Genesis 1

Genesis 1

The first book in the Bible.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Synopsis

There are two accounts of the creation in the Bible, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. The first chapter is more of a summary of creation, while chapter 2 re-explains it, and goes into a bit more detail on some aspects.

Even someone who wasn’t raised in a Christian (or Jewish) family will be familiar with the story recounted in Genesis 1. Everyone will hear a ring of familiarity when they read “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

The Genesis account of creation outlines 6 days of work that God did:

• Day 1: Created the heavens, the earth, and light, and then separated the light and the darkness to create “day” and “night”
• Day 2: Created waters and sky
• Day 3: Created dry land, to separate the waters, and vegetation, to grow out of the land
• Day 4: Created the sun, the moon, and the stars
• Day 5: Created creatures to live in the seas, and birds
• Day 6: Created creatures to live on the land, and created mankind “in the image of God”. (verse 27)

In this chapter, God also gave mankind a command: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (verse 28)

The chapter ends by saying that God saw all that He had made, and it was “very good”.

Thoughts

Even if you don’t believe the Biblical account of Creation—I do, but not everyone does—the story in Genesis 1 still has this value: It illustrates that God was in control of it all, from the beginning. If you happen to believe that the world is millions of years old, instead of 6,000, and that mankind evolved from other forms of life, but still believe that God was in control, you’re at least getting part of the point behind this chapter.

Also, a thought on verse 28, which I mentioned above: some people will see language like “fill the earth and subdue it”, and “rule over… every living creature that moves on the ground”, and think “All right! That means we’re the boss! We can do whatever we want!” However, this was not God’s intent. God didn’t give us the Earth as a plaything, that we can use up as we see fit; he gave us a responsibility, to care for His creation, and not waste the resources within.