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Overview
In this study, pastor John Mac Arthur will guide you through an in-depth look at the creation story and some of our earliest interactions with each other and with our Creator. From the first murder to the first covenant, this study includes close-up examinations of Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, and Noah, as well as careful considerations of doctrinal themes such as "The Fall of Man" and "Heritage and Family."
It's from this point that you'll find your footing to understand the rest of the Bible more easily. So much happens in these first eleven chapters, they need their own study.
—ABOUT THE SERIES—
The Mac Arthur Bible Study series is designed to help you study the Word of God with guidance from widely respected pastor and author John Mac Arthur. Each guide provides intriguing examinations of the whole of Scripture by examining its parts and incorporates:
- Extensive, but straight-forward commentary on the text.
- Detailed observations on overriding themes, timelines, history, and context.
- Word and phrase studies to help you unlock the broader meaning and apply it to your life.
- Probing, interactive questions with plenty of space to write down your response and thoughts.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780718033743 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperChristian Resources |
| Publication date: | 12/01/2015 |
| Series: | MacArthur Bible Studies |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Sales rank: | 348,301 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Genesis 1-11
Creation, Sin, and the Nature of God
By John MacArthur
Thomas Nelson
Copyright © 2008 John MacArthurAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-3374-3
CHAPTER 1
Creation of the World
Genesis 1:1–2:2
Drawing Near
The first chapter of Genesis tells of the creation of the universe. How is that similar or different to what is commonly taught today in public schools?
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The Context
There is actually no historical background for our opening passage, because there was no history prior to Genesis 1:1. The Bible begins at the very beginning, appropriately enough — and only God is there.
In this chapter, we will meet God, and He will reveal Himself to our eyes right from the beginning of time. We will see Him issuing commands from heaven while also hovering over the waters of the newly forming planet earth.
As we begin our study of God's earliest dealings with mankind, it is important that we properly understand Genesis, the "book of beginnings." Genesis is written as a book of history. It is a literal account of literal people who experienced literal events. It is not a collection of myths, nor is it a figurative treatment of metaphors or abstract concepts. It is not even a "polemic," a book whose sole purpose is to argue against some other teaching or popular belief.
The book of Genesis is intended to teach God's people about His interaction with mankind, beginning at the dawn of creation and continuing through the life of Joseph. In an age when most of the world has embraced the teachings of evolution, God's people may need to recognize that this teaching on the origins of mankind will require an act of faith. However, whether we believe in the teachings of Darwin or the teachings of Moses, we will alike be exercising faith.
Genesis begins not only with an account of the origins of mankind but also all forms of life on earth and even of earth itself. It is not a metaphorical treatment of evolutionary beginnings; it is a literal account of six literal days that God Himself spent creating all that we know as our universe.
[Note: Refer to the map in the Introduction for information throughout this study.]
Keys to the Text
Read Genesis 1:1–2:2, noting the key words and phrases indicated below.
Day 1: God creates planet earth, followed by light. He then separates light from darkness and gives names to both.
1:1. BEGINNING: The Bible opens, in its very first verse, at the beginning of our physical universe. This does not include heaven, the abode of God, but it does include everything in our plane of creation — stars, sun, planets, and whatever lies beyond that man has not yet discovered.
2. WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID: This Hebrew phrase simply means that the created sphere that we call earth was initially empty and unshaped. Some attempt to find "waste" or "chaos" in this phrase, but one cannot have "chaos" in an empty vessel — which is the essential meaning here. The earth was like an unshaped lump of clay, awaiting the Potter's loving hands.
Spirit of God: This is our first glimpse of God's triune nature, existing in three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son had not yet taken on human flesh, of course, but we know from John 1 that He was present at creation — indeed, that He was the very agent of creation.
HOVERING: This Hebrew word implies a gentle fluttering and is used to describe a mother hen as she flutters above her chicks. From the very beginning, we see the Spirit of God as He shapes His creation.
3. God said: God created by His word alone, with the sole exception of mankind. For the rest of creation, He merely spoke His will and it became reality — instantly. The Gospel of John tells us that "all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (1:3). John refers to Jesus as the Word, and in Genesis 1 we are seeing Him at work.
LIGHT: Some people have argued that there could not have been "light" prior to the sun's creation, but that clearly makes no sense. The sun is not the only source of light in creation. God Himself is light (see 1 John 1:5), and it is entirely possible that the Spirit of God had at this point revealed the Light to God's developing world.
4. God divided the light from the darkness: Right from the beginning of creation, God set darkness apart from light. This may seem self-evident in the physical realm, but it will become of deep spiritual significance after Adam sins. This is the first of several divisions that God established at creation.
5. God called the light Day: God chose to name some aspects of creation, while giving Adam the authority to name others. In ancient cultures, it was a sign of authority to bestow a name on a person or thing. Thus, God retains to Himself the final authority over the physical elements of His creation, including the cycles of earth that we know as "night" and "day."
THE EVENING AND THE MORNING: Some people also argue that there could not have been an "evening" and a "morning" prior to the creation of the sun, yet it is not the sun that determines the cycles of time — it is the earth's rotation. The planet was revolving on its axis on day 1, and Moses was letting us know that the first day — twenty-four hours — had passed.
FIRST DAY: A popular doctrine (known as the "day/age theory") suggests that the "days" of Genesis 1 actually represent great periods of time — that the "first day" was actually thousands or millions of years long. There are many reasons why this cannot be so, which we will see as we proceed, but the most basic reason is that the book of Genesis is clearly meant to be a historical account of actual people and events. Moses was not writing metaphorically here; he was writing literally. When he said "the evening and the morning were the first day," he meant a literal twenty-four-hour period of time.
Day 2: God creates the sky and divides the waters above from the waters on earth.
6. FIRMAMENT: The sky.
8. God called the firmament Heaven: Once again, we see God naming the physical aspects of creation, indicating that He is the One in final authority over what we call "the heavens and the earth." He retains authority over mankind's physical environment, including the atmosphere, the planet, and the waters of the sea (see verse 10). This is an important doctrine in the face of modern fears concerning the future inhabitability of our planet.
Day 3: God separates dry land from the seas and then creates plant life.
11. Let the earth bring forth grass: The planet is now ready to sustain life, so on day 3 God calls life into existence. This is not sentient life, or creatures that are capable of thought and independent action; that will come on day 5. It is important, from God's perspective, that the environment be fully ready to sustain sentient life prior to the creation of animals, birds, and fish. There must be seas and dry land for the creatures to live in, as well as plants to provide them with food.
ACCORDING TO ITS KIND: Moses reiterated this phrase repeatedly throughout the creation account. This phrase alone precludes any element of evolution being read into Genesis 1, as the chapter states emphatically that grass can only bring forth grass — it cannot evolve into some other life form.
Day 4: God creates the stars, sun, moon, and other planets.
14. LIGHTS IN THE FIRMAMENT: Everything that God made — from plants to animals to heavenly bodies — was complete and fully functioning when created.
LET THEM BE FOR SIGNS AND SEASONS, AND FOR DAYS AND YEARS: God intended from the beginning that mankind would use the stars to gauge the passage of time. They would also serve as signs of His great power. Interestingly, thousands of years later, God would even use a "star" or "great light" to lead the wise men to worship His newborn Son (see Matthew 2:1–12).
16. TWO GREAT LIGHTS: The sun and moon. Here we discover another reason that the "days" of Genesis 1 must be understood as literal, twenty-four-hour time periods. God created plant life on day 3, but the sun does not appear until day 4. Plants could easily survive for twenty-four hours without sunlight, but not for millions of years.
Day 5: God creates fish and birds.
20. Let the waters abound: On day 5, God created fish and birds. Evolution teaches that birds evolved from fish, but Genesis teaches that fish and birds appeared on earth at the same time.
21. ACCORDING TO ITS KIND: Once again, Moses reiterated that fish can only bring forth fish, and birds can only bring forth birds. There is no room in Genesis for the doctrines of evolution.
22. God blessed them: This is the first time that God spoke directly to His creatures. It is significant that His first words were those of blessing.
Be fruitful and multiply: This was God's first commandment. There is no negative connotation here — only the positive word of blessing. As we will see soon enough, mankind is the only part of God's earthly creation to which He gave the choice of obedience.
Day 6: God creates land animals, and then finally mankind — directly, by His own hands.
25. God saw that it was good: Moses repeated this phrase at each stage of creation. It is God's statement that His creation is good, but it is more than that: it is God's declaration of "it is finished" on each aspect of creation. He created fish and "saw that it was good." He created birds and "saw that it was good." He created land animals and "saw that it was good." In other words, He stated emphatically that the living creatures were created complete, with nothing further to be done. There was no need for those creatures to evolve into something more.
26. Let Us make man in Our image: This is the first time that God speaks to Himself, and it is significant that He uses the plural "Us." We have already seen God's Spirit hovering over the waters while God speaks His creation into existence. Some have suggested that God is speaking in this verse to the angels, but this cannot be: mankind is created in God's image, not the image of God and the angels. God is revealing His triune nature to creation right from the beginning of time.
according to Our likeness: Mankind is different from the rest of creation. The earth brought forth each living creature "according to its kind," and all those creatures were made according to the likeness of earth. But God Himself created mankind with His own hands, and man was created according to God's likeness. No other part of creation was made in His image.
DOMINION: We have already seen that God retained some aspects of creation under His own authority, but we now discover that He placed other aspects under man's authority — specifically, all sentient life forms.
28. Be fruitful and multiply: God is not worried about the overpopulation of the earth. Indeed, the Scriptures often reiterate that children are a blessing from God — the more children, the greater the blessing.
31. IT WAS VERY GOOD: Every element of creation had been "good," which indicates that each life form was complete in itself. Yet the whole of creation was not completed until God had created an overseer to rule over the lower life forms. For this role, He created a very special creature, made in His own image. With the creation of mankind, both male and female, God pronounced that His creation was more than good — it was very good. This is a doubly emphasized statement that creation was complete and there was nothing further to "evolve."
Day 7: God declares His work finished and rests.
2:1. FINISHED: Moses reiterated, yet again, that all of creation was completed in six days. There is nothing ongoing, nothing left incomplete, and nothing that is evolving any further. Modern science teaches us that evolution is still continuing — that the work of creation is never complete — but this is directly contrary to the teachings of Genesis.
2. God ended His work ... and He rested: With the dawn of the seventh day, God ended His work and "rested" from creating. He certainly did not rest due to weariness — He simply abstained from further creative work and, in doing so, established the pattern for man's work cycle. Later, the Sabbath ordinance of Moses would be based in the creation week (see Exodus 20:8–11). The Sabbath would be God's sacred, ordained day in the weekly cycle.
Unleashing the Text
1) What aspects of creation do you find interesting or surprising?
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2) In what ways is mankind different from the rest of creation? In what ways is it similar?
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3) What details of creation disagree with the doctrines of evolution? Can the two views — creation by God versus evolution — be reconciled in any way?
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4) What hints do you find that show the love of God in Genesis 1:1–2:2?
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Exploring the Meaning
God loves His creation. One of the most striking things that we discover in Genesis 1 is God's love toward all creation. This becomes a vital theme throughout Scripture, culminating in the costly sacrifice that God's own Son would make for mankind on the cross.
We find God's Spirit hovering above the waters of creation before the earth was even shaped, and His presence is similar to that of a mother hen guarding her chicks. God spoke to His creatures as they were created, and His words were all blessing and encouragement: "Be fruitful! Multiply! Be blessed!" God the Creator also concluded each day by stepping back and assessing His own work — and each day He declared that it was good. Clearly, God was pleased by the work of His hands and loved His entire creation.
There is order in God's creation. There was nothing haphazard in God's creative work. He deliberately separated things that should be kept separate, such as light and darkness, dry land and the oceans. He created environments that were specifically designed to support different forms of life, such as the seas for fish and the sky for birds.
God also named certain elements of creation, such as the elements of our environment. The notion of bestowing a name on something indicates authority and lordship, and God has retained to Himself the lordship over His created environment. On the other hand, He gave mankind lordship over the lower orders of life, including fish, birds, land animals, and "every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26).
This order within creation has wide-ranging implications throughout Scripture. For instance, God promised mankind after the Flood that the earth's environment would always sustain life (see Genesis 8:22). He reiterated man's authority over the animal kingdom (see 9:2–3) while also reiterating the sanctity of human life (see 9:5–6). Paul referred back to Genesis when he addressed issues of order within the church (e.g., see 1 Corinthians 11).
Mankind is unique in all of creation. Genesis underscores repeatedly that mankind is different from the rest of creation. God spoke a command and fish appeared, birds appeared, and plants and animals burst forth from the earth — but mankind was created differently. We share the same original material with the rest of creation, as God used the dust of the earth to create us (see Genesis 2:7). However, the Lord did more than merely speak a command when He created Adam: He fashioned the dust with His own hands and breathed life directly into his nostrils.
Only human beings are created in the image of God. This in itself is a deep subject for consideration. What does it mean to be created in God's image? In an intellectual sense, Adam and Eve were like God in that they could exercise reason and understanding. In a moral sense, they were like God because they were good and sinless. (That, of course, would change when they sinned.)
Again, there is no room in Genesis for the notions of evolution. We gain nothing by suggesting that the six days of creation were actually millions of years, because Genesis 1 makes it clear that God did not use evolution to create mankind — or any other aspect of the world that He made.
Reflecting on the Text
5) How does this passage in Genesis 1:1–2:2 emphasize the gentleness and love of God toward creation? What does this suggest about His view of you personally?
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6) What aspects of creation did God name? What aspects did He allow mankind to name? What are the implications of this?
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7) Why did God "rest" on the seventh day? What does it mean that He blessed the seventh day?
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8) How do you respond to the fact that Genesis 1 disagrees with the teachings of modern science?
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Personal Response
9) How do you respond to the concept of God's created order? How do you respond to the idea that God has ordained levels of authority?
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10) What do you learn about God's love from these passages in Genesis 1:1–2:2? How does this affect your relationship with Him?
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(Continues...)
Excerpted from Genesis 1-11 by John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008 John MacArthur. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction, v,1. Creation of the World Genesis 1:1–2:2, 1,
2. Adam and Eve Genesis 2:3–25, 13,
3. The Fall of Man Genesis 3:1–24, 25,
4. Cain and Abel Genesis 4:1–8, 39,
5. The First Murder Genesis 4:8–16, 51,
6. Noah and the Ark Genesis 6:5–22, 61,
7. The Great Flood Genesis 7:1–8:22, 69,
8. The First Covenant Genesis 9:1–17, 79,
9. The Sons of Noah Genesis 9:18–29, 87,
10. Heritage and Family Genesis 10:1–32, 97,
11. The Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1–8, 107,
12. Reviewing Key Principles, 117,
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