Genesis Framework Part 6

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Genesis Framework
GF 06 Genesis 1.3-31
Aug 2, 2015
Part 06

Scripture

Genesis 1.3-31

NKJ Genesis 1
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

You will soon discover that what is completely absent from this poetic-ordered account of the first three days, is any mention whatsoever of function or purpose for that which God created on those “days.” You will also soon discover that which God creates in the “first poetic day,” He gives function and purpose to it in the “fourth poetic day,” and that this same pattern, or structure, applies respectively to the successive days of two and five, three and six.

Review Last Week

Poetic ordering

image of text

FIATS

Fiat - an order issued by legal authority, a decree

“Let it be done.”

Firmament

The firmament is a reference to its canopy or tent-like appearance over the earth, as that of a sheltering cover, or vault for the earthlings, which God spread across the sky and His chambers.

In the firmament God installed heavenly lamps to illuminate the darkness of the dwelling place by day and night.

Although this poetic figure is largely a suggestion of architectural imaging in Genesis 1, the idea is carried out in more explicit detail in other biblical allusions to the creation account.

Psalm 104:2
Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

NKJ Proverbs 8:27
When He prepared the heavens, I (Wisdom) was there, When He drew a circle (vault) on the face of the deep,

NKJ Isaiah 40:22
It is He who sits above the circle (vault) of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

vault, horizon; of the heavens, sea and earth.

khoog, Meaning: 1) circle, circuit, compass
2) (BDB) vault (of the heavens)

By this separation of the atmospheric heaven and the waters on earth were distinguished, a first step in bounding the deep.

The phrase, “waters above are the clouds” is used as a poetic term for the rain reservoirs in God’s “upper chambers.”

NKJ Psalm 104:13
He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

rah-qi'-a
Usage: firmament 17 times

Meaning:
extended surface (solid, as if beaten out), expanse, firmament; firmament (of vault of heaven supporting waters above), considered by Hebrews as solid and supporting 'waters' above

You will begin to discover that all along the creation process, the cosmos structure was built as a habitation for the Creator Himself, as well as for all the living creatures and things of His creation.

Heaven and earth were erected as a house of God, a palace of the Great King, the seat of sovereignty of the Lord of the covenant, Yahweh.

Fiats – Creation Kingdoms

1 Let there be light"; and there was light. [thing]

2 Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, [thing, place]

2 and let it divide the waters from the waters." [place, place]

3 Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, [place, place]

3 and let the dry land appear"; [place]

3 Let the earth bring forth grass, [place, thing]

Fiats – Creature Kings

image of text

5 Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, [place, function, creatures]
abound( multiply( dominion( rule)))

5 and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." [creatures, function, place]
dominion( rule)

5 and let birds multiply on the earth." [creatures, function, place] abound( multiply)
abound( multiply)

6 Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: [place, function, creatures]
bring forth( multiply( dominion( rule)))

6 Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; [creatures, function]
represent( sons)

6 let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
[function, creatures, place]
(dominion( rule))

Creation

Creation as described in the Genesis prologue (Gen 1.1-2.3) is strictly a constructive process, without any conflicting undercurrents. Elohim the Creator, is portrayed not as a mighty warrior but as an omnipotent architect and artisan. There is no sense of the tumult of war in the account; everything proceeds in orderly and stately fashion according to architectural plan. God is not building the universe with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. The building-process motif is not unlike the building and dividing of the world structure into compartments for habitation, a dwelling place for various types of creatures. Since we can count on the fact that Scripture interprets Scripture, the words of the prophet Isaiah interprets the Genesis creation accounting this way-

NKJ Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the LORD (Yahweh),
Who created the heavens,
Who is God (Elohim),
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
"I am the LORD (Yahweh), and there is no other.

Remember our tohu and bohu?

These two words bring out the contrast of the original empty and uninhabitable creation of raw materials made out from nothingness which required the wisdom of God
and the architectural skills of Creator God to set all things into their proper and assigned place.

For example, as the Lord challenges His servant Job, He pictures Himself in the process of creation with measuring line in hand, defining the spaces, determining
the dimensions according to specifications, setting the building on foundations, and laying the corner-stone, enclosing the living areas by boundary-walls with their
door and bars Job chapters 38 and 39.

In the creation account proper (Gen 1.1 - 2.3), only the generic term for God, Elohim, is used for the Creator.

In the account of man’s history in the garden (2.4 – 3.24), the compound designation, Yahweh-Elohim, predominates. This same name is more often used here than in all the rest
of the Old Testament.

Beginning in chapter 4, Yahweh and Elohim are both used singly, with the choice of one or the other determined by each various theological and literary consideration.

The point of the combined term, Yahweh-Elohim, is designed as a pointed declaration that Yahweh, the Lord of redemptive history, is Elohim, the Creator-God of
Genesis 1.

Elohim is revealed in the Genesis prologue as God alone, the Eternal, the Creator of all things visible and invisible.

According to Proverbs 8, the divine Wisdom was present at the earliest creation, and God, the One to whom Wisdom relates before the primeval beginning is the Lord and there is none else.

Paul and John confirm that it was the Son who was there as God, just as Wisdom who is God was there.

So Wisdom in Proverbs is a reference to God Himself.

Isaiah 40:21
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

NKJ Isaiah 43:10
"You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.

Isaiah 40:28
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

While man’s scope of lordship extends over all the earth, including over all the realms and rule of all the subject-realms, man’s authority is given by God.

While man is king to an extent, he is still a vassal-king, one who is fully obliged to give tribute to Christ, the LORD of all creation.

Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life.

Jesus is God Incarnate

In order to pay the debt of our sins, He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father, where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father even unto the shameful death upon the cross in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith, believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work was His complete and necessary Atonement for your sins, in your behalf.Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being. The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life. If you have not done so before this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior, and ask Him to come into your life right now, and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing, thank Him for the gift that He is giving you, the one He paid for in full in your place, in Jesus’ name,AMEN

Bibliography

Agnes, Michael and Charlton Laird (eds.). Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York, NY: Macmillan, 1996.
Aland, Kurt, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren (eds.). The Greek New Testament, 4th rev. ed. Germany: Biblica-Druck, 1994.
Benner, Jeff A. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. College Station, Texas: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc., 2005
Bullinger, E. W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible; Explained an Illustrated. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2007.
Chapman, Benjamin. Greek New Testament Insert. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1977.
Dana, H. E., and Julius R. Mantey. A Manual of the New Testament. Canada: The Macmillan Company, 1957.
Louw, Johannes P. and Eugene A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1989.
The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2011.
Metzger, Bruce M. Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek. Princeton, New Jersey, 1977.
Wikipedia contributors. "Xenophon." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.
Wuest, Kenneth S. The New Testament; An Expanded Translation. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1992.
Wuest, Kenneth S. (Revised, Donald L. Wise). The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, rev. ed. Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1982.
Walsh, J. Martyn and Anna Kathleen Walsh. Plain English Handbook: A Complete Guide to Good English, 7th rev. ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: McCormick-Mathers PublishingCompany,1977.