1. Lesson One of the Book of Daniel, Introduction to the Book of Daniel

Studies in Genesis, The Sixth Day, Lesson V, Genesis 1:26-31 and 2:1-9

The Creation Week is now in its sixth day.

The earth, dark and without form and void was lighted by God on the first day, and on the second day a separation of the waters was commanded and God brought forth a firmament above the waters, an atmosphere wherein the world became a place where vast forms of life could thrive.

Upon the completion of the third day the waters had been gathered together permitting dry land to appear and on the fourth day the lights of heaven were commanded to shine and in so doing God gave us markers of days, months and years and the warming and the cooling of the earth.

For everything made those first four days was needed for that which was to come on the fifth day for this day brought forth the sound of birds with fish swimming and jumping and whales frolicking in the sea.

So the world has completed its fifth day with light, firmament, seas, dry land, whales and birds flying.

But the fifth day is not the end of God’s creative power for another day is left and that day begins with God commanding the earth to bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beasts of the earth after his kind.

So the earth thrives with new life but God is not finished with the sixth day for He intends to bring into existence another being to have dominion over all that he has created and we read of this in:

Genesis 1:26-31, 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. ²⁸ 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. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ 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. ³¹ 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.

So again God declares that He created man in his own image. 

This is so important he repeats this truth. 

Because of this we are savable from a fallen state for God knows what will become of Adam and Eve in the Garden and His Son awaits God’s call to seek and to save that which was lost.

We also see on this sixth day that Adam and Eve came forth as fully formed creatures.

No long period was needed for an all-powerful creator who simply says Let there be and there will be.

Using time to explain our existence is simply a ruse to exclude instantaneous creation for no one can prove such a hypothesis.

But the scientific world as usual is fixed upon error for it has chosen to mandate the evolutionary process and all ideas must fit into this process or be automatically excluded.

This is nothing new in the scientific world for all one has to do is to look back in history and see this fixed thinking repeated over and over. 

Principles thought to be invincible have been gathered in the trash heap of history. 

And also will the fate of the theory of evolution be for only truth is eternal.

So in these last verses of Genesis 1 God gives us a summary of His creation of man and woman and will explain this creation with more detail in chapter 2.

But in this summary God brings us to know that even though God created man in His image there is a distinction within His creatures which makes each one unique. 

So with regard to man God has divided this creation into what He calls male and female. 

One of the things I believe is displayed in God’s creation with regard to man is its diversity for this is simply a display of God Himself for with God there is no end of diversity. 

So male and female created He them and they both were created in His image.

Again in our day this truth is anathema to the progressive mind, in reality the digressive mind, for this mind refuses to think there be any difference in male and female and the very thought of describing anyone by gender is hateful and bigoted.

Again we are seeing Satan’s effort to erase any Thus sayeth the Lord from the mind.

But God clearly has made man and woman differently for each one has a purpose unique to each.

And these differences are worthy and substantial differences. 

One of the principles of today’s culture is that men and women are to be in competition with each other. 

But this is not the Biblical position which says men and women are to complement each other.

God made Eve to fit Adam and likewise Adam fits Eve. 

We as Bible believers and Bible obeyers are not to wonder if men or women are superior to one another. 

A man is superior at being a man and a woman is superior at being a woman.

Men are not to strive to be like women nor are women to strive to be like men. 

God made them male and female, a simple designation of difference but our culture, a depraved culture loves to bring in confusion.

Trying to mix the two is like making a tool that is multifunctional and does everything.

It may do everything but it will not do anything very well.  

When God brought forth Adam and Eve he blessed them and gave them a standing order. 

It was not a onetime order but a command to pass from age to age and that command was to be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it, meaning be in charge of the earth and all that is in it.

God has since this day of creation intended for the earth to be populated with that which he brought forth on His creative days. 

We continue to have that job to do and God has provided all the means needed to be fruitful and successful.

Sadly this world filled with the mind of Satan opposes this very idea and conspires at every turn to eliminate multiplication and instead substitute

subtraction. 

God is a God of life, a God of multiplication, while Satan is the God of death, the God of subtraction. 

Abortion clinics are simply altars to Satan where he receives his sacrifices of subtraction.

So God’s order of things is very good and so He authoritatively declares. 

He provides everything needed for the earth to be populated, every herb bearing seed, and every tree it shall be for meat.

So here before the flood the food of man seems to be confined to that which grows from plants and trees, that is vegetation.

But we will see after the flood a different environment, not a lush tropical environment and therefore the flesh of animals is allowed to be eaten.

³¹ 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.

So here we learn that the earth was given the perfect beginning by God.

God had worked for six days and when he was done He stood back and examined His work, carefully judging all things He had made and behold He pronounced it very good. 

And He turned to man and said it is yours now to exercise dominion. 

It was not an earth of graves for it was not an earth of death.

It was not an earth of fossils for nothing had died.

It was an earth of life until sin entered and God had to say, the wages of sin is death and in the day you eat thereof ye shall surely die. 

That would come but after six days God was pleased to say, His creation was very good.

So we have seen in chapter one God’s creation outlined chronologically, day one thru day six, and in that we should include Genesis 2:1-3, for this passage continues the chronology while telling us the creation was complete and the seventh day had come in which God rested.

And we read of this in Genesis 2:1-3, Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ³ And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

So we have seen in this period of beginning man presented as the crown of God’s creation for only man is created in His image.

Of course this is what makes man the crown, not anything in man but everything in God.

So chapter two begins to fill in the details.

In chapter one man is given every plant to eat while in chapter two man is placed in a garden to dress it and to keep it. 

He is told to rule over all God’s creatures and in chapter two he is given the task of naming them all.

Chapter two contains an introduction and the setting for the fall of man which takes place in chapter three.

We are introduced to the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the woman who was to be first deceived.

So chapter two builds upon the summary of chapter one and prepares us for the details of chapter three.

Man, the crown of God’s creation brought forth in chapter one is now in chapter two the center of the circle of God’s actions and His attention.

Let us read of this in Genesis 2:4-7, These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵ And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. ⁶ But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ⁷ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

In this passage we see a continuation of our Provider God. 

We have observed God the provider seeing the earth without form and void and coming to bring light and firmament and dry land, and life to fill the land and the water, and great lights to mark the day. 

And in chapter two our Provider God continues to provide for He tells us the plants are without the water from rains and there is not a man to till the ground. 

So He commands a mist to arise and water the whole earth and he forms a creature capable of tilling the ground.

This creature is a product of that same ground he is to till for he is of its dust.

And into this man’s nostrils, the breath of life is breathed by Almighty God and the image of God is conveyed and the man became a living soul, a son of God made like unto God’s image.

There will come soon another need to be provided, for this man will see himself as incomplete and will not find completeness in all the creatures God has made but God will again provide by forming a fitting mate from a rib from his side.

So everything was in place, the mist filled the atmosphere and God then created a garden, an idyllic place of abode for the man and also a place where the man could be gainfully occupied, a man uniquely equipped to till the ground. 

Here we see that God is not only a God of the practical but he is a God of beauty. 

For out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. Genesis 2:9a

Notice that God desires not only the nutrition of the body but He also desires the nutrition of the soul. 

God is not a fast food God settling for the lowest but always combines beauty with utility.

The heavens declare the glory of God, declaring it in beauty and great utility.

Now along with every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food God brought forth by His word two special trees and He placed them in the garden.

The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Notice the separation implied here for only the tree of life is described as being in the midst of the garden but the location of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not given.  

Was it on the edge of the garden for it does seem to be a natural desire to get as close to the edge of things as possible? 

God had said yes to all things forbidding Adam from nothing but one thing, and that was to not partake of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

I know that Adam and Eve were in what is called an innocent state without knowledge of any contrast at all for all was good in the garden but they did not even have anything to compare what is good and what is not.