Today’s Bible Study is on Genesis 1 which approximately took place before 4000 B.C. This chapter explains ‘The History Of Creation’ and how God created everything, including us humans.
I am using the New King James Version of the Bible. You could use the same too or the Bible that you have. Before we get started with this bible study on Genesis 1, I kindly request you to take a moment to pray and invite the Holy Spirit to give you revelation as we read along.
If needed also get a notebook so that you could take down notes and also write revelations from the Holy spirit. For ease of reading, I have divided this bible study on Genesis 1 based on the creation that took place on each day. God created everything in just 6 days.
Ready? Let’s begin!
The Creation of Heavens and Earth – Genesis 1:1-2
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
As we clearly see from the above verses, in the beginning, God created two different things – the heavens and the earth. Notice how the word “heavens” is plural here. The earth, when it was created, was without form and it was void. There was darkness on the face of the earth and the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit, as we know) was hovering over the face of the waters. We could also infer that the earth had only water and no dry land was created yet.
In the bible study on John 1:1-5, we were already introduced to God and The Word. However, in this bible study of Genesis 1:2, we are introduced to the Third God-head, the Holy Spirit.
Division of Light And Darkness – Genesis 1:3-5
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.
So the evening and the morning were the first day.
On the first day of creation, the light was created by God’s spoken Word. And God divided the light from the darkness which makes a clear separation between day and night. God called the light as Day and He called the darkness as Night. It was purposefully fashioned by God in this way. Nothing God creates is by accident or coincidence. Every single thing that God creates has a purpose and an intention behind its very existence (including you who are reading this right now). Even the things we think are not necessary has a definite plan and purpose in God’s eyes.
Firmament Of Waters – Genesis 1:6-8
Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus 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.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
On the second day of creation, God by His spoken word created a firmament in the midst of the waters and using this firmament, He caused a separation between the waters. So it means that the firmament had water under it and above it. The firmament was called Heaven.
Here is a picture of the old testament cosmos depicting the firmament. Often, Bible scholars refer to the firmament as a solid expanse and this firmament in Hebrew means raqia, a solid dome-like structure.
Creation of Earth – Genesis 1: 10
Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
On the third day of creation, God by His spoken word commanded the waters under the “heavens” to be gathered together into one place and He commanded the dry land to appear. He called the dry land as Earth and the gathered waters as Seas. And this is how the Earth and the Seas came into existence.
Creation of Grass, Herbs And Trees On Earth – Genesis 1: 11-13
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
Once God created the earth, He by His spoken Word commanded the earth to bring forth grass, and herbs that bring forth seed and all the types of different fruit trees where the seeds are in the fruit itself. And the earth did exactly what God commanded it to do. And God saw that it was good. He did all this on the third day of creation.
Creation of Light (Sun, Moon and Stars) – Genesis 1: 14-19
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;
15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,
18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
On the fourth day of creation, God by His spoken word created lights in the firmament of heavens to divide the day from the night and He fashioned these lights for signs and seasons and for days and years. He created these lights to give light to the earth.
Verse 16 says God made two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser one to rule the night. In addition, he also made the stars. In short, God created the sun, the moon and the stars to separate the day from night, the light from darkness and to rule over the day and over the night accordingly. And God saw that it was good.
Each of these creations, if we notice, has a purpose. The purpose of the sun is to provide light during the day. The purpose of the moon and the stars is to provide light during the night.
Creation of Living Creatures In The Air And Waters – Genesis 1:20-23
20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”
21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
God Is A God Of Abundance
On the fifth day, God commanded the waters to be filled with an “abundance” of living creatures. This scripture right here reveals one of the many natures of God. God is a God of abundance. He is not a stingy God. He is a very generous God and He always creates in abundance. In short, there is no lack with Him. He also commanded the birds to fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens. The firmament of the heavens refers to the sky and atmosphere itself.
God Is Pleased With His Creations
Verse 21 states that God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves according to its kind that filled the waters and every winged bird according to its kind that filled the air and God saw that it was good. If you notice, all the verses in Genesis 1, says that on every day of creation God saw that His creation was good. He took pleasure in His creation. He loved His creation.
God Blesses And Multiplies
Now verse 22 is interesting. Pay close attention. It says God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas and let birds multiply on the earth”. It reveals yet another nature of God. He blesses His creation. However, He not only blessed them but also commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas and the bird to multiply on the earth”. This reveals yet another nature of God – God is a God of multiplication. He multiplies His creation. It pleases Him to do so.
Creation of Living Creatures on Dry Land – Genesis 1:24-25
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
On the sixth day, God commanded the earth to bring forth all the living creatures on earth, including cattle and every creeping thing and the beast of the earth each according to its kind and the earth obeyed what God commanded. And God saw that it was good.
Creation of Man – Genesis 1: 26-28
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Then God said “Let Us” make man in Our image, according to Our likeness – Notice that He didn’t say “Let Me make man in my image and in my likeness“. This is because God refers to God – the Father, Jesus – The Word, And the Spirit of God – The Holy Spirit. Each of the three Godheads has different characteristics but they are God. That is why He said “Let Us” and not “Let Me”.
God also said let the man have dominion (to have dominion is to have dominance) over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. In short, He wanted man to have dominion over everything that He ever created.
Hence, God created man as male and female. Just as He blessed the creatures of the air and seas and dry land to multiply, he also blessed man to multiply. And, He blessed man to fill the earth and subdue it, to take dominion over the creatures of the sea, air and earth.
Instructions For Man And Living Creatures – Genesis 1:29-31
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you, it shall be for food.
30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
And God gave man (referring to the male and female), every herb that yields seed and every tree whose fruit yields seed as food.
He also gave every beast of the earth, the birds of the air and to everything that creeps on earth in which there is life, every green herb for food.
If you read closely, another nature of God is revealed here. “He is our “Provider“. He not only created all the living creatures and blessed them to multiply but also He provided food for them to eat and survive. As for man, God went an extra step. He provided for man, blessed them to multiply and gave man dominion over the entire earth.
Then God saw everything He had made and it was “very good” and this completes the sixth day of creation.
In Conclusion
If you have read until the end of this Bible Study on Genesis 1, thank you and well done! We see that God is a God of Creation, Multiplication, Provision and Abundance. God is a God who blesses His creation. It also includes every creepy thing on the earth that we might find disgusting or even useless. God does not make mistakes. Everything He created has a purpose.
The best part is that God created man in His own image. He didn’t choose to create the birds or the fish or the land creatures in His image, but man. And God commanded and by His spoken words, things came to be. God didn’t create man to be oppressed or subdued. He created man in His image, to command his surroundings and to take dominion, not run and hide in fear.
I hope you enjoyed this bible study on Genesis 1 as much as I did. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them down in the comments box below. I will try to answer as quickly as possible.
See you in the next study!