Treasures New and Old
Treasures New and OldGenesis: The Fourth through Sixth Day Of Creation
This month we will grab a big chunk of Genesis, Chapter 1, by examining days four through six, the days He created animal life and ultimately man. Please note that a Hebrew writing technique was to offer a summary of certain matters and events up front in a book and then add details following that summary. The special creation of mankind is handled that way. Briefly mentioned in Chapter 1, it is expanded in detail in the following chapters. Let’s dig in.
Genesis 1:14-19:
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.
- “Let there be . . .” A creative spoken command: (Strong’s H1961) “hayah: haw-yaw’: A primitive root; to exits, that is, be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): – beacon, X altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), continue, do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, X use.” This is a bara type of command here in Genesis, Chapter 1.”
- “And it was so . . .” A combination of hayah (Strong’s H1961) – same as the command, “let there be”, and Strong’s H3651 ken. Which means set upright, just, proper, etc.
- Lights is a Hebrew word that is distinctive of “luminous bodies”. Separate entities that give off light. Note, the sun generates light, the moon reflects light. Both are luminous bodies (Strong’s H3974: maor, etc.).
- “For signs, seasons, days, years . . .” God clearly intended these light bodies to provide a purpose beyond providing light. These divisions are so important to our basic daily health, well-being, and food growth.
Signs: (Strong’s H226): “‘oth: Probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: – mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.”
Seasons: (Strong’s H4150): “mo’ed mo’ed mo’adah: From H3259; properly an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand): – appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn (-ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed).”
Days: (Strong’s H3117): yom – generally understood to be a 24-hour period.
Years: (Strong’s H8141): “shaneh shanah: (The first form being in plural only, the second form being feminine); from H8138; a year (as a revolution of time): – + whole age, X long, + old, year (X -ly).”
Rule: (Strong’s H4475): “memshalah: Feminine of H4474; rule; also (concretely in plural) a realm or a ruler: – dominion, government, power, to rule.”
- Once again, we see the theme of dividing light from darkness. This is an important concept in Scripture and is well established here in Genesis, Chapter 1.
- This is the fourth day and, once again, we see the words ereb and boger – evening and morning – so we know we are looking at a twenty-four day (yom).
“Signs”
- The gospel in the stars; There is evidence that once the gospel was found in the various constellations but that pagans corrupted their original names/usage. Example, “Virgo” was Virgin from whom the messiah would come. Leo was King, etc.
The idea of seeing the gospel message in the stars was popularized by the writings of E. W. Bullinger and J. A. Seiss during the 1800s. Here is a brief outline of the usual zodiac interpretations:
Zodiac Interpretations:
Constillation | Picture | Interpretations |
Virgo | Virgin | Virgin Mary |
Libra | Scales | Sin must be paid for |
Scorpius | Scorpion | Sin brings death |
Sagittarius | Archer | Demonism |
Capricorn | Goat-fish | Earth corruption |
Aquarius | Water pourer | Living water or Noah’s flood |
Pisces | Fish | God’s remnant |
Aries | Ram | Sacrifice |
Taurus | Bull | Resurrection |
Gemini | Twins | Christ’s dual nature |
Cancer | Crab | Gathering of redeemed |
Leo | Lion | The King |
Early writings on this subject went into great detail regarding different parts of the constellations so that practically every star was assigned a special meaning.
Psalm 19:1-6:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
Genesis 1:20-23: “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 the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”
Isaiah 45:18: “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
- He created it not in vain: The purposes for the creation are manifold:
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- To give man, His most important creation, a place to live and thrive
- The intent was for man to rule forever
- Key here is life – not death (as in millions of years . . .)
- To share eternity with mankind
- To have fellowship freely – not as robots
- To give man, His most important creation, a place to live and thrive
- He formed it to be inhabited.
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- Every act designed to support abundant life
- The order is most important, unlike evolution that has a system that actually hinders life and is impossible to justify
- God uses the waters to bring forth fishes and fowls. Imagine the moment He speaks. Billions of birds of all types all around the seas spring forth and begin to fly through the skies. Billions of fish form in the water right where they are and begin to swim around.
- Remember that mayim (Strong’s H4325) has more uses than just water. It was used for the heavens and the firmament as well.
- This may be a unique version of bara – created.
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- Did He use the molecules of water (H2O) to form the fish and birds? Or did He “make” them (asah (Strong’s H6213)) by forming them? Or did He simply speak them into existence as he did the heavens and the earth?
- Did He use the molecules of water (H2O) to form the fish and birds? Or did He “make” them (asah (Strong’s H6213)) by forming them? Or did He simply speak them into existence as he did the heavens and the earth?
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- The “waters brought forth” is mistranslated in some Bible versions, implying that the waters did the creation – not so. It is more like a video that we watch and all of a sudden billions of birds come soaring out of the waters. Or we are watching an empty underwater view and suddenly thousands of fish simply appear and start swimming around.
- The “waters brought forth” is mistranslated in some Bible versions, implying that the waters did the creation – not so. It is more like a video that we watch and all of a sudden billions of birds come soaring out of the waters. Or we are watching an empty underwater view and suddenly thousands of fish simply appear and start swimming around.
- Notice that the first water mammals were also created on this day: great whales, and we can assume dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, seals, etc. as well as birds that swim like penguins.
- “Be fruitful and multiply” – Clearly God created male and female (evolution never explains this) with reproduction capabilities – a clear intent to allow the earth to fill up.
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- Fruitful: parah: to bear fruit, increase (Strong’s H6509).
- Multiply: rabak: to increase in abundance (Strong’s H7235).
- Fruitful: parah: to bear fruit, increase (Strong’s H6509).
- Kind of double strength! Bear fruit and multiply and do it with great increase and abundance!
- Hebrew word for whale is tanniym (Strong’s H8577) and is also translated in other places “dragon”. This whale reference also strongly implies very large sea creatures. Can anyone say Lock Ness Monster?
- The word for life is nephesh (Strong’s H5315) and means soul. We are a three-part being with body, soul, and spirit. Animals such as were created on the fifth day have a soul but not a spirit. This has some important implications:
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- Soul is more than breath of life as some would imply for we now know that plants “breathe” as they take in CO2 and give off O2. The carbon (C) remains in the plant and is used in photosynthesis to build more plant.
- Our soul is the seat of our mind, will, and emotions. Many animals also display theses capabilities as well as instincts.
- These creatures have a consciousness of life – plants do not
- Soul is more than breath of life as some would imply for we now know that plants “breathe” as they take in CO2 and give off O2. The carbon (C) remains in the plant and is used in photosynthesis to build more plant.
- Notice that twenty-four hours ago, there was no food for all these creatures. But now there is thanks to the preplanning of God to have all manner of plant life already (with implied age) filling the earth.
- I assume that all animals so far are herbivores – plant eaters since death does not appear in the creation until Adam sins.
- Once again, God emphasizes “after their kind” making a clear distinction that animal types did not evolve from different animal types. The DNA created on this day must have been rich in programming scope indeed to have included all of the variations that eventually spin off within each kind. Many kinds of trout today – are they all from single “kind” ancestors?
- Moveth: (Strong’s H7430): ramas: can mean glide, step, move, creep, crawl, swarm, and other means of locomotion in the sea. Guess this includes crabs, lobsters, etc. as well as fish as they glide through the waters.
- All animals are numbered by God: Matthew 10:29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.“
- Food was provided before it was needed: Matthew 6:26: “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?“
Genesis 1:24-25: “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 earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and ever thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
- “And God made” – Did He form each animal? Is something at play here different than what happened on the fifth day? Not likely. This may be nothing more than a Hebrew technique of saying the same thing in a slightly different way. Perhaps in eternity we will find out. Since God is still speaking, “And God said . . .”, I lean towards a bara moment.
- Bring forth – Same as on day five – means came out of as opposed to the earth made it.
Creature: (Strong’s H5315): nephesh: the flesh of a living breathing animal based on the verse’s context
Kind – same as day four and five
Cattle: (Strong’s H929): “behemah: From an unused root (probably meaning to be mute); properly a dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often collectively): – beast, cattle.” A possible illusion to domesticated, clean animals.
Beast: (Strong’s H2416): chay: Alive, strong, life, troop (groups of). Seems to capture all other animals beside cattle and creeping things.
Good – Same as all other days.
“Of the earth” – A phrase that denotes that these are land animals as opposed to sea creatures and birds of the air.
Creeping things: (Strong’s H7431): remes: A reptile-like creature that moves close to the earth (on its belly or close to it). Insects??? Not clear about insects. Insects do not have lungs and, therefore, may be considered to not have the breath of life on them. They do breathe after a fashion through holes in their sides/abdomen into hardened tracheal tubes that run along their exoskeleton.
Leviticus 11:21-23: “Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.”
Leviticus 11:29-31: “These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.”
Genesis 1:26: “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.”
Let us make: (Strong’s H6213): asah – A verb that means to make or form ((na’) The Complete Biblical Library Interlinear Bible). It is not the same as bara to create out of nothing. Instead, it means to form something using materials of some kind. In this case, the dust of the ground and God’s spittle (we learn this from Chaper 2). The “let us” translation fits perfectly with the plural ending of Elohim.
Man: (Strong’s H120): adam: ruddy, reddish, human being, man, a person, from the earth, ground. Man was not only to look like or resemble God in shape, but also in composition (body, soul, spirit). In eternity past, God knew He would one day take on the form of a man.
Image: (Strong’s H6754): tsehlem: shade of, image, illusion, resemblance, and figure – that which is fashioned after another thing.
Likeness: (Strong’s H1823): demuth: a concrete mold, shape, likeness resemblance, similitude.
Dominion: (Strong’s H7287): radah: to tread down, subjugate, to reign, dominate, prevail against. Though not stated here, Chapter 2 lets us know God’s intent is stewardship not just dominance. We are expected to rule over the planet and care for it. Adam was handed the keys to the kingdom of the earth.
Genesis 1:27-28: “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.”
Created: (Strong’s H1254): bara coupled with eth (Strong’s H853) which points to a specific entity – “So God created man, even man . . .”. So, although man was formed, it seems that God also created (bara) man at the same time. However, Chapter 2 depicts a special forming of man out of the clay of the earth. So, once again, we are looking at a Hebrew literary technique of saying the same thing in different ways.
Blessed: (Strong’s H1288): barak: to kneel; when a superior bestows a gift to an inferior.
Male: (Strong’s H2145): zakar: male, man, boy child, male sex.
Female: (Strong’s H5347): negebah: female, women.
Replenish: (Strong’s H4390): male mala: to fill, to make full, fill wholly, furnish, fullness. I don’t think we are there yet.
Subdue: (Strong’s H3533): kabash: to tread down, conquer, subjugate, bring into bondage, keep under control. Although not implying stewardship, it is coupled with dominion very closely and, therefore, implied.
Genesis 1:29-31: “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.”
Grass: (Strong’s H1877): “deshe’: . . . a sprout; by analogy grass: – (tender) grass, green, (tender) herb.”
Herb: (Strong’s H6212): “‘eseb: From an unused root meaning to glisten (or be green); grass (or any tender shoot): – grass, herb.”
Tree: (Strong’s H6086): “‘ets: . . . a tree (from its firmness); hence wood (plural sticks): – + carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.”
Seed: (Strong’s H2233): “zera’: From H2232; seed; figuratively fruit, plant, sowing time, posterity:- X carnally, child, fruitful, seed (-time), sowing-time.”
Fruit: (Strong’s H6529): “periy: . . . fruit (literally or figuratively):- bough, ([first-)] fruit [(-full)], reward.”
Bearing: (Strong’s H2232): “zara’: A primitive root; to sow; figuratively to disseminate, plant, fructify:- bear, conceive seed, set with, sow (-er), yield.”
Meat: (Strong’s H402): “‘oklah: Feminine of H401; food: – consume, devour, eat, food, meat.”
Literally: “every green plant which can sow its own seeds”
Conjecture: Recall that on the third day God created three main branches or orders of plant life: herbs, trees & fruit trees, and grasses – each after their own kind. Here God mentions only two of those: herbs and trees.
This not an inconsistency. God has grass as food for animals. What we tend to put in the grass “family” is a man-made decision, not God’s. I can infer that God intended that wheat, oats, barley, and other grain foods are not grasses but herbs in God’s design of things.
- Very good: Unlike the other days, this day was “very good.” This could point to two things: (1) that the work on the sixth day was superior to the other days in God’s opinion; or (2) now that creation is complete, the whole six days together are very good. All in harmony, all structured as He desired, all prepared for His crowning creation – man.
Exploring “Let Us”
Psalm 2:7: “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”
Psalm 110:1: “A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”
Isaiah 48:16: “Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.”
Matthew 11:27: “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”
John 8:42: “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”
John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Ephesians 3:9: “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:”
You will note that the details of the creation of mankind also lack any reference to the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That’s because Chapter 1 is a summary, and important facts will be elaborated on in additional chapters. We do this today in a slightly different way. In any scientific paper, you will find that the authors will provide an abstract or synopsis of the paper contents up front. Details, evidences, references are all then included in the body of the paper. News articles condense this abstract technique even shorter with their headline designed to catch your interest without having to read the entire article.
Maranatha!
Bro. Joe
References
Bullinger, E.W. (1893). The Witness of the Stars. London, England: Eyre and Spottiswoode.
Gilbrant, T. The Complete Biblical Library Interlinear Bible. World Library Press. (2020). Wordsearch Bible. [computer software]. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources. (Original work published 1990)
Seiss J. A. (1884). The Gospel in the Stars. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J.B. Lippincott and Co.
Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)