Genesis Part 1 - Week 1

Day 1 

READ 

Genesis 1:1-2 

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 

Verse 1 says what God did. No human witness was there. All those who describe it otherwise only prove they were not a witness. True science has to do with what is observable, testable and repeatable. That cannot be done with creation. Some want to insert a long time period between verses 1 and 2 to account for long ages, fossils and evolution. They insert what God did not say. 

REFLECT 

Do you prefer to believe scientism or God when it comes to creation? True science does not disagree with Scripture.  

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about this passage. The expression that the earth “was formless and empty” is similar to what Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 4:23 as he expected devastation by the Babylonian army. It refers to a place that is uninhabited. 

Day 2 

READ 

Genesis 1:3-5 

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. 

This is what occurred on the first day. Some claim each day was a long age. It is true that the Hebrew word for day (yom) could be used of a long age, such as the “Day of the Lord.” When numbers are used with the word, however, as in the creation account only a 24-hour day is meant. Also, when the terms “evening” and “morning” are used, that specifies a 24-hour day. Plus, in Exodus 20:8-11 God instructed people to work six days and rest the seventh as He had done with creation. Only a 24-hour day would make sense in this comparison. 

REFLECT 

Is this helpful to you in understanding the length of the creative days in Genesis? 

RESPOND 

How do you reply to those who disagree with you about the length of the days in the creation account? Remind them that true science has to do with what is observable, testable and repeatable. What human author meets these qualifications? 

Day 3 

READ 

Genesis 1:6-8 

6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8 God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day. 

There seemed to be a canopy of waters above the earth as well as the waters on the earth. The space in between was called “sky.” Again “evening” and “morning” are mentioned. This concluded the second day. Some want to insert ages to give God more time; others wonder why it even took Him 24 hours. He is the God of miracles and could have done it quicker if He desired. 

REFLECT 

Do you marvel at all God did by creating these various elements? 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about this creative work. God is a trinity; that is, He is three persons in one: God the Father; God the Son; and God the Holy Spirit. Which of these persons was doing this creating? See John 1:1-5 where the “Word” refers to Jesus as seen in John 1:14. 

Day 4 

READ 

Genesis 1:9-11 

9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 

Land now appears. Notice that God saw all of this to be good. The vegetation that was created would produce fruit after the plants from which they came. This will be a common theme throughout the creation account. Plants, animals—and mankind—would produce after their kind. With man there might have been some failure, but with God “that is what happened.”  

REFLECT 

Do you marvel about everything reproducing after its kind, and one kind never becoming another kind? 

RESPOND 

Read Genesis 1 with a friend and count the various times it is indicated that created matter and beings reproduced after their kind. There could be several varieties within the kind, but one kind never becomes another. 

Day 5 

READ 

Genesis 1:12-13 

12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day. 

Notice it is mentioned that the seeds of the vegetation produced “plants and trees of the same kind.” See also it is said again that “God saw that it was good.” Nothing bad or evil had entered the scene yet. The Old Testament mindset was that the evening began a new day. Jews would observe the Sabbath from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset. The third day concluded as the evening passed and the morning came. 

REFLECT 

Consider how you notice a day ending and a new day beginning.  

RESPOND 

Take time to think more about Genesis 1:1-13 to consider the first three days of creation. Check any sources you can that could add comments to those made here. A site you can also check for your questions is gotquestions.org.