Question about Genesis

[hooleyhoopty]

Ok, so maybe this isn't a big deal but I recently watched a show, it might have been the same show about Creation that made me wonder about the OT. Anyway, they made a point that in Genesis God created day and night on the first day. Then on the 3rd day he seems to create day and night yet again (Genesis 1:14). What are some of your interpretations on this?

[Cross.eyed]

Ok, so maybe this isn't a big deal but I recently watched a show, it might have been the same show about Creation that made me wonder about the OT. Anyway, they made a point that in Genesis God created day and night on the first day. Then on the 3rd day he seems to create day and night yet again (Genesis 1:14). What are some of your interpretations on this?

Hi hoolyhoopty,
The first light wasn't the sun, it was some fixed light source outside of the earth, what this source was is speculative as much as I can tell.

Gen.1:14-16 the fourth day is when the sun was created along with the moon and stars.

Does this help?

btw; edit: inadvertently I typed "third" day instead of fourth.

[Byblos]

Ok, so maybe this isn't a big deal but I recently watched a show, it might have been the same show about Creation that made me wonder about the OT. Anyway, they made a point that in Genesis God created day and night on the first day. Then on the 3rd day he seems to create day and night yet again (Genesis 1:14). What are some of your interpretations on this?

Please read this.

[hooleyhoopty]

Thanks for the replies. I clicked on the link and from reading am I to surmise that Genesis 1:16 (the fourth day) is just reiterating the fact that God had already created the sun and the moon on the first day when he created the heavens and the earth?

Genesis 1:14 through 1:18

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate 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 expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

[Byblos]

Thanks for the replies. I clicked on the link and from reading am I to surmise that Genesis 1:16 (the fourth day) is just reiterating the fact that God had already created the sun and the moon on the first day when he created the heavens and the earth?

Genesis 1:14 through 1:18

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate 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 expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

That's correct. The sun was created on the first day and was only made visible on the fourth. Clears up a whole lot, doesn't it?

[hooleyhoopty]

Thanks for the replies. I clicked on the link and from reading am I to surmise that Genesis 1:16 (the fourth day) is just reiterating the fact that God had already created the sun and the moon on the first day when he created the heavens and the earth?

Genesis 1:14 through 1:18

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate 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 expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

That's correct. The sun was created on the first day and was only made visible on the fourth. Clears up a whole lot, doesn't it?

Initially I thought that yes it did. Then I thought no. Hopefully, you can follow my train of thought.
Day 1: the heavens and the earth are created to include the earth, water, the sun, the moon, the stars.
Day 2: He began to shape the earth and it seems this includes separating the water and forming clouds. These clouds could give rain but did they completely block out the sun? It states that there is an evening and a morning so I assume that the sun is still visible on the earth's surface.
Day 3: vegetation is created. (The sun would have to be visible for photosynthesis so the sun must be visible.)

So what then on Day 4? The sun becomes visible? Did he actually create anything on this day? I clearly see that the phrase "let there be" is repeatedly used (Genesis 1:14 through 1:18). That God did not necessarily create the "lights in the expanse of heavens" on this 4th day. That perhaps these are simply statements of what God intended for these bodies (to separate day from night, for signs, for seasons, and days of the year). But if these are simply statements then what exactly was created on Day 4? Again, I'm not sure I can see the argument that he cleared the clouds so that the sun could shine on the earth's surface because it would have to already be visible for plantlife. Besides the author of the referenced article even stated that it was on Day 1

Genesis 1:3 begins with another conjunction, so we know it is part of the continuing action. God is still on the surface of the earth. "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." Where is the light? It's on the surface of the earth for the first time.

Did the sun then completely go away with the creation of clouds on Day 2? Thanks for bearing with me!

[Byblos]

Initially I thought that yes it did. Then I thought no. Hopefully, you can follow my train of thought.
Day 1: the heavens and the earth are created to include the earth, water, the sun, the moon, the stars.
Day 2: He began to shape the earth and it seems this includes separating the water and forming clouds. These clouds could give rain but did they completely block out the sun? It states that there is an evening and a morning so I assume that the sun is still visible on the earth's surface.
Day 3: vegetation is created. (The sun would have to be visible for photosynthesis so the sun must be visible.)

So what then on Day 4? The sun becomes visible? Did he actually create anything on this day? I clearly see that the phrase "let there be" is repeatedly used (Genesis 1:14 through 1:18). That God did not necessarily create the "lights in the expanse of heavens" on this 4th day. That perhaps these are simply statements of what God intended for these bodies (to separate day from night, for signs, for seasons, and days of the year). But if these are simply statements then what exactly was created on Day 4? Again, I'm not sure I can see the argument that he cleared the clouds so that the sun could shine on the earth's surface because it would have to already be visible for plantlife. Besides the author of the referenced article even stated that it was on Day 1

Genesis 1:3 begins with another conjunction, so we know it is part of the continuing action. God is still on the surface of the earth. "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." Where is the light? It's on the surface of the earth for the first time.

Did the sun then completely go away with the creation of clouds on Day 2? Thanks for bearing with me!

On day 1 light was created (sun, moon, starts) but they weren't visible.

I don't see a problem with God 'letting' things happen on day 4 and not actually creating anything.

Photosynthesis does not require direct sunlight to occur. Many a plant life function very well in the shade.

[hooleyhoopty]

On day 1 light was created (sun, moon, starts) but they weren't visible.

I don't see a problem with God 'letting' things happen on day 4 and not actually creating anything.

Photosynthesis does not require direct sunlight to occur. Many a plant life function very well in the shade.

I want you all to know that I am not trying to be difficult. I just want to understand.

To summarize, you are saying that God created all of the celestrial bodies on Day 1 but they weren't visible. Day 2 he formed the earth and it's oceans. Day 3 plant life was created (there was cloud cover but not dense enough to prevent photosynthesis). Day 4 he allowed the sun, moon, and stars to become visible by moving away the clouds, and away we go from there. I agree that this can make sense. It's just so difficult to have to reach to find the answers. I am beginning to see that there can and are many interpretations of the contents of the Bible. I really appreciate you sharing yours with me.

I was raised Christian, have attended church my whole life, but have never faced the hard questions that I've had. Recently, I've begun to wonder if I'm even a real Christian anymore which is scary.

I actually checked what program I had seen. It was on The History Channel, Mysteries of the Bible. The episode was specifically on creation. It definitely sent my head into a spin. I think CSLewislover said it best that I need to educated myself fully in Christian doctrine before taking in too much of the secular viewpoints.

[dayage]

Hoopty,

The sun, moon and stars were created "In the beginning," not on day one or four. Genesis 1:1 "the heavens and the earth" is a merism meaning the entire universe and all it contains.

Days one, two and four are about the transforming of the atmosphere. Look at Genesis 1:2. This gives us the piont of view, the initial conditions and the subject for what follows.
Subject - is the earth.
Conditions - It (the earth) was formless (no land), dark (no light was reaching its surface), void (no life)
Point of veiw - We are to see everything that happens from the surface of the planet (the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters)

In Job 38:4-9 God told Job how these conditions came to be. In Job 38:7 He says that the stars were there (as well as angels) when He laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:4). In verse 8 He says that the water came forth from within the earth and covered it with an ocean (outgassing). Then in verse nine He says that the darkness was caused by a dense atmosphere (thick clouds).

This is just one of the other creation texts in the Bible that must be integrated with Gen. 1.

Day one God said haya (let be) light. He did not say He bara (created) or asa (made). God uses this word haya only three times in Gen. 1 and each time it has to do with a transforming of the atmosphere. On day one it is the command to thin the thick atmosphere (Job 38:9), so that light could pass through. On day two it is the command to cause an open expanse in the atmosphere. Then on day four it is the command to made the atmosphere transparent.

Notice that the emphasis on day four is the role of the lights, not their creation. Verse 16 is a parenthetical phrase that should probably read "So God had made." Also notice where they are said to be given "In the expanse" of day two. The clouds are the upper boundary for the exspanse (Gen. 1:7). So this can not be about the creation of the lights in the universe (heavens Gen. 1:1).

Let me meantion Ex. 20:11:
With all of this in mind, we should read Exodus 20:11 like this: “For six days the LORD made the heavens (sky) and the earth (dry land), the sea(s), and all that is in them (birds of the sky; land plants, land animals, and man; great and small sea creatures), and rested the seventh day.” In Genesis one sea and seas are interchangeable (Gen. 1:10, 22, 26 & 28). Therefore, the six days of creation are referring only to the transforming of the planet earth and its atmosphere.