Elstree and Borehamwood to become a Christian Community
Read and meditate upon Genesis 1:20-2:3.
Last time we saw creation requires a designer and therefore God doesn't need to prove His existence.
Have you considered when dinosaurs were created? Or considered are they in the Bible? The word dinosaur (Greek: awesome lizard, awesome not terrible) was not created until 1843 but the equivalent appears in the Bible as behemoth, leviathan, dragon more than two dozen times.
You will have noticed in v26 God says, “let Us make . . In Our image . .after Our likeness, and then reverts to the singular in v27 His and He. Once again at an early stage of scripture God is preparing the reader for a revelation that He is a single and yet triune God.
Just as God has dominion over all His creation so He gives humans dominion over the earth. He also blesses and instructs them to be fruitful and multiply.
Before we leave chapter 1 notice God declared His creation as good seven times. In describing flora and fauna the word ‘kind’ is used 10 times in this chapter and another 8 times in chapters 6 and 7. The distinction between ‘kind’, ‘species’, ‘variety’, is very important as will be seen in a later study.
Now read chapter 2:4-25 and meditate on what you read.
Chapter 1:1 to 2:3 has given, as it were, a broad brush picture of God’s creation. Chapter 2 now gives us more detail of the pinnacle of His creation, which is mankind.
Note that so far everything God created has been made by 'speaking'. But with man it is different, he is created out of what God had already made.
Note the difference between the animals and man. Only mankind is created in God’s likeness or image. Man is to represent physically the image of the invisible God, having dominion over creation on behalf of God. Made in His likeness refers to bearing certain of God's moral attributes, enabling man to have fellowship with God.
Mankind is a unique creation of the sixth day and it sets humans apart from the animal world. Only mankind has God breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. Only to humans did God give special instructions as to what He wanted them to do, and the one thing they were not to do.
No doubt you have noticed that both animals and humans diet was to be a vegetarian one. This was to change later - we will see why in a future episode.
Eve was not created out of Adam’s feet that she might be trampled upon, nor out of his head that she might rule over him, but from his side that they might share together as partners in fulfilling God’s will.
2:24 Adam who was one has now become two, and is yet to become one again in a unique way we call marriage. Hence Christians insist marriage is always between a man and a woman, never between two men or two women. The Bible also uses marriage as a unique illustration of God's relationship with mankind.
In the beginning they were not ashamed to be naked. But this, as we will discover, did not last.
Next time we will look at the age old question of why, if God is good, He allows the innocent to suffer, and why we should no appear naked before others.