Gênesis 1
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 1
Spurgeon on darkness - “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” How dense that darkness was I cannot tell; that primeval darkness which had never been stirred by a single ray of light; that dense, thick seven-fold Egyptian darkness that had never known a sun or moon, and had never been pierced by light of star; and yet, primeval though it was—I was about to call it eternal darkness, but nothing can be eternal but the Most High—yet there was but a word—“Light be,” and light was. (Creation - An Argument for Faith - Jeremiah 32:17) And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters - Clearly the Spirit of God is the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit was superintending, exercising divine care and supervision. This was not chaos, but cosmos (orderly). NET NOTE on Spirit of God - The traditional rendering “Spirit of God” is preserved here, as opposed to a translation like “wind from/breath of God” (cf. NRSV) or “mighty wind” (cf. NEB), taking the word “God” to represent the superlative. Elsewhere in the OT the phrase refers consistently to the divine spirit that empowers and energizes individuals (see Gen 41:38; Exod 31:3; 35:31; Num 24:2; 1 Sam 10:10; 11:6; 19:20, 23; Ezek 11:24; 2 Chr 15:1; 24:20). Henry Morris on Spirit of God - The word “Spirit” is the Hebrew ruach, which is also the word for “wind” and “breath.” The context determines which is the correct meaning in any given instance. In Genesis 1:2, there is no doubt that the creative activity requires not a wind but the person of God Himself. Since the universe was everywhere in need of activation, that person of the Godhead who is both omnipresent and energizing is appropriately mentioned as working in the creation at this point. NET NOTE on moving over - The Hebrew verb has been translated “hovering” or “moving” (as a bird over her young, see Deut 32:11). The Syriac cognate term means “to brood over; to incubate.” How much of that sense might be attached here is hard to say, but the verb does depict the presence of the Spirit of God moving about mysteriously over the waters, presumably preparing for the acts of creation to follow. If one reads “mighty wind” (cf. NEB) then the verse describes how the powerful wind begins to blow in preparation for the creative act described in vv. 9–10. (God also used a wind to drive back the flood waters in Noah’s day. See Gen 8:1.) The Hebrew word for “was moving” is used elsewhere in the Old Testament only in Deuteronomy 32:11, where it describes God showing care for His people Israel "like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers (rachaph) over its young." Apparently the Spirit hovered over and cared for the original as yet unfashioned earth. I was raised on a farm and "moving over" (or hovers) congers up the image of a mother hen brooding over her eggs). Cassuto has an interesting note on the picture of the Spirit brooding - The (PAGAN) myth tells of an egg that existed since the days of creation, and a power from on high came and brooded over it, and from it the world was hatched. But the expression used in the Bible is over the face of the waters, and the waters of the deep are not an egg or anything resembling one. (A Commentary on the Book of Genesis) MacArthur the imagery is "of the Holy Spirit hovering over this undeveloped, unformed, lifeless mass of matter in space, covered by water." (This) a major detail in the creation account and not a minor one. It demonstrates, for one thing, that the biblical world view of God is that He is directly involved in His creation. His hand is never lifted from the elements and the working of the material order. His presence is there superintending, hovering over that. This is the antithesis of this philosophical deism that says God is like the originator of the creation, He wound it up and then walked away from it. Or theological dualism which sees a gap between a good God and spirit and a bad world and matter. But rather you have the living God superintending, brooding over, hovering over the waters being directly in charge of the entire process of creation. Henry
Gênesis 1
Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" Genesis 1:30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. Ge 9:3 Job 38:39-41 39:4,8,30 40:15,20 Ps 104:14 145:15,16 147:9 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life (Heb. a living soul), I have given every green plant for food And it was so - See note on this short but significant phrase which means firm and fixed. It reminds me of the great word tetelestai (erfect tense of teleo) from Jesus in John 19:30 - "It is finished!" Genesis 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. very good: Job 38:7 Ps 19:1,2 104:24,31 La 3:38 1Ti 4:4 and the: Ge 1:5,8,13,19,23 2:2 Ex 20:11 Genesis 1 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries GOD'S ASSESSMENT IT WAS VERY GOOD God saw all that He had made, and behold (hinneh) it was very good - Here is another behold (hinneh) to focus attention on this final day of creation and the completeness of the Creator's work. George Bush - Behold it was very good. This is the divine testimony respecting the works of the creation when all was finished. God saw that everything was good, because it perfectly answered the end for which it was made. The reason of these words (good) being so frequently repeated throughout the preceding narrative is to direct attention to the contrast between the original state of things and the present, and to intimate that whatever disorders or evils now exist to mar the works of God, they did not originally belong to them, but have been introduced in consequence of man's transgression.— If it be asked why the space of six days was employed in the work of creation when omnipotence could have effected every thing in a moment, it may be answered, that one reason probably was, that all to whom the record should come might be able more leisurely and distinctly to contemplate the Creator's works as they proceeded successively from His hand. Another reason perhaps was that He might lay the foundation of the weekly division of time, and of the institution of the holy Sabbath, an ordinance to be perpetually observed to the end of the world. (Genesis Commentary) And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day (yom) - This literally is the 6th twenty-four hour day, a truth which is supported by the description in Exodus where Moses writes "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Ex 20:11) Ponder that description, especially the sabbath day. How could the myth of evolution in any way be descriptive of this day? Not only that but it referred to a literal day that the nation of Israel was to observe every week! If the seventh day was literal, the previous six were also literal. To argue against the plain reading of the text is not to argue with men but with God! QUESTION - How do beliefs about creation impact the rest of theology? ANSWER - The creation/evolution debate has been raging for years. To many, it seems like two opponents yelling at each other with no one really listening. The vitriol has increased to the point where each side reflexively dismisses the other—evolutionists dismiss creationists as completely ignoring science, and creationists accuse evolutionists of engaging in all sorts of Machiavellian conspiracies to silence their side. This is not to dismiss the arguments of either side as being hyperbolic but simply to point out that there is precious little honest dialogue going on in this verbal war. Because of the difficulty of sorting out the truth, many Christians relegate the creation/evolution debate to the status of a secondary issue that does not relate to how one becomes right with God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the most part, this line of thinking is correct. We can get so caught up in this debate that we lose our focus from the main issue: the spread of the gospel. However, as with many other “secondary” issues, what one believes regarding creation plays a role in how one views theology in general and the gospel in particular. More to the point, how one views creation has a major impact on the rest of their theological views. Regarding the doctrine of creation, there are several views within Christianity: 1. Literal 24x6 creation – God created all there is in six 24-hour days. 2. Day-Age view – The creation events occurred as depicted in Genesis 1, but instead of six 24-hour days, the “days” of creation represent indeterminate, finite periods of time. 3. The Framework view – The days of Genesis 1 represent a theological framework within which to narrate the creation of all things. Throughout most of church history, up until the last 150 years, the 24x6 view of creation was the most commonly held view within the church. Not all Christians held to this view, and not all who did were committed to it. However, there is no question that this has been the dominant interpretation of Genesis for most of Christian history. We don’t want to believe something simply because it’s traditional and historical, including the 24x6 view of creation; rather, we want to believe a doctrine because it’s supported by the text of Scripture. In this particular case, many conservative theologians believe that the 24x6 view also has the strongest exegetical support from the text. First and foremost, it’s the natural view one gets from simply reading the text. Additionally, there are other points, such as the way the seven-day pattern set forth during creation week is the pattern for our calendar week (Exodus 20:8–11). Since the advent of modern science, the 24x6 view of creation has been increasingly abandoned by Christians. The primary reason for this rejection is the fact that the 24x6 view of creation necessitates a “young earth” age of the universe (anywhere from 6,000 to 30,000 years), and the prevailing scientific view is that the universe is billions of years old. The Day-Age view (sometimes called progressive creationism) is an attempt to reconcile the Genesis creation account with an “old earth” view of the age of the universe. Please note that the Day-Age view still posits that God created all things and it still rejects atheistic (naturalistic) evolution. Nor should the Day-Age view be confused with “theistic evolution,” the view that macroevolution is true but, instead of being guided by blind chance, was guided by the hand of God. Day-Age proponents see themselves as reconciling the biblical account with science. Its opponents see this view as a slippery slope to rejecting the veracity of God’s Word. Because many Christians view the creation/evolution debate as of secondary importance, there is usually little or no concern over the theological implications of how one interprets the Bible’s view of creation. In truth, however, what one believes regarding creation is crucial because it goes to the issue of the inerrancy, trustworthiness, and authority of Scripture. Of primary importance is why a person chooses a particular view, in light of the Word of God. Believing that the Bible is inspired and inerrant but not literal in the first two chapters of Genesis is one thing. Believing that the Bible is simply wrong or cannot be trusted is another. In other words, the key issue when it comes to one’s view of creation is how that view relates to the authority and reliability of the Bible. If the Bible can’t be trusted in the first two chapters, what makes it trustworthy throughout the rest of the book? Typically, critics of the Bible focus their attacks on the first eleven chapters of Genesis, in particular the creation account. The question is, why do they target this part of Scripture? The first eleven chapters of Genesis set the stage for the rest of the biblical story. You can’t understand the unfolding narrative of Scripture without Genesis 1–11. There is so much foundational material in these chapters for the rest of the Bible—e.g., creation, the fall, sin, the certainty of judgment, the necessity of a Savior, and the introduction of the gospel. To ignore these foundational doctrines would render the rest of the Bible as unintelligible and irrelevant. Yet critics of the Bible want to treat these opening chapters of Genesis as ancient Hebrew myth rather than primeval history. The truth of the matter is that, compared to the creation stories of other cultures, the Genesis account—even in its most literal interpretation—reads more like history than myth. In most ancient literature, creation is seen as a struggle between the gods. Most creation myths portray the culture in question as the center of the religious universe. The Genesis account, while sharing many similarities with other creation stories, differs in that it portrays God as the sole Sovereign over creation (not one among many gods) and mankind as the pinnacle of His creation, serving as His stewards over creation. To be sure, there are unanswered questions with the Genesis account, such as the exact date of creation. Nor are there many details about the specific means or methods God might have used. This, of course, is why there are debates about the different biblically compatible creation accounts. The purpose of the Genesis account isn’t to give a complete historical account that would pass muster with modern-day historians. The Genesis account was a pre-history of the Jewish people as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land; they needed to know who they were and from where they came. Another thing to note is that much of Christian theology is based on the historical accuracy of the Genesis account. The concept of marriage comes right out of the creation account (Genesis 2:24) and is referenced by Jesus in all three Synoptic Gospels. Our Lord Himself acknowledges that man was created male and female “from the beginning of creation” (Matthew 19:4). These statements, to be comprehendible, rely on the historical accuracy of the Genesis creation account. Most importantly, the doctrine of salvation depends on the existence of a literal person named Adam. Twice in the Pauline Epistles (Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15), Paul links our salvation in Christ with our identification in Adam. In 1 Corinthians 15:21–22, we read, “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” The entire human race is in a fallen state by virtue of being “in Adam” through natural birth. In similar manner, those whom God has chosen for salvation are saved by virtue of being “in Christ” through spiritual birth. The in Adam/in Christ distinction is crucial to a proper understanding of Christian soteriology, and this distinction makes no sense if there were no literal Adam from whom all humanity descended. Paul argues in a similar vein in Romans 5:12–21. But what makes this passage unique is that it explicitly says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). This verse is the linchpin in the argument for total depravity (the “first plank” in the Calvinist platform), and, like the 1 Corinthians passage, it depends on a literal Adam for it to make any kind of sense. Without a literal Adam, there is no literal sin and no need for a literal Savior. Despite what position one takes on the doctrine of creation, at least one point is clear and not open to debate within Christianity: God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). While we at Got Questions believe the 24x6 view possesses the strongest biblical argument, there are other views offering valid interpretations within the sphere of Christian orthodoxy. We need to stress that the Bible does not (either explicitly or implicitly) teach an atheistic or “Darwinian” view of our origins. Therefore, to state that the creation/evolution debate is not important is to have a low view of Scripture. It does matter, particularly because how we approach the Bible with respect to origins speaks to how we will approach it everywhere else. If we cannot trust the Bible when it speaks on the matter of creation, why should we trust it to speak on salvation? Logically, what we believe regarding creation is important to the rest of our theology.GotQuestions.org Related Resource: What does the Bible say about creation vs. evolution? | GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What did God create on the sixth day of creation? ANSWER - On the sixth day of creation, God created the land animals and the pinnacle of His creative work, humans (Genesis 1:24–31). God’s handiwork was complete at the end of the sixth day. Moses, the author of Genesis, summed up the week of creation with these words: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array” (Genesis 2:1). Land animals. God commanded land animals into being: “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind” (Genesis 1:24). Every animal not created on the previous days was now in existence. The land animals were created according to their “kinds,” which Moses groups into three broad categories: livestock, such as sheep, goats, and cattle; creeping things, such as insects, worms, and reptiles; and the wild animals, such as lions, foxes, and kangaroos. All creatures that live on the earth, including elephants, giraffes, dogs, cats, tortoises, and other land animals were created on the sixth day. “God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw” (verse 25, GNT). Mankind. When creating man, God took counsel with Himself: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). This is not an explicit revelation of the Trinity, but it provides a foundation for it, as God reveals an “us” within the Godhead. God made man in the image of God (men and women both bear this image) and special above all other creatures. God formed the first man “from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). With the rest of creation, God had simply spoken things into existence (e.g., Genesis 1:3, 14, 20), but God does things differently when He creates mankind. Man is a unique combination of earthly, natural material (dust) and life-giving power from God Himself (the breath of life). God then placed the first man in a garden to care for it (Genesis 2:15), and then He says, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (verse 18). So God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and He took a rib from the man’s side from which He made a woman (verses 21–22). God places mankind in authority over the earth and over all the other creatures (Genesis 1:26). God blesses man and woman and commands them to reproduce, fill the earth, and “subdue” it—that is, bring the earth under the rightful stewardship of man as authorized by God (verse 28). God announced that man and all other creatures were to eat plants alone (verses 29–30). God did not rescind this dietary restriction until after the flood (Genesis 9:3–4.) Scripture indicates that humans are set apart from all other creatures: • Humans are made in the image of God. Unlike the plants, trees, aquatic animals, birds, and land animals, God set mankind apart as unique by creating humans “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). Being made in God’s likeness does not mean that humans physically look like God, since He is spirit (John 4:24). Rather, men and women reflect God in their ability to love (1 John 4:19), reason (Isaiah 1:18), and make intelligent decisions (Deuteronomy 30:19). • Mankind was uniquely and intimately formed by God (Genesis 2:7; Isaiah 45:12). After forming man, the Lord personally breathed life into Adam to give him life. Significantly, God also personally formed Eve, using a part of Adam (Genesis 2:21–22). • Man was given dominion over the earth. After creating the first man and woman, God blessed them, gave them dominion over all the animals, and instructed them to multiply (Genesis 1:28). Everything in creation was originally perfect and “good” as God intended (verse 31). • The first humans were commanded by the Lord not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16–17). This command demonstrated Adam and Eve’s moral responsibility. They had a free will and the capacity to make moral decisions, in contrast to the other creatures. According to His perfect design, God created land animals and humans on the sixth day of creation. As the apex of creation, humans were made to reflect the Lord’s character and attributes in this world. Although everything in creation reflects God’s glory to some extent, mankind is unique in being distinctly made in the image of God. GotQuestions.org What did God do on the seventh day of creation? Why are there two different Creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-2? | GotQuestions.org What is the biblical Creation story? | GotQuestions.org ALL QUESTIONS/ANSWERS ON CREATION FROM GOTQUESTIONS.ORG What does the Bible say about Creation versus evolution? What does it mean that God is the Creator? What is young earth creationism? What is old earth creationism? Old earth vs. young earth—what are the core issues in the debate? What does the Bible say about dinosaurs? Are there dinosaurs in the Bible? Do faith in God and science contradict? What is the age of the earth? How old is the earth? Why are there two different Creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-2? Who was Cain’s wife? Who was Cain afraid of after he killed Abel? What does the Bible say about cavemen? Does Genesis chapter 1 literally mean 24 hour days? What is theistic evolution? What is the Gap Theory? Did anything happen in between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? Was Noah’s flood global? When was Noah’s flood? What is the origin of the different races? Who was Lillith? Did Adam have another wife before Eve? Did God use the "big bang" to create the universe? Why did God create such a vast universe and other planets if there is only life on earth? How can the light of stars billions of light years away from the earth have reached us if the earth is only thousands of years old? What was the Garden of Eden like? What is the location of the Garden of Eden? What does the Bible say about dragons? What happened at the Tower of Babel? In what way was the earth divided in Peleg’s time? Did God create other people in addition to Adam and Eve? Had it ever rained before the Flood in Noah’s day? Did the Bible copy the Flood account from other myths and legends? What is the Intelligent Design Theory? What was God doing before He created the universe? What does Creation "ex nihilo" mean? How did Noah fit all the animals on the ark? Why did God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden? How could there be light on the first day of Creation if the sun was not created until the fourth day? What does the Bible say about the ice age? How long did it take Noah to build the ark? How long was Noah on the ark? Questions about Adam and Eve How long were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? Does the Bible say anything about a pre-Adamic race? What is Progressive Creationism and is it biblical? How does the geologic timescale fit with the view of a young earth? How does radiometric dating fit with the view of a young earth? Is there any evidence for young earth creationism? What is Irreducible Complexity? Is the theory of Pangea possible? Does the Bible say that there was once a Pangea / Pangaea? What is the Anthropic Principle? Did the Bible copy some of its stories from other religious myths and legends? What is Serpent Seed doctrine? What is the Table of Nations? Is creationism scientific? Is creationism compatible with the scientific method? How does creationism vs. evolution impact how a person views the world? Why is the science community so opposed to creationism? What caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? Why is biblical Creationism so important? What is the theory of directed panspermia? What are Y-Chromosomal Adam and Mitochondrial Eve? What is the difference between Microevolution and Macroevolution? How is Intelligent Design any different from belief in a Flying Spaghetti Monster? What is the theory of abiogenesis? What is the definition of abiogenesis? What is biogenesis? What is the theory of punctuated equilibrium? Does the Bible teach that the earth is flat? What is the God particle? What is the God of the gaps argument? What are some flaws in the theory of evolution? Is the universe eternal? Is the universe expanding? Why didn’t Adam and Eve find it strange that a serpent was talking to them? The Missing Link - has it been found? What is the canopy theory? Is the similarity in human/chimp DNA evidence for evolution? What is the best evidence/argument for intelligent design? What does the Bible say about uniformitarianism vs. catastrophism? What happened on each of the days of Creation? What is the biblical Creation story? What is the definition of antediluvian? Would the discovery of Noah’s Ark be important? How do beliefs about creation impact the rest of theology? Is the concept of Lucifer’s Flood biblical? What was the leviathan? What is the behemoth? What is the multiverse theory? Did God create the universe? Does the Bible teach geocentrism? How does the Cambrian Explosion fit within the framework of young-earth creationism? What do creationists believe about natural selection? What is the breath of life? Was Adam and Eve’s sin really about eating a piece of forbidden fruit? What is the meaning of the tree of life? How does DNA point to the existence of a Creator? What similarities are there between the Gilgamesh flood account and biblical flood account? What is the Day-Age Theory? How does young earth creationism handle the evidence for millions of years in the fossil record? Does the string theory have any connection with belief in God? What/where was the land of Nod in the Bible? What is the meaning of Pishon in the Bible? If Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned, introducing death into creation, wouldn’t the world have gotten overpopulated? What was the firmament in the Bible? What are the laws of thermodynamics and how do they provide evidence for creationism? What is the age of the universe? Is Jesus the Creator? What was the purpose of the flood in the time of Noah? What is the definition of Darwinism? How was the flood in the time of Noah just? How can God be good if He drowned babies in Noah’s flood? Is carbon dating a reliable method for determining the age of things? Is belief in God compatible with quantum physics? What is laminin? Is there any significance to laminin being in the shape of a cross? What similarities are there between the Enuma Elish and the Genesis creation account? What is the first earth age? Is the concept of a first earth age biblical? Is the Adam and Eve story to be understood literally? How does creationism explain vestigial organs? Why do men have nipples? What is BioLogos? Why does the Bible describe the moon as a light? What is palingenesis? Why did God say, "Let there be light," during creation? What does it mean that the heavens declare the glory of God? How does the fact that human beings possess some Neanderthal DNA impact creationism? Does the Bible say anything about the existence of black holes? Can the flood mentioned in Genesis be proven? Was the forbidden fruit an apple? What is historical creationism? What is the myth of Pandora’s Box, and how does it relate to the biblical creation account? Is Göbekli Tepe where the Garden of Eden was located? What was the Scopes Monkey Trial? When was before the foundation of the world? Were there dinosaurs on Noah’s ark? What does the Bible mean when it refers to the corners of the earth? Why did God create the world / earth? What is evolutionary creationism? What impact does red shift have on creationism? What are the pillars of the earth mentioned in the Bible? What language did Adam and Eve speak? What did God create on the first day of creation? What did God create on the second day of creation? What did God create on the third day of creation? What did God create on the fourth day of creation? What did God create on the fifth day of creation? What did God create on the sixth day of creation? What did God do on the seventh day of creation? What is Answers in Genesis?