1.1 Creation – Detailed

Step One – Creation

  • Dates: Creation – 2000 BC
  • Books: Genesis Chapters 1-11

Summary

This period covers a length of time longer than the remaining 11 other periods. Some claim creation happened around 6000 BC, others longer, but even a conservative estimate puts it at over 4000 years. This section is the foundation the rest of the Bible builds on, and it contains the seed of almost every major theology we have including: where we come from, who made us, marriage, why there is pain and evil in the world, humanities relationship with the world, a multi faceted God, God’s righteousness,  God’s mercy, what God is like. …. Some say this part of the Bible is

, some say it is , but either way the important lessons we can learn are the same.

God creates everything, including humans, and places them in a paradise known as the Garden of Eden. He visits them and they live in peace. (Gen Chapters 1 – 2)

Humans are tempted by God’s adversary and rebel against God and destroy God’s perfect creation. God judges them and the relationship between God and humans is broken. Death enters the world. (Gen Chapters  3)

Rather than turn themselves around, humans continue to rebel against God and enter a downward spiral of increasingly abhorrent behaviour. God’s answer is to judge them again by sending a flood to destroy them all however  He chooses Noah, a righteous man, and saves him and his family. (Gen Chapters 6-8)

God is heart broken by the devastation of the flood, and vows to never destroy humans again – choosing to start a new plan to bring humans back into relationship with Himself. (Gen 8:15 – 9:17)

Humans continue to rebel, and so God mixes up their languages and disperses them all over the earth as  God knows a united human race will continue to be an unstoppable force for evil. (Gen 11:1-8)

(Gen Chapt 1,2) God creates everything in 6 days and on the 7th day rests to enjoy all He has made. At this point the world is perfect, there is no death or sickness and humans have perfect relationship with God. God has provided everything required for a life where there is no crying or mourning or pain. The two humans created (Adam and Eve) live in a place (commonly known as the Garden of Eden) and have rulership over the plants and animals. God walks in the garden and enjoyed a relationship with Adam and Eve.

(Gen Chapt 3) God has one rule for Adam and Eve, they can eat from any seed bearing plant in the garden but they must not eat from one tree – known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s enemy tempts Eve to eat from the tree telling her that “God knows you will be like Him if you eat from the tree.” Eve eats and so does Adam. They immediately feel shame and hide from God.

God removes them from Eden. Sickness, death and meaningless toil enter the world and humans relationship with God is broken. God covers Adam and Eves nakedness with the skin of an animal – the first death but also showing a glimpse of God’s plan to make things right between humans and Himself. Blood being used to remove shame and covering for sin is a major Biblical theme.

(Gen 6:1 – 9:17) Humans continue their downward spiral to the point that the Bible records that, “Every inclination of their heart was towards evil.” However one man (Noah) is found to be   before God. God commands him to build a boat (ark), take on board animals and prepare for a flood.

Noah build the ark, and when the flood comes is saved while the rest of the world dies. After the flood waters recede God vows to never destroy the world by flood again.

(Gen 11:1-8) Human being still have a single language. They set out to build a tower up to the heavens. God notes that, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” God mixes up human languages and disperses the human race all over the world – breaking us into tribes, countries and nations, separated by language.

 

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