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Date Posted: 15:13:24 05/18/99 Tue
Author: Kevin
Subject: Genesis 1:6-8

Genesis 1:5-8

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

firmament -raqiya', (raw-kee'-ah); an expanse

We learn from verse two that the earth was without form. Now in this verse we are privileged to knowledge concerning the beginnings of it's transformation into the planet we know today. Tradition has confused this verse to imply God surrounded the earth with some sort of solid ice sphere suspended dozens or hundreds of miles above the surface. Presumably this sphere was used by God to supply the water necessary to cover the earth during the great deluge of Noah's day. There is no observable phenomena available for study in favor of such a claim. It is also unnecessary, as a proper translation of Scripture renders this view unwarranted. Firmament is to be understood as the expanse of the sky, and not as something solid hanging in the sky.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

The waters above were not discernable from the waters below until this time. There is observable phenomena, near by, that can help us make sense of this verse. The giant gaseous outer planets have no discernable boundry between planet and atmosphere - the planet is the atmosphere, and the atmosphere is the planet. Apparently our planet began as a gaseous cloud of water vapor whose inner core condensed until it was observably separate from the atmosphere surrounding it. God commands it, and it happens.


8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Heaven - shamayim, (shaw-mah'-yim); the sky

In this verse we have the proclaiming of the sky by God. There is no indication how God brought about the seperation of the waters of the sky from the earth, except the phrase "let there be". The natural laws which He did establish "in the beginning" should be seen as sufficient to accomplish the command.

As was observed in verse five, there was a beginning to the process, a time when there was a lack of form - a void, and there was a completion to the process; the accomplishment of God's will. God chose to call this time of work, day two. These days, what ever they are, have no direct equivalent by our standard. Yet the author of Scripture by the leading of the Holy Spirit calls this day as if it were as a single day of our own work. We find this at once perplexing, yet we fall on our face in awe, humbled by the awesome power of the Creator God, and the knowledge of His timeless nature. All praise be given to the LORD, our God!

Peace
Kevin

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