Understanding Genesis One is crucial to the rest of the Holy Bible, because it introduces the character of the Creator through His relationship to His creation and to mankind. Discussions about most interpretations of Genesis One often omit the literal meaning of several verses, and fail to address some translation difficulties apparent when we try to take ALL the text literally.
"Trust in Genesis" is about identifying for yourself the words in translations of Genesis chapters 1-3 that are consistent with God's character, and a few which are apparently not. The earnest seeker or believer is to carefully consider any message about God, including an interpretation of His words such as this one or a Bible translation. Is it entirely consistent with God's character? But, how would we know that?
When Moses introduced God's plan for human prophets to his people, they were commanded to use their personal understanding of whether the message a prophet gave proved true. They themselves were responsible for determining if a message source was true and to be heeded. If a message about God does not prove entirely true, to some extent God has commanded we are not to heed it.
When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or prove true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 18:22, Amplified Bible (from BibleGateway.com)
OUR ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT GOD's CHARACTER. God's original words are clear to the perceptive, and without any deceptions (Proverbs 8:8-9). God's Words convey His thoughts and are meant for all mankind (Amos 4:13). However His translated words have been interpreted by men, who may make mistaken assumptions or be guided by earlier assumptions that cause confusion, even within our Bible translations.
It is a blessing for us that God originally used a very simple vocabulary and language. Biblical Hebrew has extremely few words which often have several meanings. In the original text this makes context more important for identifying which meaning of certain words was intended. Words like "yowm" (translated as "day"), or "erets" (translated as "earth") have multiple meanings, and the Word of God itself is the only significant authority about what they mean, with Genesis itself often setting the recognized standard. In a complex message the first use of a new term is often where the author establishes his or her primary meaning for it (that's called the principle of first use in the formal study of how messages are accurately understood, hermeneutics). When a reader assumption or translation error is encountered, it shows up as inconsistent context either where the intended meaning is given or in a use that builds upon the intended meaning.
For example modern English users expect "earth" means the entire planet, so "the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep" (GN1:2, NIV) seems confusing. The difficulty about what "earth" means becomes apparent due to the context. Because difficulties like this are present in every English translation, we are arguing that determining what "earth" and other words mean is the responsibility the reader, and it should only be done earnestly with due care for the nature of Genesis and the Creator by considering all that the context teaches about "earth". We will address what "earth" means later after demonstrating why and how we chose a certain Bible translation.
USING A TYPICAL BIBLE TRANSLATION. I began this adventure with an NIV Bible, which God had many times used to bless me supernaturally with the Reality of His Scriptures (with Amos 4:13 for example). Simply taking most modern English translations literally answers many questions, but raises others when translation difficulties arise. The NIV begins very similarly to most English translations, with:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Genesis 1:1-5, NIV (via BibleGateway.com)
Questions which can easily be resolved from this passage include:
What does "created" mean?
When does the first day begin here? With 1:1 or 1:2?
Why isn't the source of light mentioned?
To answer them we must make some more necessary assumptions however. These are:
Genesis is God's own introduction of Himself meant for mankind. This means the lessons herein are focused about Himself, but not necessarily about what men may want to learn from the passage.
"the heavens and the earth" refers to all the known universe. This becomes more apparent when we remember the Bible is written for all mankind. When any person looks from the sky to the land, their view has encompassed all the visible known universe.
Please pardon our abbreviated references to Scripture. We expect to publish this eventually as an electronic book in Adobe PDF form. Such abbreviations are easier to search for. In your browser you can search for "GN1:5" with better results than "genesis 1:5".
CREATED. When God created "the heavens and the earth", that means He created the entire known universe from absolutely nothing, GN1:1. This includes time itself as well as all matter. This also teaches that "created" is about the origination of a physical thing in a miracle mankind in general cannot hope to understand. The word "created" is very much about the character of the Creator, His absolute self-existent power over all things which ever were or will be.
GOD'S VIEWPOINT of GN1-2:3
The first narration concludes in GN2:3, then a second narration elaborates on events of the sixth day in GN2:4-2:24. All of the first narration is given from the viewpoint adopted by the Spirit of God, hovering above the waters GN1:2. This viewpoint is within darkness GN1:2, and below the "waters above" during GN1:7. IF we trust God and Genesis, this viewpoint and the darkness could obscure what He reveals after GN1:2. Only at the end of the fourth day GN1:19 does there seem to be the clarity of view meant to remind mankind how incredible and infinite the Creator is, how mortal and finite we are.
THE FIRST DAY. In GN1:5 God proclaims that the daylight of GN1:3 and the night which preceeds it GN1:2 were perfect in every way for the understanding of mankind. IF we trust Him, that means their durations were as we would expect, and conditions then were exactly as He has described. IF we trust God, earth existed all during that day GN1:2, and the heavens apparently also did, since they are later revealed GN1:7.
IF we trust Genesis, the perfection of the first day compels the assumption that both heaven and earth were created before the first day began since God says that was His definition of the daily night/day cycle. So the first day begins in GN1:2 according to God's definition of that darkness as "night" in GN1:5. But then more questions arise:
Did time pass before that day? God speaks in GN1:1 of time beginning when He was creating the heavens and the earth, which apparently already exist in GN1:2, so that process took time if we trust Him.
Why does God call it "the first day"?
WHY NO LIGHT SOURCE? Here are the search results for "sun" in the NIV. The results for other popular English versions are very similar. You can easily try any Bible version by changing that and clicking UPDATE at the top. The results are the same for the NIV, NASB, NLT, KJV, ESV, NKJV, and HCSB. Bible translators have been not only busy but very consistent about the key words of importance to what Genesis says about the age of the earth. Some Bible interpreters fail to respect the integrity of the message preserved for us by the Bible translators God has blessed us with.
The word "sun" does not appear in any major English translations of Genesis until GN15 after the flood. GN1 never mentions "sun" nor "moon". Remember we assume God's purpose for Genesis is to introduce mankind to His character, not necessarily to the physical roles of the sun and the moon. This isn't about astrophysics but the Author of all things. God is focusing our attention upon Himself as the Source of all good things, especially daylight. Daylight is necessary for all familiar forms of life, for understanding, warmth, and hope. As God emphasizes in GN1:5 it is also necessary for the human measure of time. God doesn't mention what the light source is because He is teaching primarily about Himself as the Source of life, understanding, hope, and the measure of time. God never identifies that light source as the "sun" because it simply isn't important to His subject.
TO BE DONE
The typical mistranslation of GN1:5 says "the first day", leading to the mistaken assumption that it was the first day all creation existed. In Genesis, God's original words about the first day of Genesis actually mean it was the perfect definition of a single day, the first day observable from a view men could understand, and leave obscure what came before it. Be careful what you take literally.
God could certainly have created the heavens and the earth instantaneously, but that isn't what He says. That this was instantaneous or very quick is often assumed but only an assumption. God is the Source of all understanding. He explicitly defines the Hebrew word 'yowm" in GN1:5 as "daylight", then points out in the same verse that daylight is the human measure of time. Please notice He gives "daylight" first, then mentions it is used for the basic measure of time we understand.
It would make no sense to mankind if He were to speak of time passing before yowm was apparent near the surface of the planet. Genesis is meant for all mankind, not just PhD's in astrophysics or theology. It is distraction from God's actual words which confuses.
We should learn from what God does not say, as well as what He does. In God's revelation about the first day in Genesis, the age of planet earth ls left obscure, so we should assume that age is not yet important to God's introduction of His character for mankind.
There are many other passages in the Bible concerning what happened before the night of the first day in Genesis. None of them mention a time duration, and none seem instantaneous. At least one such event God Himself describes an immense but natural seeming event (see Job 38).
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