away.
God is the uncreated Being, eternal, the Alpha and the Omega, without a beginning or an end.
In the beginning was the Holy Trinity, was the eternal purpose of God, was His plan.
Doesn’t it seem funny to you that mere humans even try to figure out God?
Any time God begins work, it’s with the Spirit of God.
When God formed the earth, it was already aged. Adam was not a baby, the trees were big trees, and the canyons were formed.
Fun Fact: The word “God” appears 30 times in the 31 verses of the first chapter of Genesis.
Fun Fact: There are at least 165 passages in Genesis that are either directly quoted or clearly referred to in the New Testament. If you count the verses that are quoted more than once, there are at least 200 quotes total.
Fun Fact: Fossils had to come after Adam since death did not exist before him.
Credit to enduring word for commentary
Passage: 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.
Questions:
11) Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2b). By His breath (Holy Spirit) the skies became fair (Job 26:13). When you send your Spirit, they (humans) are created, and you renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30).
12) Genesis 6:3: God’s Spirit will not contend (or remain) with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.
Webster’s says contend means “to struggle; to strive or vie in contest; maintain”. It could also mean the Spirit will not struggle against man’s sinful nature for more than 120 years.
Ezekiel 36:26-27: God will put the Spirit in us to move us to follow His decrees and keep His laws.
John 3:8: The Spirit goes where it wants to and you cannot predict where it will go or where it will come from.
John 7:38-39: Whoever believes in Christ will have the Spirit flowing within them.
John 14:16-17: The Spirit was sent by God to be with us and in us; to speak the truth to us and be our Counselor.
John 16:7-8: Jesus had to die so that the Spirit (or Counselor) could be with man. It will be the Spirit to convict the world of guilt and bring righteousness.
Romans 8:9: The Spirit lives in you if you belong to God. You are controlled by the Spirit, not by your sinful nature. If you don’t have the Spirit, you don’t belong to God.
2 Corinthians 3:3: The Spirit is written on our hearts that shows/proves we are God’s.
2 Corinthians 3:6: We are competent to spread the Good News because we have the Spirit. The Spirit gives life. Nothing else such as letters.
2 Corinthians 3:18: We are being transformed into God’s likeness with ever-increasing glory because we have the Spirit within. The Spirit allows us to reflect God’s glory wherever we go.
Ephesians 1:13-14: Once we accepted Christ into our hearts, we were marked by the Holy Spirit as God’s. We are thus guaranteed our inheritance (everlasting life).
Titus 3:5-6: God saved us through the Holy Spirit, which Christ brought us through his death.
13) Personal Question. My answer: It’s a great reminder that no matter what sins we commit, we are saved and forgiven because of the Holy Spirit, which guides all that we do. I take comfort in knowing I’m not in control but God is and that I am gradually being transformed because of the Spirit into God’s glory.
It gives me hope because it seems I fall short every day of God’s commands.
14a) Once Christ is accepted, the Holy Spirit comes and fills that person, marks them, and then guides them for the rest of their earthly days. The Spirit goes where it chooses to go. But we can help the Spirit choose others by reflecting God’s glory.
b) Personal Question. My answer: Yes.
Conclusions: Many people just think of God when they think of Creation. They picture Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel where he depicts God extending His hand to Adam and imparting life. But many (including me) forget the intricate role of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in all of this. Great job by BSF bringing that aspect to light and emphasizing their continued importance in our life today.
Summary of passages: Psalm 8: David sings God praises, saying how majestic He is. God set His glory above the heavens. The praises of children silence God’s enemies. David asks the question many of us ask: when we consider all you have made (the heavens, moon, and stars), why do you care for insignificant man so and crown him with glory and honor by making him ruler over everything?
How majestic is your name!
Psalm 90: Moses says before you brought forth the earth there was only everlasting God. For a thousand years in your sight is like a day. He says our days fly by quickly under God’s wrath so teach us (man) to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Moses asks God to relent his anger and have compassion on man so man may sing for joy and be glad. Show man your deeds and rest your favor on man. Give man work.
Genesis 1: HERE
Questions:
6) Psalm 90 speaks to how God’s time is not our time (verse 10). In 2 Peter 3:8 the author says the Lord’s day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. I am leaning towards saying it IS a 24-hour time frame. It would be presumptuous to say that God could not create the world in 6 days and in 24-hour time frames since God can do anything so I would think He’d only need 24 hours in a day.
God created the sun and the days and the length of the days specifically for man to mark time (Genesis 1:14) and I would like to think His Sabbath is the same as today. If you take what 2 Peter says then that would be a case for Evolution. That the world was created gradually. That it took 6000 years and that God needed 1000 years to rest.
Nope, don’t buy it.
I agree that God’s time is not our time. But I think in the case of Creation, God didn’t need thousands of years.
7) For His glory (Psalm 8) and because it was very good (Genesis 1:31). He created us because He wanted to. For His purposes. And God can do whatever He wants.
I personally think he created the earth with the intention it be a home for man. He created man for companionship. The first days of the Garden show us this: that God walked in the Garden, expecting to see man (Genesis 3:8). Can you imagine? Walking next to God in Paradise? This is heaven now but back in Genesis.
God is the Father. We are His children. Most of us would say we cannot live without our children. I think God feels the same way. That’s why He sent Jesus after the Fall–to be with us. Not separate from us.
David seems to be thinking the same thing in Psalm 8. Why would God go to so much trouble of creating the universe if not for us?
We don’t know all of God’s reasonings but I do think the creation of the world has something to do with man. You can call this presumptuous as well. But having God in my life makes my life.
8 ) This question is confusing. Verse 26 & 27: God created man in His own image. God created living from the living. The dead cannot reproduce. Thus, God is living.
God made everything (including everything that is alive like plants and animals) so this proves God is living as well.
We also know the Holy Spirit was there as exhibited by Genesis 1:2 so the Spirit is living as well.
I’m hung up on “living person”. For is God a person? Or is He God? I don’t think of God as a person. I know He is living. I know He was a living person in the form of Jesus Christ on this earth for a time. But is God Himself a person?
I know we are made in His image so we must resemble Him somehow. But does that make Him a person?
Calling God a person (to me) equates Him with humans and I just can’t do that. He is above us. Always has been and always will be.
My conclusion: He is most definitely living (as many passages in the Bible attest to). But is He a person? No. Not like me or you at least.
Conclusions: Great lesson! It definitely got me thinking. You? Thinking about things I don’t normally think about in my daily hum-drums of life.
All of these are personal questions and make you think about why we are here on this earth. For His purpose. That the world is His and we are mere transients. We are here for Him. He is the Alpha and the Omega. It begins and ends with Him.
As I type this, I am sitting here petting my one remaining dog. It’s been one week since I lost my female. I’m remembering how one minute she was here, present on this earth, and the next she was gone. Lifeless. A mere shell of what she used to be. How I miss her!
But I can’t wait to see her in her prime in heaven. It gives me comfort to know she’s in a better place.
Still, I could never be a vet or a doctor. Watching someone or something take their last breath in this world takes a special character to do repeatedly. And that’s not me!
It’s a reminder of how time is precious. How we need to do God’s work now. How God has a purpose for us and we must discover it now. No more excuses or ho-humming around.
Do it NOW!
Introductory Note: Hey all! It’s great to be back. Just some information up front. The answers will be found under BSF Genesis on the side bar. It might take a couple of weeks for it to show up since the side bar is determined by popularity so be patient! Until then, you can use the search in the side bar or scroll down to find the answers.
Summary of passage: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void but the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
1st Day: God made light and He saw it was good. He separated light from dark. He called light “day” and dark “night.”
2nd Day: God separated the waters to create sky.
3rd Day: He let the dry ground appear, which He named “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas”. Then the land produced vegetation–all of which God saw was good.
4th Day: God made the sun, moon, and stars to be used as signs to mark the seasons, days, and years; to give light on the earth; to govern the day and the night; and to separate light from darkness. God saw that it was good.
5th Day: God created the great creatures of the sea as well as every winged bird. He blessed them to multiply and fill the earth. He saw it was good.
6th Day: God created living creatures on the land and all the wild animals and He saw it was good. He made man in His own image to rule over all the earth and its creatures. God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and rule. He gave man every green plant for food and everything that has the breath of life in it. God saw that it was very good.
Questions:
3a) God is the subject of most sentences followed by an action verb (said, saw, created, called, made, set, blessed). It’s all about God. His name is used 30 times in Chapter 1. He’s the center. Nothing happens in this chapter without Him. It’s true now. He’s the center and nothing happens in this world without Him.
b) The word let is very common in English. I sense no pompousness here or a great booming voice–just God casually (yet purposefully) creating all. Let means “to cause to or make” according to Webster’s Dictionary. God is causing or making all.
Another meaning of let in Webster’s Dictionary is the imperative (command) form here, meaning to introduce a request or proposal. It’s a command yet it’s gentle.
“It was so” means everything God spoke was. He is omnipotent and Chapter 1 of Genesis shows this clearly.
4) He saw that all He had made was very good (verse 31)
5a) Jeremiah 10:12: God made everything by His power, wisdom, and understanding
Acts 17:24-25: God made the world and is therefore Lord and He does not need anything because He’s the ultimate (and the first) giver.
Romans 1:18-20: Since God is the Creator His eternal and divine qualities are in everything.
b) Personal Question. My answer: This is a stupid question. Why doesn’t BSF just come out and say the word “evolution” instead of tip-toeing around it? Obviously, if you are a believer, then you believe in the Creation and not in Evolution. It’s the first words of the Bible. This alone speaks to its significance.
Conclusions: I felt silly summarizing Genesis 1, the most popular and probably well-known chapter in the entire Bible. But I had never listed out each individual day before so I learned the sequence of Creation.
I think we must be careful not to get too comfortable with this study. Most of us know the stories in Genesis like the back of our hand. But do we know the significance of the stories?
I know I don’t. This is why I am doing this study.
Some fun facts I already learned: The Bible would not make much sense without the book of Genesis. Almost every fundamental doctrine begins here: sin, redemption, the power of God, the purpose of Jesus Christ, and justification.
Moses is believed to have written the book of Genesis (Luke 24:27, 44).
Genesis is quoted in the New Testament over 150 times.
I pray everyone has a deep and meaningful study in the book of Genesis and that perhaps you glean something here.
