Genesis 1:26-27 Day Six: God Creates Mankind

"Then God said,

 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,

and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air,

over the livestock, over all the earth,

and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV)

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We are still looking at the sixth day of creation.  We already briefly examined how God created the land animals on the sixth day.  Now we are going to look at God's creation of mankind on the sixth day as well.

First, the obvious question:  Who is God speaking to when He says "Let us..."?  Well, some people think that this is only what is sometimes called 'the plural of majesty'.  That is when a royal personage says something like "We are not pleased." -- when he/she really means "I am not pleased."  It is as if the person were speaking in behalf of the office which he/she holds.  However, that to me is just side-stepping the issue here, for God seems to be speaking to someone, and He includes that person in both the creative act itself ("Let us make...") and in the goal/purpose of that creative act ("...Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." )   So it doesn't seem to fit that this is just a 'plural of majesty' type of situation.  [Besides, such plural of majesty conversations always reminds me of something out of a Monty Python film, where a royal dowager frostily asserts, "We are not amused."]

What about the angels?  They seem to have been created before mankind, and are most likely present in God's throne room, as it were, when this conversation is taking place. We don't have too many details about the creation of angels, but they seem to have been rejoicing and praising God as He created the earth and its inhabitants:

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?

Tell me if you understand.

Who marked off its dimensions?

Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone --

while the morning stars sang together

and all the angels shouted for joy?"

Job 38:4-7 (NIV)

However, God wasn't speaking to the angels, for He says, "Let us make man..." -- if He had been speaking to the angels, that would mean that they took part in our creation, which they didn't.

He also says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." -- so if He were talking to angels, we would have been made in their image as well as God's image...which we aren't.  Angels are created beings, not creators.  So who is He speaking to?

Himself.  No, He is not crazy.  The Bible indicates that there are three persons in the Godhead.

• There are verses in the Bible where each person -- God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, either address each other or are addressed as individual persons.
• There are other verses where each person of the Godhead is acting as a separate person.  
• There are other verses where each seems to have the quality of deity, of being God.
• As if that weren't puzzling enough, there are also places in the Bible where it says that they are 'one' with each other.   Or that God is 'One'.

Yikes.

Here's my take on it.  First, I think it is not unusual that there are things about God that we do not fully understand with our finite minds.  That is not surprising.  He is God, after all.  We can only relate things to our own experiences, or to the extent of our rather limited knowledge or imagination.  It would be pretty arrogant of us to think that only the things that we can understand are real or true.

The Bible never uses the word 'trinity'.  We use that word to try to give a name to that concept where three-are-one, where there is a tri-unity.  It seems strange to us.  We are not used to that kind of one-yet-three concept.

Or are we?  What about the way we can readily understand that water is three-in-one?

The idea that really helps me relate to that concept of three-yet-one is water.  Yep, good old H2O.  See, water can come in three forms:  solid, liquid and gas.  As water, it can be in the solid form, like ice cubes.  It can be in the liquid form, like water that you can drink out of a glass.  Or it can be in the form of gas, like the steam which you might see rising from your tea kettle.

These three forms can seem very different, and even function very differently.  (Ever try pouring yourself a glass of steam?!)  Yet they are one in the sense that each form (the water, the ice, the steam) is still H2O in its elemental state.  And nothing else is H2O, besides H2O.

I think the same is true about God.  He is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, with different, sometimes concurrent jobs to do.  [Like ice in a glass of water.]  Each person of the Godhead is fully God [like the ice, the water, and the steam are each fully H20].  And nothing else is God, besides God. 

That example does not answer every question we might have about the tri-unity of God.  However, these ideas help me to think that there quite reasonably could be a God who is three-in-one. 

There is much more to be said about this issue, but this was just a brief overview of it.

Oh, one other thing which I found which was interesting:  The NIV Study Bible notes on Genesis 1:26 states in part:

 "...(In the ancient Near East, kings marked their conquest of lands by setting up images of themselves in the conquered territories as a sign of their authority and ruling presence.  An especially noteworthy example is the life-size statue of the ninth-century B.C. Hadad-Yithi, ruler of Gozan, found at Tell Fekheriyeh in northeastern Syria in 1979.  An Aramaic inscription on the statue identifies it as the "image" and "likeness" of the ruler, using the Aramaic cognates of the Hebrew words.)"

I think it is interesting because in our passage we have God creating mankind in His image and likeness, and bestowing upon them the rulership over the earth He had created.  In the rest of Genesis 1:26, mankind is given rulership over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.  No wonder, then, that Satan [in Genesis chapter 3] came to tempt Adam and Eve [as opposed to, say, a giraffe or a fish or some other creature] -- Adam and Eve were the living representatives of the authority and rule of God over the earth.

God created mankind (both male and female) in His own image and likeness, according to Genesis 1: 27.  [In the next post we will see that both shared in the blessing which follows in Genesis 1:28-30.]  Genesis 1:27 is the first example of poetry in the Old Testament, according to the NIV Study Bible.  It also notes that the verb 'created' is used three times in this verse, as if to emphasize that this creation of mankind is the central divine act of the sixth day.  Although it is written at the beginning of this post, I think I will will repeat it here:

"So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them."

Genesis 1:27 (NIV)  

A beautiful Psalm which celebrates God's creation -- and mankind's role in it -- is Psalm 8.  Part of it reads:

"When I consider the heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

the son of man that you care for him?

 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;

you put everything under his feet:

all flocks and herds,

and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air,

and the fish of the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Psalm 8:3-9 (NIV)

Genesis 1:24-25 Day Six: God creates land creatures

"And God said,

'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds:

livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals,

each according to its kind.

And it was so.

God made the wild animals according to their kinds,

the livestock according to their kinds,

and all the creatures which move along the ground according to their kinds.

And God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1:24-25 (NIV)
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On the sixth day, God created the land creatures and mankind.  These verses in Genesis 1:24-25 first deal with the land creatures.  It seems that there are several distinct categories of land creatures:  livestock, wild animals, and a catch-all category of other 'creatures that move along the ground'.

Again there is quite an emphasis upon each category of animal being made "according to their kinds."  There is no mention of one type evolving from another.  Instead, this emphasis of the various kinds of animals seems to point toward an Artist carefully creating all of the creatures which He formed to live in the garden of Eden.

 

In fact if God did make a place for these creatures, and these various types were all present in the Garden of Eden, that would rule out a gradual evolution over millions of years.  Soon we will read of Adam naming these animals, and thus these various types of land animals would have to be contemporaries, and not steps in a process.

I know that all this will sound like nonsense to you if you do not believe in the Bible as the Word of God, infallible and inerrant.  I will get to that matter soon, those reasons why I believe that the Bible is true and trustworthy.  It is important, and I do not mind that you need to take your time and examine this matter carefully.  Spoiler alert:  There are good reasons to believe it is true.

Of course, the fact that God saw that all that He had created as 'good' is repeated.

Genesis 1:20-23 The Fifth Day: God creates sea creatures and birds

"And God said,

'Let the water teem with living creatures,

and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.'

So God created the great creatures of the sea

and every living and moving thing with which the water teems,

according to their kinds,

and every winged bird according to its kind.

 And God saw that it was good.

God blessed them and said,

'Be fruitful and increase in number

and fill the water in the seas,

and let the birds increase on the earth.'

And there was evening and there was morning -- the fifth day."

Genesis 1:20-23 (NIV)

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Some observations:

• Throughout this passage, there is a sense of great abundance being created.  God uses phrases like:  "let the water teem with living creatures...be fruitful....increase in number....fill the water".

• "great creatures of the sea"  This phrase was used in Canaanite mythology to refer to a dreaded sea monster.  It was seen as a symbol for 'chaos', for powerful forces beyond control.  In the Old Testament, the prophets used this as a metaphor for powerful hostile forces or nations.  Here are some verses about this sea creature or 'leviathan':

 "Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook

or tie down his tongue with a rope?

Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Will he keep begging you for mercy?  Will he speak to you with gentle words?

Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life?

Will traders barter for him?  Will they divide him up among the merchants?

Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?

If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.

No one is fierce enough to rouse him.

Who then is able to stand against me?

Who has a claim against me that I must pay?

Everything under heaven belongs to me."

Job 41:1-11 (NIV)

[I thought it was interesting that whatever sea creature this leviathan is, it seems that it would be mere foolishness to attempt to capture him with conventional methods such as fishhooks, ropes, spears or even harpoons.  Whatever it is must have had a very tough outer hide, or was so huge that even the hope of subduing him is out of the question.  In contrast, however, God is perfectly able to control the leviathan, as we see in these verses.]

"But you, O God, are my king from of old;

you bring salvation upon the earth.

It was you who split open the sea by your power;

It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan

and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.

It was you who opened up springs and streams;

you dried up the ever flowing rivers.

The day is yours and yours also the night;

you established the sun and moon.

It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made both summer and winter."

 

  Psalm 74:12-17 (NIV)

[These verses emphasize many of the aspects which we have been talking about lately -- how God created day and night, sun and moon, seasons, etc.  Did you note that the Leviathan mentioned above seems to be at least a dual-headed beast?  Near Eastern creation myths depicted the primeval waters as a many-headed monster which the creator had to overcome in order to establish his own order to the world.  Although some would say that the imagery here is borrowed from such myths, perhaps it was the myth-makers who borrowed the imagery from events which took place between the Creator and his creation, including this Leviathan.  Although sometimes the leviathan concept was used as a metaphor to depict nations which were hostile to God, it seems that there actually was such a powerful creature which God as its creator was fully able to control.

Also, when the verses above speak about how God crushed Leviathan's head and gave him as food for desert creatures, it made me wonder if at the time of the Flood such creatures had been dashed to death by the torrential flooding and then deposited upon the desert floor and eaten by desert creatures as the flood waters receded.  The later is just speculation on my part, but if so, then these verses have a dual application -- to events which actually happened as well as imagery which depicts God's triumph over nations which opposed him.  At any rate, the point is quite clear:  God is fully in control and is able to triumph over anything or anyone who might oppose him.]   

In Genesis chapter 1:20-23, though, such creatures are simply seen as part of God's creation.  In fact, Psalm 104:24-26 portrays this sea creature or 'leviathan' in this way:

"How many are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

There is the sea, vast and spacious,

teeming with creatures beyond number --

living things both large and small.

There the ships go to and fro,

and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

These all look to you

to give them their food at the proper time.

When you give it to them, they gather it up;

when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

When you hide your face, they are terrified;

when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

When you send your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the earth."

Psalm 104:24-30 (NIV)           

   

To its Creator, the dreaded leviathan is no more than a playful creature frolicking in the vast sea.  This word 'frolic' has the idea of 'cheerful playfulness' and 'merriment', which is about as far away from the concept of a threatening monster as one could get!  It depends upon God for food and for its very breath. The NIV Study Bible note on these verses says this:  "That fearsome mythological monster of the deep (see Job 3:8 and note) is here portrayed as nothing more than God's harmless pet playing in the ocean." 

Other observations:

• 'let birds fly above the earth'  While the sea frames the lower half of creation, the sky above is filled with creatures of its own. 

• The phrase 'according to their kind' or 'according to its kind' appears again.  There are distinct types of creatures, not ones which have evolved from a common ancestor.  They are contemporaries, existing at the same time.

• 'God blessed them'  By God's blessing, creatures fill the sky and the seas.  God's rule is one of life and goodness.

 

 

       

Genesis 1:14-19 The Fourth Day: God creates the sun, moon and stars

"And God said,

'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky

to separate the day from the night,

and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,

and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.'

And it was so.

God made two great lights --

the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.

He also made the stars.

God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,

to govern the day and the night,

and to separate light from darkness.

And God saw that it was good.

And there was evening and there was morning -- the fourth day.

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The two great lights which God made were obviously the sun and the moon.  Although God had named the land and seas when He created them, the sun and moon are merely called 'greater light' and 'lesser light' in this passage.  According to the NIV Study Bible notes on this passage, this is because  the terms 'sun' and 'moon'

"... were used as proper names for the pagan deities associated with these heavenly bodies.

They are light-givers to be appreciated, not powers to be feared,

because the one true God made them."

Although these lights were called 'sun' and 'moon' in other passages of Scripture, I think that it was important to distinguish in this passage that these greater and lesser lights were just that -- lights -- and not deities.  Once that is established, there is no problem with calling them sun and moon in other passages.  

God assigned purposes for the sun and moon.  They were to:

• separate the day from the night.  [Their orderly appearance day after day and night after night gave a sense of continuity and structure.]
• serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years. [not in the sense of astrology, but indicating upcoming changes of seasons, or other matters such as planting times, etc.  I imagine that the appearance of certain astronomical events (constellations, etc.) would also indicate the passage of years, etc., to help people recall when significant events in history had taken place.]
• govern the day and the night
• give light to the earth

 God also made the stars.  At first this passage may seem to be saying -- "oh, yeah, God also made the stars." -- as though this was not really an important matter.  However, Psalm 136:9 says that the stars help the moon to govern the night.  Some stars are well-known indicators of direction, like the North Star.  The appearance of certain constellations could indicate seasons.

Did you know that God even named each individual star?  Isaiah 40:25-26 (NIV) says so:

" 'To whom will you compare me?

Or who is my equal?' says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing."

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Psalm 147:4-6 (NIV) concurs:

"He determines the number of the stars

and calls them each by name.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

his understanding has no limit.

The LORD sustains the humble

but casts the wicked to the ground."

[I included verse 6 in the above passage because of a great note from the NIV Study Bible's thoughts on this subject:

"He whose power and understanding are such that he fixes

the number of (or counts) the stars and names them

is able to sustain his humble ones and bring the wicked down."

In other words,  the God who is able to create and name the countless number of stars which are present in the universe is Someone who the wicked are unable to withstand.  Someone who can remember the names of countless stars will not forget their evil deeds.  This is obviously of great comfort to those who are aligned with Him, for He will be able to meet all their needs and protect them from any enemies.  It is also a warning for the wicked to repent of their deeds and turn to God.]