Teaching Notes are Bible studies we taught before GraceLife Ministries began publishing articles online in 1995. Some were presented as sermons, others as group studies.
Our hope is that these older studies will be a blessing to you in your life and ministry. Please use them in any way God leads you.
These teaching notes are from a series of studies about the Book of Genesis.
[These notes are from a study from almost 45 years ago.]
Chapter 1 verse 1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The heavens (plural) and the earth were created by God .. in the beginning.
God is eternal and exists in a timeless dimension of foreverness. However, He intervened or stepped into a dimension of time and space called “in the beginning.” The Hebrew word is bərêšîṯ. The Greek word is génesis.
At this beginning point God “created” the heavens and the earth. He brought the heavens and earth into existence ex nihilo (out of nothing).
Because of the plural word heavens, God must have created at least two, if not more. A heaven is that which is above us — sky, outer space, further universe. The Hebrew word is haššāmayim. The Greek is ouranoi.
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:2 suggest the possibility of three heavens –
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
- Atmosphere
- Outer Space
- Paradise/God’s Abode
The Hebrew word for “created” is bārā. The Old Testament presents the conception of time-worlds or successive ages, but its real emphasis is on the energy of the Divine Word, bringing into being things that did not exist. The Old Testament and the New Testament, in their doctrine of creation, recognize no eternal matter before creation. (1)
The Greek word is ktizó. It was used among the Greeks to mean the founding of a place, a city or colony. In Scripture it means an act of God in creating:
- natural creation – Mark 13:19; Romans 1:25; 1 Corinthians 11:9; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 4:3; Revelation 4:11; 10:6
- spiritual creation – Ephesians 2:10, 15; 4:24; Colossians 3:10
Chapter 1 verse 2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
This is a most difficult verse to have at the very beginning of your study of God’s revealed Word. This earth, spoken of in verse 1, was created by God, but did He create it “formless and empty” with “darkness over the surface of the deep?” Why was the Spirit of God “hovering” (brooding) over the waters?
It could be that God only created the basic elements in verse 1 from which He would form all things. It’s possible that the 2nd verse is a direct continuation of verse 1. Verses 3 and after would show the step-by-step process of God in forming this created element of all life into shapes and sizes with the variety of functions spelled out in the biblical account.
It could be that verse 1 is a statement which is described in the following verses. Verse 2 and after could be a “here’s how it happened.’
There are some who believe the word “was” should be translated became. They state that the heavens and the earth were created perfectly, but became formless and empty after some catastrophe. This is known as the Gap Theory.
The Hebrew for “formless and empty” are ṯōhū and ḇōhū, meaning “a ruin, vacancy and emptiness.” Many think that the ruin came from the fall of Lucifer plunging original creation into an emptiness. God, then, in mercy rebuilt the earth as borne out through verse 3 and after.
I do not have any strong conviction with any, though all seem possible.
Chapter 1 verses 3-5
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Whether as a first-time creation or in re-building, God speaks light into operation. What was made was good. He separated the light from the darkness and called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” Further terms used are “evening” and “morning.” This is called a “day.” However, the day of “light” is different from the day of “evening and morning.” The Hebrew for “day” is yōm. The Greek is hémera. It can mean the time of light, a 24-hour period, or even an indefinite period of time. The first use of “day” seems to speak of that 12-hour period of light. The second use seems to be the full 24-hours of evening and morning. It’s interesting that God began the 24-hour day in the evening.
Chapter 1 verses 6-8
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And 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. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
God speaks a second time in the account calling for a separation between the waters. There was to be an “expanse” (a wide extent of surface) between the waters to use this separation. The expanse was made and water existed under and above. The expanse was named “sky.” The Hebrew word is rāqîa‘, rendered steréōma in Greek. The NIV’s “expanse” is an excellent translation. rāqîa‘ suggests an expanse, something stretched, spread or beaten out.
This division or separation took place within an evening and morning — the second day.
Chapter 1 verses 9-13
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
The third day began with the water under the sky being gathered to one place and dry ground appeared. God called the dry ground “land.” He called the gathered waters “seas.”
Next we see the formation of vegetation: plants and trees. This was a creation of wide variety and each kind of fruit bore seed in it; self-propagating as it were.
Chapter 1 verses 14-19
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
God now makes or allows to appear two great lights — one to rule the day and the other to rule the night. We know that the sun is the light of the day, while the moon is the light of the night. The stars were also set in the sky to “give light on the earth.” They were also to govern the day and night and separate light from darkness. This was the fourth day.
Chapter 1 verses 20-23
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
The fifth day began with “living creatures” in the water. These were everything that lived and moved in the seas. God also made the winged birds to fly “above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
God blessed the living creatures. “Blessed” is the Hebrew word ḇāraḵh. God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and increase in number. God was pleased.
Chapter 1 verses 24-31
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
The first chapter of Genesis ends on the sixth day. During the day God made livestock, creatures that move along the ground and wild animals. Those three divisions are interesting to contemplate. I wonder if the creatures on the ground are the bug world?
God then says, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” I’m interested in the plural “us” and “our.” God’s name here is ’ĕlōhîm and is masculine plural. God is conferring with themselves — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are agreeing to make man in their image. *
Man was to rule over the creatures of the sea, the sky and the land. Man was made male and female. They were to be fruitful and increase (biologically) and take over the earth. The fruit of the plants and trees would be their food plus the food for the beasts, the birds and the creatures moving on the ground. The sixth day ended.
My idea on the image creation:
- Father — Soul (mind, emotions, will)
- Son — Body (physical, seen)
- Spirit — (spiritual, unseen)
- ISBE – II/738
- VEDNTW – 256
Next Time
We will look at Genesis Chapter 2 in the next part of our special series.
[Thank you for reading these teaching notes from almost 45 years ago. My prayer is they will be a blessing to you and your life and ministry.]
GraceLife Blog 